We took Hwy 8 back a bit south to turn on to Hwy 68 that connects with Hwy 6 that leads up until Thompson. My dad noticed a place called Balaton Beach on the map at the shore of Lake Winnipeg just below Riverton. This name must have been given by Hungarians, so we took the small detour to find out. Asking some bypassing people we found a farmer of Hungarian descent. He was very friendly and explained us how this place got his name and he could speak Hungarian, even though he already was born in Canada. He told us that most of the younger generations already sold their cottages so not too many Hungarians remained there, but 60 years ago it was a Hungarian settlement. Since we had a long drive ahead of us we parted after some short story-telling.
We had lunch at Eriksdale at the crossing of Hwy 6 & 68 at Havakeen Lunch. It was the biggest portion I ever had, I got 2 enormously big grilled chicken breasts for $13. The rest of the road to Thompson was only driving. Manitoba presented its rugged beauty with lake-filled timberland and the occasional small-town on the road dissolved to an endless taiga with 200 kms between villages.
Planning for gas becomes vital in this region. We kept an eye out for wildlife along the road and spotted deer, pelicans, cranes and another predator bird that we couldn't identify. A constant were the crows at the side of the road. I think they were waiting for roadkills so they have an easy meal, or I don't know, maybe for people throwing out pizza slices from the car.
After driving for at least 10 hours, we arrived in Thompson, an unfancy mining town (nickel) that serves as a stepping stone to the north of Manitoba. Tomorrow we will take the train to Churchill.
Distance travelled: 764 km
No comments:
Post a Comment