Another National Park (our 22nd) in Canada

 Sept. 2, 2025

    In 2023, we set off for our long-awaited road trip to Alaska.  On our second day out, I had a seizure and we had to return home to see my neurologist, have an MRI done, and get a few Rx filled.  We were two weeks behind on our itinerary and had to pass up Riding Mountain National Park in Manitoba.  For this trip, we planned a brief 3-day trip into Canada to make up for it.

Of course, we had to sit in the red chairs found in all Parks Canada sites.

Our campground and the Visitor Center were near Clear Lake (a bit clearer than the one near where we live), and we enjoyed watching the loons dive and feed.

Brian proves he is taller than a bison

On our second day, we drove across the park from south to north to the town of Dauphin.  It is not very noticeable that the park occupies some higher topography until you descend into the plains to the north.

We found this Ukrainian Heritage Village between the park and Dauphin.  Very quiet there that day - just us and the groundskeeper.

        The town of Dauphin has a distinct Ukrainian presence.  Historical markers are in English, French, and Ukrainian, even in the restaurant where we dined.  When in Canada, we must have poutine, eh?

Ukrainian Catholic Church

"Build your own" poutine, and I barely managed to eat it all.

        The next day, we explored the more remote parts of the park, driving a total of 80 miles on gravel roads.  (Most of it was smoother than the broken-down asphalt in more populous places.)   We drove west to Audy Lake and the bison enclosure, but were disappointed that the bison were out of sight.

Next, we drove to the historic east entrance to the park and visited a small town nearby.

      Just like the upper midwest states of the U.S., Manitoba is very rural with fields and farms.  We liked this view of the hay field with Riding Mountain rising in the distance.

More red chairs in another part of the park, and a stop at Katherine Lake to sprinkle more of my sister's ashes.

        Back at the campground, the long weekend Labour Day holiday was in full swing, making it difficult to find peace and quiet, so we were ready to end our visit.  A quick, easy border crossing back into North Dakota.  Our answer to the border patrol agent asking if we were bringing anything back to the U.S.  -  "one box of maple cookies."  We always buy maple cookies while in Canada, and we had already eaten another box.  Canada, we will return in the future.

The adventure continues . . .