In celebration of Canada’s 150th birthday our family was excited to partner up with Ford Canada to take a mini adventure in our lovely province of Manitoba to gaze upon one of our many landmarks.
Ford Canada not only gave us a few fun items for our trip:
They also gave us a gorgeous 2017 Ford Escape Titanium edition to use for the ride!
Our awesome road trip took us to Gimli, Manitoba!
Gimli (home of the Gods in Norse mythology) is in the prized Interlake area of Manitoba right along the West shore of Lake Winnipeg. It’s a beautiful community nestled on the shore of the lake, known for its rich history of Icelandic settlers who established the first permanent Icelandic settlement in 1875.
Only about an hour’s drive from the city of Winnipeg (approx 90km to be exact), the road to Gimli is relatively smooth on a mostly straight highway. The Ford Escape Titanium edition that we had for our road trip handled well and the power train was responsive. The Escape had great acceleration, and was able to get up to speed quickly which was great for passing on the highway.
What do you think of when you think of Norse mythology? Vikings of course! The weather for our trip wasn’t the greatest, it was rainy, cloudy and somewhat windy for the most part but we had a break from the rain as we searched for the famous Viking Statue landmark.
Unfortunately, the area and the statue (unveiled in 1967) were undergoing a few renovations so we were unable to get a close-up, but we had fun posing for the pic anyways!
After we snagged a great pic with the Viking we were off to check out our accommodations for the night and get settled (see what I did there)?
We were greeted very warmly at the Lakeview Resort and Conference Centre. The Lakeview Resort is probably the most well-known accommodation in Gimli.
We ended up getting an amazing family suite for the night.
It was so spacious and perfect for those who plan on having longer stays in Gimli. Because we were only there for one night we really didn’t use the kitchen and dining areas as much as we regularly would because we wanted to be sure to eat at the local venues as much as possible. However, the two bedrooms were a huge plus, and I loved the bistro set on the balcony.
ONLY ONE DAY AND ONE NIGHT? WHAT DID YOU DO?
Well it was a jam-packed visit that’s for sure!
WE EXPLORED!
WE SHOPPED!
Tergesen’s is an amazing store full of super cool clothing, decor and books. It’s also a Manitoba Heritage Site!
Mmm! Looking for retro candy? Head on over to Sugar Beach!
Heather at Sugar Beach is a peach!
Bought a few moonstones and sage at Heaven Scent which is closing after 14 years!
WE ATE!
We stopped at Diageo where the world’s Crown Royal whiskey is produced!
We also had to check out the Motorsports Park where I may or may not have taken the Escape on the track? You’ll never know!
And last but certainly not least, we just had to stop by the local Ford dealership!
Gimli is super family friendly and I couldn’t imagine what we would have done had it been warmer! It would have been great to chill on the beach or even get on a boat at the yacht club and take a quick sail on the lake. However, everything that we were able to do in a short period of time was perfect!
HOW WAS THE FORD ESCAPE?
Overall it was great! If you notice in the pics we are missing a child! haha The eldest stayed home as she had to work but I would’ve been curious to see how all 3 of them would have enjoyed the compact back seat. I think a larger Ford would have been needed if all of us were to go.
There were many features of the 2017 Ford Escape that we enjoyed:
- Responsive on bumpy roads – the “ride” was great at absorbing imperfections in the road, especially mid-corner in the middle of a turn
- Handling overall is initially great
- It brakes well
- Soft plastics on the dash
- Console – Sony sync setup is sleek
- Large sunroof
- Additional 140V outlet in the back (kids LOVED that)
- Awesome to have a code to get into the car instead of lugging keys around
- Reasonable fuel economy
Tell us what city/town you live in and a must-see landmark in your area!
#GoFurther150
You may not have the pleasure of living on the beach like the rest of us in Winnipeg or most places in Manitoba for that matter, but seriously, Gimli is only an hour away, so you can totally make it out for the day. Gimli has a day jam packed with activities to do, or you can just lay out on the beach all day and soak up the sun.