Brandon: The Final Destination

May 14th, 2011

Our next and final destination in our Manitoban road trip can surely be nothing less than Brandon, the wheat city. Brandon is known for its long history as Canada's agricultural centre. It is also known for its size as the the second largest city in Manitoba. However, our first impression there turns out to be quite disappointing: the city was quiet, the climate was burning hot (I started to miss Churchill D':) , and all the tourists were old. Another thing that disappointed us was the help we received from the people; none of them really know the attractions in their own city. We were stuck in the middle of the city for an hour.

The best advice we received was to go to the Riverbank Discovery Centre. The building itself was quite unique and big so it didn't take us much effort to find it. In there, we were surprised by the huge amount of people. The women there told us to go to Spruce Wood Provincial Park and so without any questions, we swiftly drove there to make up for the time we had wasted. 

When we arrived there, we were surprised by the beautiful view, even at the parking lot. We decided to go for a quick walk there. While walking on the trail, we were able to have a close look at the Assiniboine River, which was clearly rejuvenating. At the end of the trail was a sand dune, called "Spirit Sands." It was very exciting with all those strange plants and animals, that are not common in any other place. The guide told us that the sand hills are home to many unique plants and animals; including some cacti and hognose snakes.

 Another sub section in the Spruce Wood Park that was quite fascinating to us was the Kiche Manitou. There were all sorts of activities that could be done there, however we only have enough time to do just a few. We chose to go on a horse riding which was simply amazing. We also decided to go for a bike ride on the sand. It was a great experience for the both of us; falling, burning, and failing in the sun was a painful joy for all. 

 During the bike ride, we got a chance to talk with a guy who told us a lot about Brandon. We told him that we were so surprised by how hot it is was. He agreed with us. However, he told us that he was happy with this climate because in the past few years, Brandon has been intensely affected by the flooding from Assiniboine River. He also told us that flooding can cause critical damage such as destroying all the crops which would greatly affect an agricultural city like Brandon. We were surprised that a beautiful city like Brandon would have such problems. Nonetheless, we continued with our journey.

We were done around 3 and so we left into the city area of Brandon. Our destination was the Manitoba summer fair, which we heard about from many people. The fair was held in the Keystone Centre Ground. We were surprised with how many activities they had there. These are some of the events there that we found were really enjoyable:

"Chrome in the tree" which we found classic cars, rat-rods to hot rods and everything in between, as well as a fine collection of motorcycles.

"Demo Derby" was another interesting events in which we got to see cars being smashed together. IT WAS HARDCORE!!!

Even though it is not held at the museums it belong to, the exhibit called "Aboriginal Showcase: Spirits of all Nations" was also a great experience. In there, we were fascinated with all the artwork done by the natives which neatly reflected our human society. Other than the paintings, we also got to learn how to set up a tipi. Additionally, a show from the natives that reflect their cultures were also nicely done!

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This trip has been really eye-opening to us, as Manitoba is no longer just that province that fills up space. The majestic culture, extraordinary animals, magnificent buildings, and warm-hearted people have given us the chance to really understand the lifestyle of Manitoba, and how it differentiates greatly from the rest of Canada. We hope that we will be able to return to this magnanimous place sometime soon!!!