Clear Lake perfect spot to bond with grandkids

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 20/08/2016 (3428 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

After our young grandchildren moved to Alberta a few years ago, our back-and-forth visits have tended to be short and spent with the whole family together. This would be the first time we would have the two girls alone for a full week.

At nine and 11 years of age, we knew as much as they enjoyed our company, we would have to be in a place with lots of interesting things to do to keep them, and us, occupied.

It was my wife who suggested Wasagaming — or Clear Lake, as it is better known — in Manitoba’s own Riding Mountain National Park might be an ideal choice.

Because of circumstances beyond our control and a good dose of poor planning on our part, we ended up staying in three different places. During summer weekends especially, finding accommodations to book once the busy season has started is not easy. We ended up staying two nights, thanks to their invitation, in a family cottage. Then we spent one night in the Meadow Ridge Bed and Breakfast in nearby Onanole (meadowridgebandb.ca), and finally, four weekday nights at Arrowhead Resort (stayarrowhead.ca) on Wasagaming Drive, in the heart of the prime tourist area where most of the restaurants and shops are located.

Like so many grandparents who don’t see their grandchildren on a regular basis, we tend to be very generous, to say the least. There is a wide variety of shops right in Wasagaming proper, but for those who still aren’t satisfied, Onanole offers a few others that tend to be a bit different. Between necklaces, earrings and snazzy outfits, by the end of the first day, the girls were the picture of fashion.

One of the things I have noticed about Clear Lake is, while there are plenty of boats to be seen on the lake waters, there seems to be a far greater number of pontoon-style vessels than in other areas.

My sister and brother-in-law, whose cottage we stayed in the first couple of nights, are the owners of one of these units. On a quiet and sunny day, we spent a long afternoon moving around the water, stopping at beach areas across the lake, and generally capturing sections of the lake people don’t see without some form of watercraft.

The girls were able to walk around the pontoon boat freely and indulge in the plethora of on-board appetizers, consumed to the point we weren’t sure we would have room for a meal in the evening. As it turned out, after a rest, we were all hungry again.

Neither of the girls had ever stayed at a bed and breakfast. With a room directly across from us, they benefitted from having their own television, a sense of privacy and an experience that was different from any previous vacations they had taken with family.

Riding Mountain National Park has been built up into a truly exceptional place for families to share experiences. But it also offers many different activities for family members to try on their own. Art classes are offered three days a week for children. There is a playground for the younger set, a mini putt golf course and tennis courts where lessons are available to young visitors, along with a number of other interesting options from which to choose.

We frequently refer to the girls as our princesses, so when we spotted the horse-drawn Glass Slipper Carriage Ride passing by us a few times, we could not resist. Designed and built by the same Los Angeles company that creates similar vehicles for the Disney Corporation, it stands out as it carries its young passengers around the community.

There are a number of hiking trails in the park. For those looking for some real exercise, some of the trails can take you all around the lake. Guided educational walks targeted to the children who visit the park are also available. Just beyond the main thoroughfare of Wasagaming awaits the Ominnik swamp, a fascinating walk where you wind your way along a floating boardwalk. The trail puts you in touch with frogs, minnows, and all sorts of other birds and water creatures that inhabit the swamp.

On one evening we took in a movie at the historic Park Theatre (parktheatre.ca). It is the largest log-cabin theatre in North America and has been designated a Heritage Building by the Government of Manitoba. Movies are current and change every couple of days.

While both girls have been taking riding lessons, it was nine-year-old Avery who was determined to go on a trail ride for her own enjoyment, and to demonstrate to me the new skills she had only recently acquired.

Because it was significantly less expensive than what was available in Clear Lake, I chose the Trailhead Ranch (trailhead-ranch.com), located just a 15-minute drive away, near Lake Audy. It was her first experience riding on a western saddle. She found it awkward at first, but she had a great time riding her horse, Amigo.

It is an interesting side note that some of the staff at Trailhead are volunteer students from around the world. When we were there, we met two from Germany and two from Poland.

While we did not make the trip on this particular occasion, not far from the ranch, at Lake Audy, you can visit an enclosure where 30 plains bison are maintained by park staff.

While the beach at Clear Lake is quite lovely, the posted sign suggested swimmer’s itch might be present in the waters. That was enough to dissuade 11-year-old Jayda from spending a lot of time in the water, so the heated pool at our Arrowhead resort got plenty of action on a near-daily basis.

As they say, time passes quickly when you’re having fun. Before we knew it, the week was over and we were headed back to the city, too soon to be saying goodbye to our two young ladies for another all-too-long period.

But we look forward to taking the girls away from their parents again next year. The already strong bonds of love grew even stronger from spending virtually every hour of each day with them. It is an experience every grandparent should have.

 

Read Ron’s blog at www.thattravelguy.ca. Listen to Ron’s latest podcast every Tuesday at 7:30 a.m. via his website or on demand on iTunes.

pradinukr@shaw.ca