As we
have traveled across Canada starting in Sault
Ste. Marie, Ontario to Brandon, Manitoba, we have seen beautiful
countryside filled with lush green forests and then fields filled
with every type of grain you can imagine. So when we read about a
place where they offered covered wagon rides through desert area
we were intrigued. We called the Spirit Sands and made
reservations. After driving some 45 miles south-east of Brandon
we arrived at the Spruce Woods Provincial Park. After we paid for
our fares we went out to meet Larry (our driver) and the two
Belgian horses, Mack and Zack. These were sturdy built horses,
obviously built for hauling heavy loads. The area around the
loading area didn't look much different from what we have seen
all over. No desert. We boarded the wagon along with about 8
adults and 9 kids. 
As we drove along Larry pointed out various
plants growing alongside the roadway. One of the flowers he
pointed out was called Bergamot, which he said was the herb used
to make Earl Grey Tea. Then we came to a large patch of Silver
plants which he called "Wolf Willow." He was telling us
that he had some aborigine girls on the ride who said that they
used to help their grandmothers collect the seeds from this plant
and make beads out of them. As we approached our first stop, we
started to see the changes in the 
landscape; such as, more evergreen trees and
sand starting to appear on the ground. Then we stopped, got out
and Larry pointed out a Pin Cherry bush, which we were allowed to
pick. The cherries were very small, possibly 1/4 of the size of a
regular cherry. They had a very tart taste. I had a hard time
picturing a bear eating enough of these to satisfy his appetite.
It was cute to watch the children taste them, because the faces
definitely reflected how sore the cherry was that they picked.
Some of the kids really liked them, and kept looking for more. As
we left the area where the horse and wagon were parked and went
down the patch we came to the sand dunes. It was like we had gone
into a whole different world. Larry told us 
that
the sand dunes were constantly shifting due to the winds and
moved anywhere from 1-2" a year. After trudging up the side
of the sand dune I stood and watched some of the more limber
trudge even further and some go sliding down the side of some of
the dunes. I think the nice thing about getting "more
mature" is that I don't feel that I have to prove something
by climbing each and every sand dune that presented itself. One
was quite enough, thank you. Well, back to the wagon and on to
the next stop. As we drove along Larry was quick to point out the
multitude of poison ivy that grew next to the roadway. It seemed
like it was everywhere. You would certainly have to be careful if
you were hiking in the area. The next stop was the Devil's Punch
Bowl. This was a basin of water that was formed by various
springs that came up from the bottom. The interesting part is
that these springs actually move slightly each year. Larry
explained to us that it was important to stay on the trail in
this area as there were some areas around the Devil's Punch Bowl
that were quicksand and
could prove very dangerous to the lone hiker,
if he was not careful. Back into the wagon, and heading back in,
we found out that the part of the park that we were in was
actually a part of the Shilo Military Base prior to 1972 when the
park was formed. The area we were driving through was utilized by
the military for tank maneuvers. You could actually see some of
the tracks that were used by the tanks still going through the
brush. (I know I kept thinking that I hoped they didn't do a lot
of artillery firing and forget any.) Larry also pointed out that
one of the natives of this area was a Hog Nose Snake (which is a
relative of the Rattlesnake) and a lizard called a Skink. 
