Minnewasta Lake Hike, Morden

Today we didn't feel much like driving so we thought we'd walk the trail around Minnewasta Lake just west of Morden. It was a beautiful hike of almost 5 miles.

There was a thin layer of ice on the lake glowing in the sunshine.

The temperature  was just above freezing so we dressed warmly.

Who could believe this is within a couple of miles from town.

Here I was removing a layer of clothes. It was too warm with a sweater under my jacket.

Taking a bit of a rest.

It had been quite foggy all morning and at the end of the walk the fog  moved back in almost obscuring the sun.

Of course we always finish our hikes with food. These are a couple of desserts from Coffee Culture in Morden. I forgot to take a picture until they were half eaten.  That's a nice calorie laden way to end a hike.

Riding Mountain National Park

It was quite cold and snowing but that didn't stop us from hiking on Saturday and again on Sunday. We wanted to do the Grey Owl  trail but there was too much snow to drive to the trail head.

Snow on pine trees is a beautiful sight.  We got about 30cm or a foot over the  weekend.

This is a stairway leading down to the beach.

It was quite slippery. I was glad to have my trusty hiking poles.

The water was calm but looked very very cold.

This is the stairs we had just climbed down.

There was ice forming on the rocks.

We had a group of Magpies dining on bread crumbs on our deck.

This was taken on Sunday. There was quite a wind so there were waves crashing on the beach and the water had ice floating in it. Freeze up is near.

Sandy and I were trying to figure out the shortest way back to Elkhorn Resort where we were staying.

This is the tail end of  a deer.
We left on Monday morning and made it to Miami without mishap.  However, on my way from Morden to home I skidded on the glare ice and landed up in the ditch. I was pulled out by a kind school bus driver. I am very glad to  be home safe and sound.

More Carman

These are Robin's pictures of our Carman walk.

Getting organized.

This is the local museum where we parked. The museum was not open.

The first footbridge.

Ice on the river.

This would be a great place for a picnic in the summer.

Harold explaining about trees to us. Notice how we are paying close attention.

The girls going on ahead.

This was a gnarly old tree that looked as if the woodpeckers loved it.

In front of the tall grass.

Lori showing an extra touch of blue.

Another bridge.

Here is the whole story of the drunken birds.

Just to the lower left of this picture there is a brown spot in the water that was either a beaver or an otter. We didn't see more than the top of its head.

This duck was swimming and breaking the ice. Time to go south duckie.

You can see the clock tower in the background.

There are some huge trees on the golf course. Some are cottonwood and some are huge oaks.

The lunch. It was so delicious after our long walk in the fresh air.

Second Carman Hike

The best hikes have footbridges. Since the Boyne River winds through Carman there are several bridges on the path.  This was  the first one and is brand new.

The Boyne River had a thin coating of ice on it.

Even in winter the colours are beautiful.

There are several of these benches placed at scenic viewpoints.

Yuriko and I leading the way since we already walked this path.

Whoever says hiking isn't a barrel of laughs wasn't there today. Behind us is a piece of tallgrass prairie that has been saved. It's hard to imagine that the whole area was once covered with this grass.

Not sure what we were all looking at here but it must have been interesting.
 

This signboard has lots of information about things you might see along the trail.

Here's a map of the trail. It's about 8 km long.

Who knew that birds could be alcoholics?? The rest of the article said that the birds had the livers of advanced alcoholics.

The Boyne River meanders all around the town.

There were these strange scrape marks on some of the trees. At first we thought it was caused by deer sharpening their antlers but the tree in the background had the marks so high up that it would have to have been an agile leaping deer.

This is part of a seniors' residence.

Of course, every hike has to include food. Yuriko supplied tea and homemade buns.

So very delicious.

Harold and Lori and I stopped at Boston Pizza in Morden on the way home.