More sightseeing in Manitoba

 This is Clearwater Lake, one of only three "true blue" lakes in the world.  I spent a few days in the campground.  The lake is shallow out to where the color starts to turn.  It is so clear, you can see the bottom; the clarity has been measured at 33 feet.

Formed when massive rocks split from cliffs along the shoreline, there are "caves" (actually deep crevices) to explore.

I got bitten everywhere!!  The mosquitoes swarmed me like fresh meat and ITCH, oh my goodness.   I had to speak with the pharmacist at the next town for a recommendation to relieve the itch, even after several days after the bite.  Always a new experience!  They also have the biggest flies here I have ever seen.  They call them Bulldogs and they are out and about from mid-June to the end of July.

As I was driving north, it was a little cool and somewhat sobering that there were road signs announcing the 53rd parallel, the 54th parallel, the 55th ...... how far north was I going?

I did have to stop once on Highway 10 for a family of ducks with ducklings in tow.  Definitely different than the usual stop for deer ...

Flin Flon:  The town's name is taken from the lead character in a paperback novel, The Sunless City by J. E. Preston Muddock. Josiah Flintabbatey Flonatin piloted a submarine through a bottomless lake where he passed into a strange underground world through a hole lined with gold. A copy of the book was allegedly found and read by prospector Tom Creighton.

When Tom Creighton discovered a high-grade exposure of copper, he thought of the book and called it Flin Flon's mine, and the town that developed around the mine adopted the name. Flin Flon shares with Tarzana, California, the distinction of being named after a character in an adventure novel.
The character of "Flinty", as he is locally known, is of such importance to the identity of the city that the local Chamber of Commerce commissioned the minting of a $3.00 coin which was considered legal tender amongst locally participating retailers during the year following its issue. A statue representing Flinty was designed by cartoonist Al Capp and is one of the points of interest of the city.

Towns all seem to have their "thing" .... boots, bears, guitars .... Thompson has coyotes, for their "Spirit Way."  They also have a ten storey high mural of a wolf on the end of an apartment building; the largest lighted mural in the world.

There was a large number of taxis here; they sat in parking lots ready for a fare to take passengers to and from stores.

The highway to Thompson was the worst road yet and diesel was scarce.  I drove 8 1/2 miles around town until I found one pump with diesel, at a very high price.  I was told that further north they had no diesel at all.  Good thing I was turning around to head south to Winnipeg.

In general, the roads in Manitoba aren't too bad; much better than in Saskatawan.

A stop at Pisew Falls .. yes, that "white stuff" is ice.  In the winter, the entire falls freeze.  Pisew is the Cree word for lynx.  The waterfall is created by a drop in the Grass River spilling through a gorge.  After the walk down the boardwalk, there was a swinging bridge that crosses the river below the falls.

I am accustomed to poor cell service and no internet in Canada, but I have been in places in Manitoba that my phone could not even get the correct time!  I have never had that happen before.

I hoped to take a side trip to Churchill to view the Bulaga Whales, but the price was out of my budget.  From Thompson, which is as far north as you can drive to Churchill, the train trip is another 16 hours.  Once there, the train doesn't run every day, so hotel, etc before your 16-hour return, so basically the "side trip" would take a week and an inclusive trip of the viewing and the hotel was about $5,000.  Oh, well.

I have noticed a Jeep dealer in most towns, even ones that don't seem to be big enough to support one.  I don't notice an abundance of Jeeps on the road, however.

The other common businesses are Case (for large farm machinery), KFC and A&W (even more common than McD) and Walmart.