Manitoba:

“Man is condemned to be free; because once thrown into the world, he is responsible for everything he does. It is up to you to give life a meaning.”
― Jean-Paul Sartre

Manitoba: Friendly People and Bountiful Fields

I can’t believe I missed writing about Manitoba. It’s an amazing place that is kind of a bridge between Western Canada and the Eastern provinces. As a province, Manitoba is at once friendly and modern. It’s a real multicultural place, and should be a shining example of how to be happy for the rest of this old, troubled world. Manitobans are, by and large friendly, welcoming and laid back people.

It was amazing to see the fields of sunflowers, beans, legumes, lavender coloured flax and shining, golden wheat. I camped for 10 days in Manitoba and enjoyed it in spite of the stable flies. I don’t know where the mosquitos were this year, but boy there were an awful lot of stable flies. Stable flies look like a bigger version of a common housefly. Appearances aside, they are the housefly’s sneaky, vicious, blood sucking cousin.

Other than the stable flies we enjoyed our time in Manitoba, and will be back for more camping adventures next year. We camped at Town and Country Campground near Winnipeg, a Snowbirders Campground with many seasonal residents. It’s a well run RV campground, with typical open, full service campsites. There are enough trees for shade, but not for privacy. We made use of the Clam shelter, both as a means of keeping those stable flies away, and enjoying some privacy outside of the arfpod. The Town And Country Campground was a great home base and very convenient to the amenities, sights and great food of Winnipeg.

Stephenfield Provincial Park, Manitoba

Next we were off to Stephenfield Provincial Park in southern Manitoba. Stephenfield Park is on a beautiful reservoir lake, and is nestled in a forest of serviced, private RV campsites. Annie pointed her first pelican in that lake. It was a popular lake for local families and the evenings were alive with the shrieks and giggles of kids giddy with making fun memories. Stars blanket the night sky above the black boughs of the oak trees. After those happy kids settle down for the nights, I can’t think of a more peaceful place to camp.

Stephenfield Park is an island in the surrounding, flat, prairie farmland, where there are infinitely vast fields of corn, sunflowers and navy beans. These fields stretch out for as far as you can see, sometimes separated by blue spruce groves.