18 August 2016, Thursday

We wake eager to get to the White House Bakery in Wasagaming for breakfast. As we drive down Rt 10 we pass a doe and two still-spotted fawns. We find the bakery and true to reviews, there is, at 7:52 am, already (a short) line waiting to get in. The doors open precisely at 8 am. We find a table and await our cinnamon bun french toast as we admire the contents of the display case in the take-out section. We enjoy our breakfast as we watch people leaving with trays of cinnamon buns. One woman leaves with three trays of nine buns each!

By the time we have finished breakfast we decide to buy two more cinnamon buns for tomorrow’s breakfast and a triple chocolate and mocha brownie for dessert tonight. We also buy a fresh loaf of sourdough whole wheat bread for dinner and for PB&J sandwiches for our hike tomorrow.

After breakfast we walk to the  visitor center. The woman at the desk asks if we need assistance. We ask for her recommendation for a short hike and for a long hike. She suggests a 9 km walk for the long hike and is very surprised when we tell her that’s a short hike. We choose a longer hike up the escarpment overlooking the Manitoba plains for our long hike tomorrow. Before we depart the visitor center we explore the exhibits. We learn a single wolf eats the equivalent of 10 moose or 11 elk each year. I wonder what that is in “geezers?” We also stop in to view a beading demonstration by a local aboriginal woman. I forget to ask which nation she belongs to. She mentions her husband is Dakota. She is likely Anishinaabe or Cree. Her beadwork is exquisite! Each piece she makes tells a story. Her people use local flowers in their work. She also has some pieces made with porcupine quills. Smiling, she says you have to watch out for the ends of the quills when working with them.

Now we find the “loondromat,” (really,) and get that task done. There is just enough laundry time to get my blog typed. We next proceed to the Chocolate Fox for our lunch of gelato. We find a shady picnic table at which to eat, load photos on the  computer and try to upload. I get one day’s blog up and a couple of photos, and then my connection quits. Cell service is spotty here.

We find a good water source to refill all of our bottles as the water at Moon Lake is under a boil advisory. As we search for a source of yogurt and fruit for tomorrow’s breakfast we come upon a wooden statue outside the trading post of La Verendrye. He explored much of Canada, reaching the head of the Great Lakes in 1731.  He was also responsible for opening up the interior of Canada as far as Prince Albert, Saskatchewan.  I will try to include a photo of his brief bio in the blog.  

Now we return to camp. No time for hiking. It is already evening. We enjoy our loaf of bread along with Moroccan soup with chicken. While eating dinner we finally finish drying our backpacking tent. We savor our brownies for dessert and clean up the dishes. As we are eating, new residents in large RV’s pull into the campground. The weekend crowd must be arriving!