Wasagaming, Riding Mountain National Park

I didn’t mention it when I was complaining about the site, but this is our first stay in Manitoba. So I got to put another sticker on our North American map. We’ve now been to all 10 Canadian provinces. We haven’t been to the three territories, not sure we’re ready for that.

Anyway, this park is similar to Prince Albert National Park. It has a little commercial area…

fronting on a nice lake. The town is Wasagaming.

This is Clear Lake, and it is very clear, though that might be because they have zebra mussels. (Zebra mussels are an invasive species that is spreading out from the Great Lakes. They have a very strict watercraft inspection program here. Looking at the map of Manitoba, I’m sure they want to protect the thousands of freshwater lakes they have, though the mussels have already spread to the two largest lakes and a main river system.)

There are the same lovely cottages here. Bud and I got to chat with a couple who had a cottage in this area called the Old Campground. I asked if the government sold the land, but it is leased. Until recently folks had just a one year lease but now they can get a 40 year lease, which allows for mortgages and more expensive cottages. These are all summer homes, the water is turned off in October everywhere except the downtown area. The man said the rules were the same in all the national parks. So those half million dollar cottages I took pictures of in Prince Albert National Park didn’t include the land!

This park also has extensive walking and biking trails around town,

along the lake,

through the woods…

and back through the campgrounds. I’ve been taking advantage of them every day.

Yesterday Bud dropped me off west of town and I walked back along an isthmus between Clear Lake and South Lake.

There were quite a few others out there,

though I was hurrying along as strong thunderstorms were predicted.

I made it back 15 minutes before the rain, which came at two.

As soon as the storms passed I, along with many others, was out again.

Folks were already back in the water, enjoying every minute they could of this last holiday of summer.