Day 9 - Regina to Kenora, ON. 789km

Today has been a big push! Seriously, for us this is a big push. For anyone else going across Canada - not stopping for a day every second day - today's drive would probably be normal.

We left Drew and Mary’s first thing this morning (6:15am). We stopped at Moosomin for some breakfast. We had coffee, toast and a breakfast burger at A&W. I’m not sure we would do this again. The toast was buttered but Jenny had to spend 20 minutes adding jam to 12 pieces of toast. The coffee was Ok but not great (not Timmys). We pulled back onto the highway and found a Tim Horton’s just 2 more minutes down the road - we should have had a little more patience!

We stopped for lunch and a swim at Portage la Prairie, just 40mins before Winnipeg. This is an excellent oasis swimming spot. While, Jemma, Ryan and I relaxed in the pool Jenny fired up the Cob and barbecued four chicken breasts, made couscous and grilled zuchinni in the pool parking lot! 

Splash Island, Portage la Prairie, MB

Cob Barbecue - photo from the web site
(Jenny's meal was just as good!)

We decided to drive through Winnipeg rather than stop. We were surprised how big a city it is and how much it looks like the downtown of Vancouver.

We stopped at Perkins for dinner. I think the average age of diners there is about 80. There was a man sitting eating his liver and onions with oxygen being fed through his nose. We had a surprisingly nice dinner and are now back on the road heading out of Manitoba into Ontario.
To anyone form Manitoba we apologize. I’m sure you are used to it. By the time people get this far they just want to keep moving on to their final destination, unless of course, they are from Manitoba and they are heading home.

Our general impression of the Prairies is we love the heat and the flatness rather appealing. I think this is an excellent time of year to come here. I’m not sure I would be so keen when it hits -40C!

(I'm writing this while going 100km down Highway 1 - just leaving Manitoba. Jenny is driving).