There is no doubt about it. The virus has us all in its grip. There is not a day without “news” about an outbreak, a restriction or even a cure for it. There is no way to know what to believe and what to discard. As a result, we all go half nuts for one side or the other of the spectrum.
I’m not taking sides or trying to haul people over to the “other” side here. One thing we can all agree on is that we all wish this would be over, and soon. Yet the frenzy doesn’t seem to want to leave us, so we need a retreat from it.
Not everyone has a “cabin at the lake” to calm down from the city excitement. So it is very nice to know that there are places like the Big Whiteshell Lodge in, you guessed it, the Whiteshell Provincial Park in Manitoba. This was the second time in a few weeks that we decided to get away from the nastiness over the virus in the city.
Big Whiteshell Lodge cabins
Between getting harassed over the way to wear a mask and requirement to stay away 6 feet from my spouse, we had enough of it and decided to go back to rent a lodge. This time around, the temperatures were a bit lower than before, so we left our cross-country skis at home.
Big Whiteshell Lodge seen from the lake
Skiing by –35C (not counting wind chill) didn’t seem like a healthy plan. A few hikes in the woods, however, did us a lot of good. Time to get the hiking boots out with an extra pair of socks to keep those extremities warm and off we went. We did try to find out what the lake was offering one evening, but the cold got us back in the cabin in less than 30 minutes.
Cozy and warm
The “Lodge” has been around for a long time, but recently has been acquired by a new owner. They are actively renovating all the cottages with new floors and new… well, everything. When I took a look a few years ago, before the new management, it looked like all the cabins were being used for storage. A huge pity for such a beautiful location. The above shot is from New Year, when we were there, hence the lighting.
Sunrise
This time, we had a more renovated cabin, with all amenities you can think of. Stove, fridge, microwave and coffee machine are there, kitchen needs and cutlery, everything is there. All you have to do is come with your own food and have a nice time.
A view over the Big Whiteshell Lake
Yet this time came with a little bit of unwanted excitement. When we headed out there, the forecast was for –25C overnight. I had completely forgotten to check my plugin cord for the car. It turned out to be one of those 4ft types, unlike the usual cord in my car. The car is new, so I decided to leave it unplugged overnight. After all –25C is reasonable and the car should start the next day without issues.
A trail into the wilderness
The starting procedure of turning a key, the next morning, turned out to be short lived. After turning over the engine a few times, I found that the living part of my car was lethargic and needed something more. A boost of some kind. The battery turned out to be fine, but when I looked at what the car displayed for temperature, I understood that it was not really “adapted”. Minus 35 Celsius is not a laughing matter, not for humans, not for moving gear. I got a plugin cord from the manager and a few hours later the car was back in business. Can’t blame the car for this…
Fabulous evening colours
The next day, it was a long weekend, we did some more hiking, walking, eating and relaxing. Then a short walk over the lake to catch the evening sky colours.. Overnight the car was plugged in again and on Monday we were back on the road.
Grey Jay breakfast
On the last morning we were greeted by Grey Jays in search of breakfast. We gave them a few things, and the were off to nicer places. As you can see, they were very fluffed up against the cold.
But the car started and we were on our way back to the city. A nice relaxing weekend, without phone, internet or even anyone yelling at us about masks or distance.
Until next time…