we left Mcintosh at 9:30 am on Friday, november 12th heading to Manitoba throught Pembina. we stopped in Grand Forks, ND to see Moms sister LaVerda who is in the hospital and after about an hour there headed to Walmart to get Dad a pair of snow pants. he was going to bring his Carhart bibs but they are so big so he decided on a pair of snowpants.
it is about 90 minutes from Grand Forks to the border crossing town of Pembina and we were going to stop at the duty free station but thought it would be at the border. it isnt. it is in the town of Pembina, so we missed that. we stopped at the border and the Candian officials asked thhe basic questions: who are you, where are you coming from, where are you going, and do you have any weapons, cigarettes or alcohol with you. well no weapons or beer but Dad had cigarettes so Mom told him that and he said " have fun with the bears" and off we went.
first stop was the tourist info station on the Canadian side. we exchanged out money and could all re,ember when the American dollar was worth over $1.50 over the Canadian dollar. no more. 96 cents on the dollar going and coming. We got a couple maps and info on Churchill that the lady, Lateria, said wehad to have and she only gives it to people who say they are going to Churchill.
about an hour later we were in Winnipeg. we stayed at the Inn at the Forks which is a block fromm the trainstation and close to the eating and shopping areas. got all checked in and i have to say the young woman behind the counter was truly wonderful. Yoni was her name and she was giving Dad a hard time about looking like Santa Claus but he would have to gain some wieght. all good fun. she set us up on a night for the return trip and gave us a complimentary parking pass for the whole time. i love quality service.
The two young guys behind the counter were giving Mom a hard time as she had diet coke in her hand and they asked if she had brought them any...later that night they said the same thing about the pizza and ice cream she was carrying as well. of course the parents loved the teasing!
thursday night we had a drink at Joe Flarneys and Dad is into dark beer so he tried a Fort Garry Ale. A few salt shakes later he was good to go. Mom of course had her Mikes Hard Lemonade and me a diet coke. we walked around after that as the Forks has a lot of little shops as well. mom founf a couple things...floaty pens and Dad went from sitting bench to sitting bench waiting. There is also a farmers market area there but most is eating places. Pizza, subs, stir fry, Sri Lanka food, candy, ice cream, and mini donuts that will need to be taste tested on the way home.
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