Winnipwned

The next morning we scampered out of the hotel a few minutes after checkout and proceeded towards Canada. After a short time, we had reached the border and prepared ourselves for border patrol. The line of cars coming from Canada to the U.S. stretched almost a far as the eye could see. Not to be discouraged, we pressed on and joined the maple leaf pilgrimage of the three cars ahead.

I would have assumed I had learned something from Europe, but once again, when border patrol asked what we would be doing I replied with, “Camping.” Nobody wants vagabonds in their country and he immediately wanted to know where we would be staying. I had no idea and the look of mild amusement on Jenn’s face didn’t provide me with any answers either. After another harsh round of questioning, he finally relented and Jenn and I were permitted to enter the country along with our economic stimulus checks hot from the press.

I had the idea that we should spend a day in Winnipeg, Manitoba before heading on to our beloved Ontario. It seemed like a good idea in the trip-planning phase, but there was one crucial flaw in the design of my plan: Winnipeg sucks. To be fair, I’m sure it has its good points but we had a hard time trying to find any. The drive to the city from the border was like driving through a dust bowl, it was incredibly expensive (we’re talking $100+ a night for Best Western-style hotels vs. $45 in Fargo), and the city itself was frustrating to navigate by car. In some cases, stoplights do not have turn arrows. Rather the round green light itself will just start blinking, indicating you can turn.

Ultimately, our frustration, combined with Jenn’s unwillingness to use the makeshift bathroom I offered to make out of a leaf pile, forced us to leave the city earlier than expected and we made our way towards Ontario. However, we did manage to make a good time of it before we left and we spent some time in a nice sculpture garden and the Winnipeg Zoo.

On our way out, we decided to stop by a casino as they offer free currency exchange. Jenn and I each set aside $20 to gamble. Much to my chagrin, she ended up with around $21.50 and I finished somewhere around $18.00 . There wasn’t anything to do hardly but slots so after a while we left, feeling refreshed and happy. Nothing much happened that day until our hunt for a motel later that night.

After going from one hotel to the next asking for prices (with our phones off to avoid international roaming fees) we finally settled on one with a somewhat more reasonable price (still around $80). They gave us the key to the room but it turned out the door was unlocked. There was no deadbolt or chain or anything, just the little turning-lock mechanism on the knob. Did I mention the hotel was also a bar? As such, I piled a chair and all of our luggage in front of the door for a little extra safety and (thankfully) we survived the night.