The center of Canada's

The Great Lakes are behind us and we continue towards the center of Canada. The change of provinces and time zones is progressing much faster. So we pass through the provinces of Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta.

On July 1, 2022, Canada's National Day was celebrated. We spent it in Winnipeg. Directly adjacent to the zoo is a beautiful park with wide meadows, deer crossing the paths, playgrounds, and a pavilion for concerts. We observed the wild hustle and bustle while listening to music. The fire trucks and police cars were interesting to us. Benedikt even managed to conquer a coloring book and many stickers. It was a beautiful and relaxing day for all of us.

02.07.2022 Saturday

When we arrived at Riding Mountain National Park, we were somewhat surprised. Instead of nature and tranquility, we found a wild party atmosphere. Right by Clear Lake, there are motels, shopping malls, and many restaurants. In addition to numerous sports activities on and in the water, the green spaces are converted into barbecue and party zones.

Looking for a quiet spot, we ended up on Arrowhead Trail. But the night was not as peaceful as we had hoped. After a short time, we could hear buzzing here and there in the car. The mosquitoes found hidden paths into the interior. Constantly getting up, searching, and 'swatting' made it impossible to sleep for long stretches. Nevertheless, the next day we ventured onto the hiking trail. Long clothing and mosquito spray were supposed to protect us well. But we were mistaken, the insects were more intrusive and numerous than we expected. Swarms of millions of creatures made it impossible for us to enjoy the trail. Unfortunately, there were no viewpoints in the dense forest on the circular route. All in all, we could have spared ourselves that. We would rather go back to the lake and relax while digging in the sand.

03.07.2022 Sunday

Today we actually planned to visit a bison reserve, but the roads there are unpaved. That means a 30-minute drive easily becomes 1.5 hours, because 30 mph doesn't really get us anywhere. To protect the car and our nerves, we continue on to Regina.

04.07.2022 Monday 

In Regina, it's 'household day' again. We do the laundry. We replenish the food supplies and fill up the car with gas. Since we are already well organized, everything goes quickly and there is plenty of time to visit the playground. This time with a visit from rabbits 🐇. An adventure for Jessie.

During all our drives, we enjoy the wide view over the fields and meadows of the prairie. Agriculture seems endless here. There are no forests or mountains to be found.

However, we are occasionally accompanied by freight trains. The railroad tracks run parallel to the highway. And since a train loaded with containers is nearly 2 kilometers long, you can look out the window for a while and be amazed.

Our next major destination is Dinosaur Provincial Park, just before Calgary.

We embark on the adventure of exploring the desert around Little Canyon, following in the footsteps of the dinosaurs. The climb is slippery and difficult. Paths are hard to come by. So let's go on an adventure, keep our eyes open, and with a bit of luck, we might find a dinosaur bone or a dinosaur tooth.

The sun is relentlessly beating down from above. Sweat is running and so we seek refreshment in the Visitor Center. Here, a lovingly created museum offers many interactions for young and old.

We had planned to spend the night at the park's own campground, but it was already fully booked. So we drove to the next larger town.

07.07.2022 Thursday 

Happy Birthday Jessie! 🎈 

Today is our little one's 2nd birthday. It's crazy how quickly time flies. 

We start the day with balloons and cake 🎂.

Playgrounds are the greatest joy for Jessie. So it's clear that we also visit one today. In Calgary, we even found a larger water park that invites us to play and swim.

The day ends quickly with a thunderstorm. We heard a tornado warning ⚠️ and were a little worried. Luckily, it remained heavy rain and hail. As quickly as the storm came, it disappeared again. However, the hailstones left marks on the car.