Sunday 8th July - Last Day

A day of mixed emotions. Our last day on what has undoubtedly been the holiday of a lifetime.

We awoke at 8.0a.m. and had to put the TV on as it was the Men's Final at Wimbledon with Federer & Murray. (This was the 30th anniversary of the men's final being on a Sunday.) Could Murray win?

The weather again was gloriously sunny & hot: at 11.30a.m. the temperature had reached 28deg. We drove along the Henderson Highway to Lockport which is the site of ancient agricultural inhabitation, the feeding area of the migratory bird - the American White Pelican and dam and lock of the Red River. The bridge and locks at Lockport were completed in 1910 and make the Red River navigable to Lake Winnipeg. Lockport is an ancient settlement  and one of the oldest in Canada.

Half Moon Diner

We ate at the Half Moon Diner which was extremely busy, it had a vintage feel to it with a checked floor and red vinyl booths.
Then it was on to the Lockport Dam: the Red River flows through the turbines which generate electricity. It was a fascinating sight to see and the dam causes fish to congregate just below the locks which in turn attract flocks of White Pelicans.
We drove home via River Road, a road of very large and impopsing houses whose gardens border the river. (One of which had its own sea-plane.) The Kennedy House Museum on River Road tells the history of a 19th century Scottish/aboriginal family. Captain William Kennedy, Explorer, and entrepreneur built this gothic stone style home in 1866, which now houses the Maple Grove Tea Room.

 

 We returned to Gill's by taking in the sights of Winipeg for the last time, in particular the Exchange District, which in 1997 was declared a National Historic Site. Established at the turn of the century it is the original centre of commerce & culture. A twenty city block of approximately 150 heritage buildings it is an exceptional colllection of archtecture and now a popular backdrop for filming movies.  One last ice cream a a very quick visit to a $Store we were back to prepare supper of BBQ'd oak smoked pork. We started to do some packing in preparation for our return home the following day. What a meal we had - Gill served it on a china dinner service.










This dam causes fish to congregate just below the locks. The fish attract flocks of white pelicans who station themselves at the locks or just a few hundred yards north at the outflow of the Red Riptember. You should see dozens of pelicans on any visit to Lockport. Due to the abundance of fish fishermen from all over the province come to this part of the Red River to catch catfish and enjoy the parks in the area