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Lake Winnipeg 2025

In the end of June we flew to Winnipeg and spent a week in Gimli at Lake Winnipeg.

Of course the pelicans were the biggest highlight there!

Our cottage was just a few minutes from the beach of Lake Winnipeg and we were able to observe pelicans there already on the very first evening. They are truly impressive and awe-inspiring creatures! Needless to say that we then spent most of our time at our beach and two other beaches to watch pelicans.

We also went bathing in the lake. However it's difficult to really swim because the lake is very shallow and you would have to go very far out to really swim but then you might collide with motorboats.

There are many sandbanks in the water. The shallow water and many sandbanks are probably why the pelicans are always returning to the lake.

There are also other interesting animals living around the lake, among them bald eagles and frogs. A lady at the entrance of the beach one day told us about turtles she had seen nearby but unfortunately we could't find them.

Apart from spending time at the beach we also visited the Gimli Glider Museum. The Gimli Glider was the nick name given to a Boeing which had to make an emergency landing in Gimli in 1983 on its way from Montreal to Edmonton because it had run out of fuel. Due to a faulty fuel gauge and a conversion error (it was the first aircraft type in Canada to use the metric instead of the imperial system), the necessary amount of fuel was calculated incorrectly. When the warning came on and both engines failed one after the other, the pilot, Bob Pearson, flew the Boeing as a glider. Since his co-pilot had calculated that they would not make it to Winnipeg but knew that there was a military airfield in Gimli where he had trained during his initial training, they took a course for Gimli. The problem was that the military airfield had since been closed and converted into a racetrack. The car race had just ended and some families had stayed to camp and grill. Three boys were racing their bicycles on the runway. Bob Pearson then tried to push the plane as far to the side as possible and they actually landed with everyone sound and well, including the boys.

Later we actually saw Bob Pearson at the Canada Day Parade where he was riding along. It was a very nice parade and quite big for a small place like Gimli. No candy was thrown but as it was rather hot the kids were given freezies. At the end a very nice lady gave me a freezie as well! It was very much appreciated! Thanks a lot again! :)

Gimli really is a nice place to visit.

Originally Islandic immigrants settled here which is why you can find a Viking statue in town. As it is close to a school and the people have good humour, the Viking is wearing a graduation hat.

We had fun listening to an Elvis Presley concert

and enjoyed walking along the seawall decorated with many beautiful art works.

On our last day we then visited Fort Garry where we learned a lot of interesting things about the Hudson Bay Company. Manitoba and some other areas once belonged entirely to the Hudson Bay Company which traded in furs there. It was a hot day in the middle of the week so there weren't many other visitors and we were able to talk to the staff for a very long time which was really great.

It was a wonderful vacation with unforgetable pelicans!