After Starbuck we went to Winnipeg for a couple of days. We had originally planned on 2 nights but it turned into 3 because the 2nd night turned into a really late night. Well, our first night there we decided to treat ourselves to a jacuzzi room. It was a very nice room and it reminded us of the Golden Girls. It had green leaf wall paper and a lot of wicker furniture, it was the furniture that reminded us of the Golden Girls. We just relaxed and watched a couple of movies.

The next day we went to the mall so we could buy some nice clothes that we could go out in. The plan was to return them after we were done with them because we did not want to carry around the extra wight, and yes it worked out. They took everything back without question. Was that bad that we did that? Maybe, but it worked out ok and I am pretty sure that no one got hurt. That night we went to a nice restaurant and then went out to a couple of bars looking good in our returnable out fits, lol. We stayed out until the bars closed and did not fall asleep until at least 4:30am, so the next morning we requested to stay another night at the hotel.

The next day we went to a couple of movies at the theatre, "The Goods" which is F'n hilarious, and "GI Joe" which I did not expect much from but turned out to be pretty good. That night was the AC/DC concert and the venue was right behind the theatre, so when the movie was over we stood outside the Blue Bombers stadium and listened for a bit. It was pretty cool because we could see the stage from the side.

During the days there we did a lot of biking through the city and it is a pretty nice place. The day we left we went down Notre Dame Drive and then north up Main Street where we exited.

After Winnipeg we started on our way to Grand Beach. We stayed at Bird's Hill Campground, which was about 20km outside Winnipeg, and then made it the rest of the way the following day. Grand Beach is a very nice place, especially the beach. It is on Lake Winnipeg and the sand there is amazing. So soft on the feet; and the water was warm as well. The campsites were nice but the mosquitos were horrible and the wood and everything was so wet that we could not even have a fire. We stayed there for 2 nights and we had a good time even though we could not enjoy our campsite fully. These next few days will be spent making our way to Kenora and I will fill you in later. We are going to take a bus from Kenora back to Winnipeg to catch a flight to Las Vegas.

Self Defense
Martial Arts
Joe Self Defense
The Self Defense Company

These are those special people we just wrote about. Chris making us breakfast and the kids Brody, Jayden and Paige. Brody again after mastering the wheelchair balancing.

Now to talk about our experience in Starbuck. Tara decided not to write it so I will.

We pulled into Starbuck at about 4 o'clock and we went into the Hotel\Restuarant\Beverage room. The place had a good feel to it; we could not put our finger on the full reason for it at first. We did figure it out later, it was our friend Chris, the guy that owns the place with his dad. As far as the kind of people we are, this place was for us; we felt very free and accepted in there. Some might not feel the same but that is not important because it was perfect for us. After being there for about an hour, Chris told us that there was a tornado warning for the area. I have never seen a tornado before so it was pretty exciting. It did not actually come, but still very exciting. I know I will not be able to explain everything properly but I will try my best. Chris is at the moment a single father and he is doing an amazing job as far as I could see. I will take a few pages out of his 'raising kids book' when I have kids, that is for sure. His son Brody, who is a very cool kid, helps his dad out a lot at the restaurant, and his girls, Jayden and Paige, enjoy running around the place. We had a few trips out side with Chris for a cigarette or two and we talked about a few things that basically led to us realizing that we had a lot in common, and were on the same page when it came to a lot of things. For example, David Icke an author that I recommened, the Grey's, the Reptilian race, and much more. After a few other things that I will not mention, Chris and Brody invited us back to their place to spend the night in their camper.

When we got there we put our stuff in the camper and then got some cupcakes that the kids made, good stuff. Chris has a big piece of land in town so we had a lot of space to have fun in. He had a big pile of wood on his lawn that was waiting to be burned as a bonfire. Chris figures he was waiting for us to get there so he could light it. It certainly felt like we were all meant to meet, or even like we had already met in some way that we understood. I got to teach Brody how to balance on a wheelchair, and now he cannot get enough. I even taught him a little self defense, one of my first students so far in the trip. We all had a lot of good talks that evoked great realizations. It waes a very magical night, one we will not forget. There is so much more that should be expressed but I am not that good of a writer. Ask me about it and I can easily tell you, but writing just is not my thing. All 4 of you kick ass and every moment we spent with you was fun, great, enlightening, and magical. Chris, my number is 780-799-2551 if you or the kids ever want to call. See you guys again soon. P.S., you guys showed us amazing hospitality and a warmth we have not experienced yet. I was continually taken aback by the genuine receptiveness of you all. No one had center stage, no one was more important than another...we all spoke and we were all heard. These are very intricate parts of great conversation, and Chris and Brody - I enjoyed every minute of your company around the bonfire. We learned so much from our interactions with each of you. I would love to say that you each touched us in a way you could never know...but I know you know! We were meant to meet, and it happened. Just goes to show the power we each have to pull things into our lives. That 'chance occurance' was pulled together by each of us, whether we knew it or not. You each hold a special place in my heart as friends, and I would love your company again...anytime. Keep it real, Tara, xo.

Self Defense
Martial Arts
Joe Self Defense
The Self Defense Company

These 2 pics are from when were in the plane and putting away the plane. Robert is the one beside the plane. That was at St. Claude.

The first 2 pictures are when we were at the Minnedosa campground. The third is of Alex the biker we met at Shoul Lake, Nicole and Guy the two peoples house we had a few beers at. The last 2 are of when we crossed into Manitoba. I think the 2 grass hoppers is a pretty cool pic.

The first picture is at Katepwa beach. The next three pictures are from our campsite when we stayed at Katepwa. The campground was at the south end of the lake, about a 20 minute bike ride from the beach.