Wednesday, July 02, 2008
A Mysterious Manitoba Vacation
I just got back from a short vacation with my family. We opted, of course, for a nearcation, taking a trip out and around sunny Manitoba.
On the way out of Winnipeg, heading west, we noted the statue of the white horse at St. Francois Xavier. As readers of my book Unnatural History know, the statue is one of the few in the world that commemorates a ghost story, in this case, that of a revenant white stallion said to be seen galloping across the prairie.
We then spent several days at Riding Mountain National Park, enjoying the sun and lakes there. Naturally, we are book afficionados and sought out the few bookstores in the area. In the town of Onanole, we discovered Poor Michael's, a wonderful cappuccino cafe and used bookstore that had a huge selection of titles in all categories. I found a copy of The Golden Bough in excellent condition at a great price (mine has wandered off), and Donna found a copy of Price's Ghost Hunter, also in great condition.
We also went to Lake Audy to see the bison herd there and saw several bear but no moose or cougar. Especially since I got out of the car at Audy to take a photo.
We went up to Mt. Baldy one day, just to say we were there on the peak of the highest point in Manitoba. We also went to the wave pool in Dauphin, the only one in Manitoba.
Forteanly, we stopped at the grotto of the Holy Mother of Lourdes at Ste. Rose du Lac, supposedly an accurate copy of the one in Lourdes itself. We saw no apparitions there, although the site is close to a BVM sighting dating back about 20 years. Next to the grotto, there is a statue of whom I assume is Bernadette Soubirous, kneeling in rapture and prayer. We noted that a thick cobweb was attached to the statue, making it appear as if ectoplasm was emerging.
Finally, we went to Manipogo Beach near Rorketon, where we enjoyed Manipogo burgers and Manipogo dogs at the concession stand. It was quite a drive, and it was worth it for the experience, although you'd think the monster would have shown us the courtesy of appearing as we played Bocce on the beach. [Question: If they're selling Manipogo burgers there, does that explain why no one's seen Manipogo for several years?]
And now, back to regular UFO programming.
On the way out of Winnipeg, heading west, we noted the statue of the white horse at St. Francois Xavier. As readers of my book Unnatural History know, the statue is one of the few in the world that commemorates a ghost story, in this case, that of a revenant white stallion said to be seen galloping across the prairie.
We then spent several days at Riding Mountain National Park, enjoying the sun and lakes there. Naturally, we are book afficionados and sought out the few bookstores in the area. In the town of Onanole, we discovered Poor Michael's, a wonderful cappuccino cafe and used bookstore that had a huge selection of titles in all categories. I found a copy of The Golden Bough in excellent condition at a great price (mine has wandered off), and Donna found a copy of Price's Ghost Hunter, also in great condition.
We also went to Lake Audy to see the bison herd there and saw several bear but no moose or cougar. Especially since I got out of the car at Audy to take a photo.
We went up to Mt. Baldy one day, just to say we were there on the peak of the highest point in Manitoba. We also went to the wave pool in Dauphin, the only one in Manitoba.
Forteanly, we stopped at the grotto of the Holy Mother of Lourdes at Ste. Rose du Lac, supposedly an accurate copy of the one in Lourdes itself. We saw no apparitions there, although the site is close to a BVM sighting dating back about 20 years. Next to the grotto, there is a statue of whom I assume is Bernadette Soubirous, kneeling in rapture and prayer. We noted that a thick cobweb was attached to the statue, making it appear as if ectoplasm was emerging.
Finally, we went to Manipogo Beach near Rorketon, where we enjoyed Manipogo burgers and Manipogo dogs at the concession stand. It was quite a drive, and it was worth it for the experience, although you'd think the monster would have shown us the courtesy of appearing as we played Bocce on the beach. [Question: If they're selling Manipogo burgers there, does that explain why no one's seen Manipogo for several years?]
And now, back to regular UFO programming.
# posted by rutkows @ 2:02 PM 
