Issue link: http://publications.winnipegfreepress.com/i/514227
71 Northern DANCERS Science tells us that the aurora borealis is created when solar wind particles from the sun collide with Earth's atmosphere, but aboriginal lore provides a more heavenly theory; the red and green swirls are dancing spirits of ancestors, creating a path to guide departing souls to another realm. In any case, the lights are visible more than 300 nights each year in northern Manitoba, and Churchill is one of the world's top three viewing spots, located directly beneath the Northern Hemisphere's aurora oval. Leapin' LIZARDS Crocodiles rock at the Westman Reptile Gardens, just east of Brandon. Boasting Canada's largest collection of exotic animals under one roof, the facility houses more than 300 species, from alligators to turtles, lizards, boa constrictors and venomous rattlesnakes, cobras and mambas. > reptilegardens.ca A PLACE from SPACE Credit a blast from the past for giving Manitoba its deepest lake. A meteor crashed to Earth some 100 million years ago and created a massive crater that eventually filled with the waters of West Hawk Lake. The popular scuba diving spot in Whiteshell Provincial Park is 111 metres (364 feet) deep and surrounded by rocky outcrops, with a beach, hiking trails, tennis court and campground. Learn about the lake's geological history at the West Hawk Museum near the campground office and splash down at the West Hawk Meteor Fest each July. > manitobaparks.com Manitoba ROCKS Treasure hunters have found teeth of Ice Age horses and mammoths, along with a mystifying array of artifacts and gemstones, at the Souris Agate Pits. One of North America's largest deposits of semi-precious gems, the 12-acre site contains a wide variety of agates, jasper, petrified wood, fossils and other unique finds. Drop by The Rock Shop to pick up souvenirs, and be sure to pay a visit to the Souris Swinging Bridge — measuring 184 metres, Canada's longest pedestrian bridge was rebuilt after a 2011 flood destroyed the town's previous bridge, built in 1904. > sourismanitoba.com SOURIS SWINGING BRIDGE bedandbreakfast.mb.ca Quality Assured - Regularly Inspected Indulge in a unique experience B&B Print Ad - Vacation Planner 2014 full colour 2.264"x4.875"