The City of Winnipeg – coupled with an absolutely frigid December – hit a home run this winter with an extra-extended edition of the Assiniboine River skating trail. Almost 10 kilometres have been cleared from The Forks to the Assiniboine Park footbridge this season. And while I don't skate, I do gladly take part in the trail's side-by-side multi-use portion – a super-smooth pathway of crushed snow – on my bike, as two of the past three weekends have seen tolerable weather to get out, and not lose my eyesight from welling tear ducts in the process. For insurance and safety reasons, I doubt the whole enterprise has more than a few weeks left, so I hope to get out a few more times still. It's a wonderful and different viewpoint of the city that one can't get the rest of the year without a boat or being the son of God. Here are some candids from my trips out so far, a skyward shot of the footbridge underbelly and its cluster of cliff swallow nests (above) – and a llama (below), which was part of a skate parade that traced the route last weekend.
