Tip: Print out your train ticket. A friend of mine used ChatGPT to generate a travel itinerary for his upcoming trip. At my workplace, we have our standard AI tool and I'm currently testing a potential AI tool to replace our intranet site's global search tool. With my trip to Winnipeg, I decided to use both tools to create a travel itinerary. Seeing the output would be cool, as I know the city well, minus whatever is new that I'm not aware of. I asked my work AI tool to create a Winnipeg itinerary for the dates that I'd be in the city. I liked that there was a lot of flexibility with the suggestions made. It had everything that I have already visited, except for taking a train from Rosser to Grosse Isle. It was new to me. Prairie Dog Central Railway provided the train ride to and from both places on a heritage train, and more. The excursion would take a few hours, and only occurs on Saturdays and Sundays, with the occasional holiday Monday trip here and there. I decided to give it a try. I went on its online site and booked a ticket for a Saturday in early July. I was able to select the train car and seat that I wanted. The departure time was 11 am. However, it recommends that you get there thirty minutes early to park and check in. The online ticket had a QR code. It also recommended that you print your ticket out. I thought that I'd be fine with the QR code. I later found out that it wasn't. The train departs from Inkster Junction Station, which is in Rosser, north of Winnipeg. The backroads to get to this station are dirt roads. Expect your vehicle to look dusty and dirty, depending on whether rain has fallen hours earlier. A friendly male staffer gave me a tip on where to park. He was helpful. I backed into a spot and headed over to the station. There are washrooms behind the station. I used the sole washroom in the station next to ticketing. It was clean. I used it after the excursion, too. There's a gift shop. I used it to get a cold drink after I returned to Rosser. It hit the spot. It accepts cash, and credit and debit cards. You board the train roughly fifteen minutes before the departure time. I found the car number that I needed to board. I presented my ticket's QR code on my phone to the woman helping with boarding. She said to go to ticketing and get a physical ticket. Nowhere on my online ticket did it say that you must have a physical ticket. It recommended to print it out, but it didn't indicate that a conductor comes around to each passenger to punch your physical ticket. It was a bit archaic, but more clarity beforehand would have been better. The lineup at ticketing took a while. I wasn't the only one who needed a paper one. I eventually got one. During the trip up to Grosse Isle, the conductor punched it. Maybe it was for the full old-school experience. I headed back to board the train. The woman placed a square box to make boarding easier. It would be a challenge to board this train if you require a walker or wheelchair. It's an old train, which has cons: - If you're tall, there isn't a whole lot of leg room when you are seated. - You will die if it's a scorching-hot day. There is no air conditioning. You open the windows with the two clamps on either side of each window. - There are washrooms on the train, but they are only for emergencies. I did my good deed by swapping my seat with someone so she could sit with her three family members. The downside was that I ended up sitting across from a young kid who kept on kicking my knees. Part of me wanted to kick her right back, but I didn't want screaming. Her parents were teachers, but didn't do a whole lot to stop the kick-fest. The mom spoke in German. The husband talked in English about problem-solving. Weird. The train ride isn't fast. It takes an hour between Rosser and Grosse Isle. I got to see a lot of canola and cars stopped as we crossed. It was fun waving to folks who didn't seem annoyed. I liked Grosse Isle. It was cash-only to get hot dogs, smokies, and pretty much everything. There were vendors selling art and more. I got a hot dog and a smokie. I then had to go to the canteen to get a drink. A magician was headlining our experience as we stuffed our faces. He was great. I returned to the canteen to get a rather large grape Mr Freeze. The woman asked me if I wanted her to cut the top of it. I said yes because no one wants to see me savagely rip the top off with my teeth. It was nice making this woman and her colleague laugh. The washrooms were a trailer setup, but extremely clean and nice. One male kid in front of one of them said that he wanted to live in it. Yep, it was that nice. We got word that boarding the train back to Rosser had started. With all the windows down as the train moved was delightful on a 22°C day. I endured the evil kid in front of me kicking. I was so happy when the ride was over and I was free. It was fun, minus evil kid. The train museum at Inkster was fun! (276) read more

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