Winnipeg, Manitoba - Royal Canadian Mint

This is a really nice courtyard, with fountains and gardens off to the right.


Yeah, I know. But it had to be done.


This bar of 99.99% pure gold is worth about $300,000 and weighs over 27 pounds. A very polite and friendly armed guard keeps an eye on you while you hold it, in case you get any bright ideas.

(Photo credit http://www.flickr.com/photos/jordoncooper/13476609/)

Yes, it feels completely bizarre to be holding a large slab of gold in your hands.


There is a warning plaque below the display, since it's a lot heavier than it looks and they don't want anyone throwing their back out.


Not heavy enough for you? How about a 100 kg (220.5 pound) gold coin? 99.999% pure, $1 million denomination. We unfortunately weren't going to be in town to see this in person, but you can see a full documentary of the making of this coin in the lobby at the Mint.


Incidentally, I learned that the process of making coins is way more complicated than I'd have imagined. No photography is allowed during your tour through various production areas of the facility, so you'll just have to trust me on this. :)

I also learned that not only does the U.S. Constitution prohibit any foreign agency from making U.S. currency, it likewise prohibits U.S. mints from making any foreign currency. Canadian law has no such restrictions, and to date, the Royal Canadian Mint has made currency for about 80 other countries.

Winnipeg, Manitoba - Getting the blog caught up

Ok stopped at a hotel with wifi and ready to do some catching up on the blog, including posting of pictures taken earlier in the trip. They'll be backposted to the dates and times when they were taken, as opposed to the top of the blog page, so they'll be in the logical date order in which they were taken.

**Update: There are still more photos to post for Aug 16, 17, 19, and 20, but it's late and I'm bushed! More backposting to follow.

Winnipeg, Manitoba

Stayed the night, so we could go see the Royal Canadian Mint when it opens in the morning.

Brandon, Manitoba

Western Manitoba - Harvesting time

Manitoba

Manitoba's name is attributed to one of these two native sources, the first one being more likely:

manito-wapow (Cree) or manito-bau (Ojibway) - At the Lake Manitoba Narrows a strong wind can send waves washing against the limestone rocks of an offshore island. The unique sound from the waves is said to be the Manitou, or Great Spirit, beating a drum. From "manito," meaning the Great Spirit, and "wapow" meaning strait, came this term meaning "the strait where the Great Spirit lives."

mini toba (Assiniboine) - lake of the prairies

Regina, Saskatchewan - Wascana Waterfowl Park

This lovely bridge leads to the area in the next picture, which affords great views of the lake and surrounds.




Lots of Canada Geese here, and other waterfowl which we can't identify. There is a migratory bird sanctuary here which provides a place for the birds to nest along the water, and a special fenced-in area to protect the ones who have injuries or disabilities that would prevent them from surviving in the wild.


Canada Geese in flight

Saskatchewan

Sunrise over the prairie. Talk about wide open spaces! Very cool. (On the other hand, while the scenery is very pretty and tranquil, things look much the same for a looooong time... so it's not particularly exciting, either. LOL)


There were lots of lakes out here with what we presume to be sodium sulphate all around the outside edges. Some of these lakes had so much piled up that it almost looked like strange, limited-area snowdrifts. Not far from here is the town of Chaplin, the site of the largest deposit of sodium sulphate in North America.


Wheat fields near the town of Moose Jaw. Much of the prairie provinces (Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba) looks like this. These three are known as "Canada's breadbasket" because wheat and many other grains, along with corn and other crops, come from here to supply all of Canada with their bounty. Crops can be seen for miles in every direction.