Airport Bike Ride

FTLComm - Winnipeg - Wednesday, June 26, 2002

Tuesday had been a warm but not oppressively hot day so right after supper we set out to get some exercise. Two of us on bikes and two on roller blades. Now Winnipeg is not a pedestrian friendly place and it is even more hostile when it comes to bikes and roller bladers. So we set out to explore some concrete streets on the South side of Winnipeg International airport and CFB Winnipeg. These roads get little traffic and are really smooth. After passing the Air Canada hangar we spotted this Whitetail enjoying the place as much or more than us. Below is what appears to be the ordinance magazine for the air base. Which at times is home to a flock of F-18s but now is the roost for four C-130 Hercules.

In the distance you can see two of the four Hercs and if you look in the grass you can see an unlicensed Killdeer who put on quite a show for one of us. But the day grew late and the sun slipped down toward the horizon lighting up the contrails and a few clouds left in the evening sky. Each of these pictures is taken in sequence as we made our way back. Winnipeg, unlike Saskatchewan towns and cities has mosquitoes.

Bristol Airospace announced a number of lay-offs Monday to the consternation of the employs but Boeing and several other aviation companies are busy with parts contracts as they build components for 777s and other large aircraft. Behind the Boeing plant were a whole row of wings or tails boxed for shipment to Seattle.