Day 16 - A Big Red Paperclip on our way to Winnipeg

Well we did have a good sleep and we are up at 7 am.  This hotel Microtel Inn and Suites in Weyburn is really great.  The staff are very friendly and helpful.  We got two bottles of water when we checked in and when we left this morning they gave us two more for the journey.  I would definitely seek out this brand again.

We are on the road just after 8 am and we seek out the only Starbucks in town.  It is of a Pharmasave Drug store...pretty cool.  I consider my caffeine a drug so it makes sense. 

We are heading to Winnipeg today via Kipling Saskatchewan.  Why you may ask... well.

Our dear friend Evelyn that lived across the hall from us for 14 years has a nephew Kyle that started the Big Red Paper Clip in 2005.  When we were planing this trip Ev said we had to go to Kipling Saskatchewan to see the Big Red Paper Clip.  So today is that day.  

The paper clip is in the Guinness World Record Book.  The paperclip is:  15' 2" tall, 3' 3" wide, 45' 6 ¾" long.  It weighs: 3043 lbs, it is made of 5" diameter steel.

Here is the story of the big red paper clip from the website:

On July 12, 2005, Kyle Macdonald launched an unlikely sequence of online trades which would earn both him and Kipling places in the Guinness Book of World Records.

Starting with a single redpaper clip, the young entrepreneur began “trading up”: the paper clip for a fish-shaped pen; the pen for a unique door knob and the door knob for a camp stove.

This he swapped for a generator, which was subsequently traded for a keg party.

Ensuing trades were for a snowmobile, a snowmobiling adventure to Yahk, BC,

A cube van, a recording contract, a year’s condo rental in Phoenix, AZ, then for a day with Alice Cooper.

The entrepreneur next arranged for a double switch with

Actor-Director Corbin Bernsen, an avid collector, who agreed to accept a “KISS” snow globe in exchange for a role in an upcoming Hollywood movie.

The movie role was offered online and Bert Roach, who was Kipling’s Economic Development Officer at the time, proposed to Council that an offer be made. After some negotiation, Kipling traded the house at 503 Main Street in exchange for the movie role. That final trade was made on July 12, 2006, one year to the day after Kyle Macdonald had begun his world record trade sequence with a single paper clip. The house itself is now most often referred to as “The Red Paper Clip House”.

As a part of the terms of the trade, Kipling also erected the World’s Largest Red Paper Clip, which was unveiled July 12, 2007

Pretty cool - isn't it!

A Bison

The sites in Saskatchewan from our windshield are pretty neat.  

We soon cross into Manitoba.  But because we are on a back road (not Highway 1) the sign welcoming us is minimal but we are still happy.

And we are now on Central time, so we move our clocks one hour ahead, only two more hours to go.

We are back on Highway One heading East.  We need some lunch and I have to say that Yelp App is our friend.  It has not let us down yet.  The app recommends Lady of the Lake Restaurant.  

Such a cool place and lots of vegetarian options and everything, including the ketchup is homemade.

This was key lime pie but Bernie ate most of it before I could get a picture of it.

About an hour outside of Winnipeg we started to see the dark clouds approaching and the wind picked up.

Sure enough the rains started and then BAM! It is so bad we have to pull over, along with many others.  The visibility was at zero so we waited a few minutes for it to pass.  I did a video while it was really bad, check it out.

Bea Damn is very comfortable and is a darn good navigator.

In Winnipeg we are staying at another Airbnb for four nights.  Here  is a link to our accommodations!  

It is quite central and we can walk to many spots.  We are tired from a long day.

We head out for a walk and some groceries and eat in tonight.  

We plan out the next week or so too up until Ottawa as our friend Meghan from Toronto is coming to Ottawa to see us and tour around.  You may remember Meghan, we have cruised twice with her, including last January.

So I book our accommodations thru Airbnb for Ottawa for three nights.

We have lots of things we want to see here in Winnipeg so stay tuned.

Here is our scavenger hunt list today:

• Moose
• Deer
• Hitchhiker
• Eagle/Hawk
• Licence plates from every Province in Canada - but you can not count the province you are in.  So if we see an Alberta plate in BC then it counts, but not if we are in Alberta. British Columbia  Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, Yukon, and North West Territory
• Skunk - saw a dead one
• Sheep
• Beaver
• Goslings
• Buffalo
• Goat
• Owl
• Bear
• Loon
• Crane
• Prairie Dog
• Fisherman fishing
• Canoe
• Hummingbird
• Antique car on the road
• Old VW Bug
• Car broken down on the side of the road
• Helicopter on the ground
• Airplane on the ground
• Speeding ticket- hopefully not our own
• Ambulance with sirens on
• Dump truck
• Line painting crew at work
• Mail delivery person walking their route
• Cruise Ship (from Janice and Jim)
• Coyote 

If you have any items you think we should add to our scavenger hunt list, let us know.

So Today's Stats 
Driving distance today 570 km  
Total distance 4570 km