Assiniboine Park Zoo

This morning we went to the Assiniboine Park Zoo located on the west side of Winnipeg about 15 miles (24 km) from the campground. We arrived a few minutes after the zoo opened at 9:00. The admission for seniors was $4.25.

We decided to start our tour with the bear range. There was no polar bear at the zoo. We learned that Debby, the resident polar bear, had died last November at the age of 42 (the oldest living polar bear in the world). Besides the grizzly bear and black bear, we saw a rare white black bear. The white color is due to lack of a black hair pigment called melanin. 

From Manitoba

We continued on our tour of the zoo to the Australian Exhibit, Monkey House, owls, American Bison and much, much more.

At the American Bison exhibit we saw 2 young white calves. As in the white black bear, a white buffalo occurs as the result of a recessive mutation that leaves the hair follicles without the dark pigment melanin.

From Manitoba

We spent about 3 hours at the zoo enjoying the animal exhibits and the great weather. As we were leaving, we saw the sculpture Winnie-the-Bear and Harry Colebourne. Here we learned about the true story that Winnie the Pooh stories are based on.

From Manitoba

After leaving the zoo, we started looking for a place to have lunch before going back to the RV park.  We found an Olive Garden and decided to have their All-You-Can-Eat soup and salad - always a good meal.

Once we got back to the RV I fixed a pot of coffee and turned it on. Nothing!! The coffee pot was DEAD. It was a Black & Decker undercounter coffee maker that we just had sitting on the counter. I like it because the water and coffee can be filled from the front of the coffee maker and not from the top. I had seen a Delonghi coffee maker in a Sam's some time ago that was similar, but what are the odds that I can find one today?

Symphony and I were going to wifi at a Fyxx Espresso coffee shop this afternoon and I told her we needed to go shopping for a coffee pot. We drove up to the Sears at St. Vital Centre and imagine my surprise and delight to find the Delonghi coffee maker that I wanted at Sears!! Of course, it was more expensive there than it would have been at Sam's, but it was the one I wanted and I wouldn't have to spend a lot of time shopping for a coffee maker. Afterwards Symphony and I stopped at Fyxx Espresso to wifi and have iced cappuccino, before going back to the RV park.