I love going on leisurely roadtrips.\u00a0 The kind where you can stop along the way, enjoy a nice view, or explore an interesting destination.<\/p>\n

Earlier this month my dad and I drove about 300 miles from Winnipeg to Swan River to visit an uncle and aunt that live there.\u00a0 It had been almost 20 years since I’d made this journey, and both of us enjoyed the drive.\u00a0\u00a0 The land was mostly flat prairie, but as you approach Swan River it becomes more interesting because of the hills, forests, and the small towns and farms you pass.<\/p>\n

Swan River is a nice small farming-based community of a few thousand residents in east-central Manitoba.\u00a0 It has modest hills on each side of it and the Swan River running through, so it’s in the Swan Valley.\u00a0 I’d never seen this mascot before, at least not that I can remember, but it’s very typical of the emblems you find in many of the small towns you drive through in Canada or the USA.\u00a0 While not flashy, these are unique and tell me a lot about the folks who live in a place.\u00a0 In the case of Swan River, this attractive and massive swan sits right outside of its visitor center and invited me to take its picture…\u00a0 Obviously something the people of Swan River take pride in.<\/p>\n

Uncle Nelson, I told you I’d get a photo of Swan River up soon and here it is with you in mind.\u00a0 Nelson is my favorite uncle and my favorite (now retired) farmer and probably the most faithful reader of this blog.\u00a0 Most importantly, he’s a wonderful husband and father and a decent and good-hearted man.<\/p>\n

More to follow on our little roadtrip.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n\n\n\n \t