Day 4: Thunder on the way to Thunder Bay.

We were greeted to to sunny skies and warm weather upon waking in Winnipeg. After a quick breakfast, we were off to the Royal Canadian Mint (on time, this time). We arrived at 9 a.m., and the informative tour began at 9:30 a.m. We learned that:

15,000,000 coins are struck everyday at the Mint.
60% of the coins struck at the Mint are for foreign countries.
A penny used to cost about 3.5 cents to manufacture.
The Mint now uses a patented plated technique that reduces that cost to about 0.1 cent.
PHOTOGRAPHS ARE NOT ALLOWED :-)

We were also able to hold a 99.99% pure gold bar worth$350,000!!! There was an armed RCMP officer guarding it. All in all, it's a tour I would recommend.

The drive to Thunder Bay was fairly long, but the kids rebounded today and behaved pretty well most of the way - thanks Gravol. As a result, they earned back their swimming privileges. Mother Natures treated us to very heavy rain, and a spectacular light show. Carrie and Jake also saw two moose just outside of Thunder Bay. We weren't quick enough to snap a photo though.

We are staying at the Days Inn in Thunder Bay. We will visit the Terry Fox Memorial in the morning before heading off to Sault Ste. Marie for a "locks" tour.

Kate, Sam, and Jake are "minted"




The Vendramin Family get a chance to hold $350,000 in gold.





Jake, Sam and Kate strike their own coins.


Finally in Ontario

Finally in Thunder Bay


Mother Nature's Light Show

Day 3: Winnipeg on our minds.

What happens when you travel into a new time zone and don't change the time on your watch???

We awoke, had breakfast in our room, and departed Regina at 8:45 (actually 9:45), for the 560 kilometre drive to Winnipeg, just in time to make the supposed 4 p.m. tour of the Canadian Mint. Oh well...we'll go to the Mint in the morning before we commence our next leg from Winnipeg to Thunder Bay.

The weather was horrible today - not as much wind, but a great deal of rain. We even saw a start of a funnel cloud just outside of Brandon. It was a weird feeling - it would have been awesome to see a twister hit the ground, but we were only a few kilometres away - a little closer than I ever want to be from a tornado. There were also a couple of "hairy" incidents on the road, especially the on-coming Chrysler Intrepid that pulled out to make a pass and had to veer off into our shoulder to avoid a head-on collision with us. Scary stuff - my heart was in my throat! Manitoba drivers are "interesting", but I'm sure they feel the same way about BC drivers.

Made a quick stop in Brandon for a lunch of sandwiches, then carried on to Winnipeg. We arrived at 4:30, found the Mint closed, and found our hotel. We are staying at another Travelodge, again with a nice pool. Sam and Jake's behaviour was...let's say...not up to par, so they did not visit the pool this evening. They will try to earn back their swimming privileges for their stay in Thunder Bay.

Once in Winnipeg, we saw:

The grave of Louis Riel.
"The Forks", where the Red and Assiniboine Rivers meet.
The corner of Portage and Main, the windiest corner in Canada.
Winnipeg Stadium, aka Canad Inn Stadium, home of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
The 3 Nutty Club buildings, evidently a Winnipeg institution since 1903.



Well, that's it for Winnipeg (for now). We're off to the Royal Canadian Mint in the morning before heading off to Ontario. Still interested in Winnipeg, read the A-Z about Winnipeg.

A funnel cloud outside Brandon, Manitoba.


Finally in Winnipeg.


Jake points out the Portage and Main street signs.


Mom, Jake, Sam, and Kate at windy Portage and Main.


Historic "Forks"


History of "The Forks"


Resting place of Louis Riel


Winnipeg Stadium...home of the Blue Bombers

Day 2: On to Regina.

Antonio and Carrie's 13th Anniversary...on the road to Regina.

After a comfortable sleep and nice breakfast in Strathmore, we departed for Regina at 8:45 a.m. under grey, wet skies. The wind was howling and I had to keep both hands on the wheel to keep the van on the road. We made it to Medicine Hat in a couple of hours, the skies began to clear, and the sun broke through the clouds. The wind continued. It was a good travelling day. Behaviour was again pretty good considering all the travel. The boys get a little silly at bedtime with all the excitement of being in a hotel, but I guess that can be expected. On the way, we saw:

Lots of roadkill :(
A bison farm.
Many canola fields and oil donkeys.
Thousands of hay bales and many wheat elevators.
The world's tallest TeePee in Medicine Hat.
A big MOOSE in Moose Jaw.

Once in Regina, at about 4:15 local time after about 700 kilometres, we visited the RCMP Training Academy, a very nice facility that outlines the history and role of the RCMP. As you can see from the photos below, the kids enjoyed it. We drove by Mosaik Stadium, Taylor Field, home of the Roughriders. Jake liked seeing the stadium. There was a shortage of hotel rooms in the city, though many hotels. Curious for a Monday night! We finally settled on the Best Western. The best thing about the hotel for the kids was the awesome waterslide - even Kate went down by herself with Dad waiting below.

We're off to Winnipeg, Manitoba in the morning. The next leg is about 570 kilometres, a relatively short distance compared to the first two days. Onward to Deep River, Ontario...

Beautiful canola fields.

An oil donkey.

Will this highway ever end???

Moose Jaw grain elevator.

The big MOOSE in Moose Jaw.

Welcome to Regina.

The Vendramin's enjoy the RCMP Training Academy.

Mosaik Stadium aka Taylor Field. Home of the Saskatechwan Roughriders.

Water fun at the Regina Best Western.

Day 1: The journey begins...

Well, our journey across Canada began today, July 8th, 2007, at 7:08 a.m., from Langley B.C. 12 hours and 1000 km later, we have made it to Strathmore, just east of Calgary. We are staying at a very nice Travelodge that has an awesome pool and sprial waterslide. Have a look at the Strathmore Travelodge.

We are ready for a quick escape to Regina tomorrow to continue our journey.

The ride here was good, with a 45 minute lunch break in Revelstoke. The van ran well, and for the most part, Jake, Sam, and Kate were pretty well behaved. Way to go kids!!! The weather was overcast with a few sunny periods and fortunately, no rain. Many wildlife signs, but few signs of wildlife. We saw a few deer and wild goat. We were surprised to see road construction on a Sunday, but we were delayed only a few minutes here and there.

We are looking forward to the next "leg" of our trip, and we will keep you posted. Enjoy the images below.

We stretch our legs at the Coquihala Toll Booth





















Lunch break in Revelstoke...


















Sleepy heads Sam and Kate...
































Ahhhh...Finally made it. Beautiful Alberta...