http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/opinion/blogs/babaluk en-gb Sun, 5 Sep 2010 22:34:55 CDT http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/opinion/blogs/babaluk/Hiking-with-ghosts-of-the-Rebellion-102081968.html Manitoba's history came alive last Friday night at St. Norbert Provincial Heritage Park. The park's annual Ghost Hike commemorates the violent events that led up to Manitoba entering into Confederation in 1870. Thu, 2 Sep 2010 12:21:00 CDT http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/opinion/blogs/babaluk/Cycling-along-the-Red-101595753.html Who knew the road that I grew up on is a provincial park? I had no clue about this until I began planning the schedule for my travels. River Road in St. Andrews, roughly 15 kilometres north of the Perimeter Highway, is a provincial park that commemorates the history of settlement along the banks of the Red River. Thu, 26 Aug 2010 16:22:00 CDT http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/opinion/blogs/babaluk/Manipogo-101002079.html Lake Manitoba teems with fish. Anglers can pull out large numbers of Walleye, Northern Pike, and Yellow Perch. One species of marine life that no one has managed to catch is the elusive Lake Manitoba monster – Manipogo. Wed, 18 Aug 2010 13:19:00 CDT http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/opinion/blogs/babaluk/Beach-Weekend-Volume-2-100562174.html My last trip to northern Manitoba drained my batteries completely. The combination of the seven hour drive to Paint Lake, the additional full day drive to Pisew and Wekusko falls, and the return trip to Winnipeg was exhausting. A busy week at work, combined with helping friends paint their new house and visits to several Folklorama pavilions, compounded my travel fatigue. Thu, 12 Aug 2010 14:29:00 CDT http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/opinion/blogs/babaluk/Falling-in-Northern-Manitoba--100045949.html For hundreds of years the Grass River served as the major "highway" of the north. Cree hunters, followed by European explorers and fur traders, used the Grass River as their primary transportation route across northern Manitoba. It has been many years since roads have replaced the river as the primary artery of the north. The Grass River is now a tourist destination and no longer a route of exploration and commerce. Thu, 5 Aug 2010 12:32:00 CDT http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/opinion/blogs/babaluk/Beach-Weekend-99469899.html It's perfect beach weather. With that in mind, this past week's travels focused on lounging in the sun and taking it easy - a relaxing beach weekend. Wed, 28 Jul 2010 10:42:00 CDT http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/opinion/blogs/babaluk/Peaceful-Prairies-98934604.html The rolling fields of blazing yellow canola illustrated to us the diversity of Manitoba's landscape. After weeks of visiting the sandy eskers of northern Manitoba, the rocky crags of eastern Manitoba, and the limestone cliffs of the Interlake, the fertile fields of south-western Manitoba provided a contrasting change of scenery. Wed, 21 Jul 2010 11:29:00 CDT http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/opinion/blogs/babaluk/Entrance-to-the-Wilderness-98516124.html Nopiming means "entrance to the wilderness" in Anishinabe. This term couldn't be any more true, when applied to Nopiming Provincial Park. Thu, 15 Jul 2010 11:14:00 CDT http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/opinion/blogs/babaluk/North-of-56-97948869.html Lynn Lake is roughly 1,090 kilometres northwest of Winnipeg. Let's put that into perspective: That's almost the same distance between Winnipeg and Medicine Hat, Alberta; almost the same distance between Winnipeg and Omaha, Nebraska. It takes about 12 hours of driving through some of the most pristine forests in Canada to arrive at this remote town, built as the result of a 20th century gold and nickel rush. Twelve hours on the road – all within the province of Manitoba. Wed, 7 Jul 2010 10:51:00 CDT http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/opinion/blogs/babaluk/Little-Haunted-House-on-the-Prairie-97497159.html The wide-open prairie can be a spooky place late at night. I discovered this last weekend, while driving across the lonely stretch of land between Spruce Woods Provincial Park and Brandon. The pale light of the full moon made every cluster of trees seem haunted and gave the mist that hung over the land an unearthly glow. Wed, 30 Jun 2010 12:51:00 CDT