We enjoyed our two nights at the Holiday Inn Winnipeg Downtown, where the kind staff offered our team a complimentary stay.
Sadly, it was time to say adieu to our Winnipeg friends and leave two team members there as the rest of the team headed back to the United States.
The musically talented Pavaka, ukelele in hand, composed a very fun and creative song for our team while in Winnipeg. Of course we demanded an encore before leaving!
The Peace Runners have one last breakfast together at Fools & Horses in Winnipeg. Thank you Shishir for treating everyone to coffee and tea!
After a long car journey (very few running miles today due to the need to stay on schedule), we crossed the border and arrived in International Falls. We were greeted by Mayor Harley Droba.
Mayor Droba holds the torch.
Next we headed to the Fort Frances-International Falls Bridge which connects Canada and the United States. We took the pedestrian lane and arrived at the midpoint where a plaque indicates where the border is.
Preetidutta and Hastakamala hold the peace torch at the international boundary line--each with a foot in a different country.
There we found a special plaque that was dedicated in 1991, designating the bridge as a Sri Chinmoy Peace Bridge.
Sri Chinmoy, the founder of the Peace Run, was at the inauguration of the Peace Bridge in June 1991.
The mayors of the two cities linked by the international bridge were also in attendance at the 1991 ceremony. Bob Anderson of International Falls and John Albanese of Fort Frances held the Peace Run Torch way back then!
So it was very meaningful for our team to make this visit some 33 years later!
At the 1991 ceremony dedicating the Peace Bridge, a band played. Next time we visit, we'll have to remember to invite them back!
A lifelong train enthusiast, Sri Chinmoy was thrilled to have a train dedicated as a Sri Chinmoy Peace Train on the same trip to International Falls in 1991. He actually composed a song for the occasion: International Falls and Fort Frances, Oneness-Heart, fulness-life, Oneness-fulness, delight, delight! Pioneer peace-train. Humanity's fastest progress-gain.
Somewhere along the way, Oliveria and Hastakamala found the Welcome sign in International Falls.
Our evening ended with a family of frolicking deer--just a few of the many deer we've seen in this neck of the woods.
