We were excited to pass through Winkler because we had heard Stuart MacLean wax so eloquently about the place when visiting with his Vinyl Cafe radio show. But either we missed the Winkler that Stuart saw, or Stuart was telling some tall tales (both are very possible), but we were not impressed.
Leaving Winkler at rush hour on a two lane highway with no shoulder was not fun. But on to our camping destination of Altona, about 40 km further along from Winkler. Entering town, we turned left down a side street, with tons of cars parked all the way down. There were four fields of ball games going simultaneously and large numbers of fans in the stands. Further along was a spectacular swimming pool with a big water slide, also crammed with people. Then there was the playground that any kid would drool over, not to mention the beautiful rink and our town campground. Beyond All the facilities was the huge number of people using them. We asked if there was a regional softball tournament but a local said no, this was just a regular Thursday eve (we were invited to the cycling club meeting but felt we had done enough cycling for the day!).
Now this is a small town, maybe the size of Wolfville and the main industry is farming. Yes it seemed like there was money to support facilities and activities, but there was oil in Sasketchewan and no facilities and no one using them. We have seen lots of dusty Prairie towns with no trees or flowers on the main streets. My theory had been that it was the nature of large scale Prairie farming that meant there was little money to support community beauty and well-being, and also little focus or commitment from residents to improve things. Altona was different, as to why I am unsure. However it has to have some roots in it's people and there willingness to lead and share. It struck us as to how broadly similar places offered very different opportunities for their citizens. Hmmm.
Distance: 114.66 km
Time on bikes: 6:30:46
Average speed: 17.5 km/h
Distance from Vancouver: 2830 km
Start: 8:45 am
End: 7:00 pm
Wind: south-east ( light head)
Cheers
- The Warpotay Team
Location:Altona, Manitoba
Glad to see you guys have recovered from the nightmare in Vancouver and have taken to philosophizing amidst the wheat and barley. We finally had a sunny day on the right coast, but have now been sent back to the clouds and rain. On the upside, our skin is beautiful. Bob and Susan agree you are an inspiration. Keep up the good blogs.
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