Crossing the border from North Dakota into Manitoba, Canada was surprisingly easy and, frankly, anticlimactic. Unlike setting foot in most other countries, a trip to Canada feels essentially the same as traveling in the U.S. from a cultural standpoint. Except for a few vernacular distinctions, eh? 😉
U-Pick berry farms dot the landscape of southern Manitoba and were partially the inspiration for our trip in the first place. We became RV guests and volunteer workers at Blumstein Berry Farm just outside of Winkler and enjoyed a behind-the-scenes look at this homespun operation.By 6:15 a.m. eager pickers lines the gravel road leading to the driveway. The gates opened at 7:00 sharp and the field became a hive of harvesters looking for (and of course test-tasting!) the ripest, juiciest fruits available. Rows of Saskatoon bushes in the foreground housed nearly as many early birds filling pails with fresh fruit.Back at the home front, our girls (one daughter and her three travel buddy sisters!) learned how to keep the books and manage pre-orders, hired farm pickers, and the weighing and pricing of dozens of pails secured by the u-pickers.Our few days on the farm ended with an evening gathering of a community of Christian friends for a time of playing, singing, eating snacks (fresh berries, anyone?), and visiting into the wee hours of the morning.A brief stop at Lower Fort Garry introduced us to the rugged pioneer life of North American settlers in the 1800s. The living history approach of the fort made our self-guided tour interesting and educational as reenactors gave “firsthand” accounts of their experiences on the wild frontier.Did you know that the annual shipment brought in by Hudson’s Bay Company contained the previous year’s worth of newspapers from London so that the settlers could spend the next year catching up on all the news?Tucked nondescriptly onto an unattractive corner in Selkirk, Manitoba was a delightful tea shop where I was introduced to one of the most delicious teas I’ve ever tasted: Icewine Black Tea. Apparently a Canadian specialty, icewine is produced from grapes that are left on the vine and allowed to ferment prior to picking. The tea production process eliminates the alcoholic content, but wow is it still delectable!As long as we’re learning about all things Canadian…any road trip through Manitoba will take you through acres upon acres of brilliant yellow fields. A little bit of research enlightened us: those are canola fields. And, lo and behold, the word “canola” itself is an acronym derived from CANada Oil Lower Acid – a genetically engineered and processed plant, compliments of our Canadian neighbors.Some vacation destinations are selected for the sake of seeing and doing specific things; others are selected for what one doesn’t want to see or do. For the most part, Gimli, Manitoba falls into the latter category. This small lake town is predominately a retirement community, and the slower pace of life reflects that. You can easily see the whole town in a day, but it takes several days to experience the not-doing-anything. 🙂Gimli is proudly Canadian with a nod to its Icelandic heritage, although disappointingly devoid of any living Vikings. Nevertheless, we enjoyed our wanderings through town and enjoyed trying the famous pickerel [fish] at Kris’ – a local restaurant (sadly, the only notably good meal of our Gimli experience- save the soft whipped ice cream from Ye Olde Ice Cream Shop, which was delicious!).Unarguably the highlight of our time in Gimli was the little Airbnb gem we rented about 10km north of the town. A cozy cabin, half a dozen hammocks, a handful of cruisers, and 80 acres to explore gave us the perfect opportunity to relax, have fun, and grow deeper in our relationships. Perfect for when traveling is less about seeing and doing and more about relationships and rejuvenation, as was the case with this first foray into Canadian territory.
Please Note: The Airbnb link in this post is an affiliate link. If you use our link to book, you’ll receive $40 off your first stay and $15 off your first experience, and we’ll receive a $20 credit toward our next stay. Airbnb is by far one of the best travel finds ever. We love staying in local homes or guest homes that are often off-the-beaten-path and give us the opportunity to more fully experience the culture of the place we are traveling. They are also typically less expensive than their hotel or resort counterparts and offer the possibility of more living space, a kitchen, and multiple bedrooms – which is a must when traveling with our family!
