Flin Flon, Manitoba

In summer 2003, while interviewing pharmacists in the UK, I met a woman who had recently come back from a trip to visit her uncle in Canada and was absolutely thrilled about her experience. Which one of Canada's many great cities had this woman traveled to? Toronto? Vancouver? Montreal? No: Flin Flon, Manitoba.

This city of 6,000 is located in western Manitoba, along the Manitoba-Saskatchewan border, about 740 kilometers (460 miles) northwest of Winnipeg and 550 kilometers (342 miles) northeast of Saskatoon. Flin Flon is relatively new, having been founded only in the early 20th century as a mining town. The area's rich mineral deposits include copper, zinc, silver, and gold.

Aside from mineral wealth, the local Flin Flonians enjoy outstanding natural wealth in its rugged Canadian Shield setting of rivers, lakes – and, therefore, beaches – and boreal forests. Not surprisingly, there are several provincial parks nearby, including Bakers Narrows and Grass River. Canoe, sail, or go power-boating. Spend quiet time fishing for trout, walleye, and northern pike. Hike through the forests, and see if you can spot some of the local wildlife, including moose, woodland caribou, bears, and wolves. Bring your camera with you as you take a short drive across the border into Saskatchewan, and explore the limestone crevices near Denare Beach. Or if golfing is your thing, head out to the Phantom Lake Golf Club after work – who cares about little sand traps, when you can experience the challenges of rock outcroppings and muskeg? In the winter, enjoy activities like ice fishing, skiing, and snowmobiling. And you can also take in games of the Flin Flon Bombers Junior A team. And what would winter in the north be without an event like the Flin Flon Friendship Centre's annual sled dog races, which are held every winter? And don't forget that, being in the more northerly part of Manitoba, you can expect to see the dance of the northern lights in the winter night sky.

But what is a "Flin Flon," you ask? A person? Place? Thing? Well … maybe all three. At the entrance to the city's tourist park, you'll find a statue of one Josiah Flintabbatey Flonatin, a character from the 1915 science fiction novel The Sunless City by J.E. Preston-Muddock. The party that discovered the area's mineral deposits liked the main character's nickname, Flin Flon, and the rest is history …. (And a bit more trivia: the statue was designed by the American cartoonist Al Capp, who created L'il Abner.)

Based on all this, it's pretty clear to me what that the enthusiastic Brit was so fired up about.

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