We left Winnipeg this morning at 8:10 AM and 66 degrees. Winnipeg is the capitol of Manitoba. Since our hotel was on the west side of the city, and we got in late last night in rush hour traffic, we never did get to the Legislative Building (we call them Capitol Buildings in the US), or into the city proper. Poor planning on our part. Heading east this morning was not in the plan, so we hit the road and pointed the car west. Most of the day we were in farm country…very flat farm country. Montana would call this "big sky" country.   We saw more of the same thing that we saw yesterday…golden fields of wheat, dark green fields of soy beans, an occasional field of corn, one field of asparagus, many fields of hay with bales strewn all around, drying, and many, many fields that had already been harvested of their bounties and looking very yellow and dry. I cannot count how many grain elevators that we saw, surrounded by banks of silos with Co-op printed in red on their sides, and always along the railroad tracks. Yes, the tracks followed us westward most of the day. As we moved on, the farms gave way to scattered ranches with cows grazing in scrubby green fields. And at one point we saw palomino horses. I always wanted a horse…not to ride it, just to have as a pet. They are so graceful in their infinite strength and beauty.

Our travels today were slowed some by the numerous construction sites along the road. Oh, and the road. That is of interest in itself. We traveled the Trans Canadian Highway, Route 1 which is a four-lane highway with a median. This system of roads is, I guess, comparable to our Interstate System. However, there are notable differences. In the US, we build bridges where the interstate meets a crossroad. Not in Canada. The speed limit will be 110 kmh which is about 70 mph, and there are no bridges for cross streets or railroad crossings. There are intersections. There are no ramps, either. So you may have a car or truck turn onto the road in front of you. Or you may have to stop entirely to let a train cross your path. They do warn you of “important intersections” as you approach them. But that does not account for all intersections. In addition, the highway will go right through towns along the way, and there may be a traffic light or two and a reduced speed limit. So, you need to be aware of the ever-changing conditions.

We arrived in Regina, the capitol of Saskatchewan, in mid-afternoon and headed right for the Legislative Building.  See the photos. This campus is wonderful, with lush colorful gardens and a statue of Queen Elizabeth on horseback. And all of this is located on the river that runs through the city. We drove around for about two hours taking it all in. As in Winnipeg,   we saw small houses and huge apartment buildings. And the city has many lovely parks with thick foliage and beautifully manicured lawns.

We arrived at our hotel late in the afternoon and after several hiccups, we finally got settled in and that made Beamer happy. He was hungry and tired of his back seat residence.   Tomorrow, we head further west to Lethbridge, Alberta, our final stop in Canada before turning south and heading back to Glacier NP for the third time. Again, we will attempt to see the east side of the Road to the Sun.