Jun 11, 2015
Much too long a day on the road
First off I am sorry that some of you feel I should be posting about my day at the end of the day or right away the next morning. I usually post about yesterday at the end of today. Sometimes it is late when I press the publish button so you might not read it till the next morning. That is the best I can do. We are not retired. I do have a life and we are on a trip with a purpose and a tight schedule, not a leisurely vacation where I have oodles of time. We also have been traveling long days with no personal free time. Any free time is taken dealing with a disabled dog who requires constant and I do mean constant supervision. Over the past few days we have had some issues with internet. I had 40 photos for this post edited Tuesday but not even one moment left to post. Now that I have that off my chest, let’s move on.
We left Winnipeg at 8:00AM Monday, only 30 minutes behind schedule. There had been so much rain on Sunday that our carpets became wet in a few areas when we brought the slides in. We will be replacing the rubber seals on our slides later this summer. We had been on the road only 15 minutes when the air bags deflated. We had just gone over some rough railroad crossings on the perimeter highway. Same situation that happened to us in April on our way back from Mexico. Guess the new clamp fix is not quite right. Anyway Colin was soon under the RV and got it repaired. Big difference was the courtesy of the Canadian semi’s, they all pulled over into the far lane and we didn’t get rocked once. Nice.
Once again we were avoiding the Trans Canada Hwy and took a more southern route using Hwy 2 thru Manitoba and onto Hwy 13 in Saskatchewan. A very long 430 mile drive which took until 6PM.
Nice to be on a new road to us and it was in excellent condition. Not too much traffic along the way.
A typical prairie scene.
We did encounter some construction along the way which did slow us down. There is an expression we have heard all along the trip, the prairies only have two seasons ” winter and construction ” 😀 The road became a bit rougher once we hit Weyburn, Saskatchewan. I tried to write a post online but the road was way too bumpy and the text on my screen was bouncing everywhere and deleting what I had written. I finally gave up. It was a lovely sunny day and there was lots to see.
Lots of oil along this route. Does anyone know if the landowners are doing their own drilling or is there a major oil company doing the work and just giving them a percentage or ?? Who is making money off of all the wells we saw?
We were traveling the Red Coat Trail.
The Red Coat Trail is a 1,300 km route that approximates the path taken in 1874 by the North-West Mounted Police in their quest to bring law and order to the Canadian West per Wikipedia. Interesting Canadian history.
I kept dozing off but this was a planned nap. We are not used to traveling such long days and then visiting.
Carmeh fell asleep shortly thereafter. When she is awake while we are driving it is a chore to keep her settled and to anticipate her every desire. She is drinking huge amounts of water which concerns me.
Colin managed a of shot of Caeli who sleeps on his lap as we travel.
So much road construction and then you get idiots like this who kick up loose gravel along the newly repaired road. We were constantly slowing down.
We were getting closer to our destination which was to visit Rae in her hamlet of St. Victor. It is not too far off the beaten path and well worth a visit. Very lovely scenic area of southern Saskatchewan.
Narrow uneven roads but certainly doable in a 40′ bus! The next 18KM were graded gravel road but still very dusty with flying rock even at 30Km per hour. We were beginning to wonder if we would ever get there. I even worried that we were on the wrong road but could get no cell phone connection to call Rae.
We finally got there just before 6PM, we had been on the road for 10 long hours. Colin is discussing where to park. He is carrying Carmeh in a shoulder bag.
The plan was to park on the road in front of Rae’s property but the branches were low and we were too much on the road for Colin’s comfort despite there being little traffic. A very beautiful oasis in the middle of rolling fields and hills.
Decision made to back the RV onto her long driveway.
We first unhooked the car which was filthy and covered in dust and tiny pieces of rock and backed it onto the site. Then we backed the RV in. However we did not rehook as Colin realized we could not drive out hooked up. We were finally set up by 6:30PM and fed the girls.
Finally time for some relaxation and vino. A quiet rural setting with lots of birdsong.
Carmeh kept escaping the pen so we had to hold her. Caeli did chase a rabbit but came right back.
Nice shot of Carmeh. She did enjoy just sitting on the grass but boy does she hate being penned.
Rae had prepared a gourmet dinner for us complete with homemade corn tortillas, while I contributed the salad.
We sat in the lovely warm ( as in Isla hot and so wonderful ) heat of the day and just chatted, enjoyed the lovely dinner and caught up on life. Eventually Colin took the girls for a walk around the area while I posted Sunday’s post courtesy of Rae’s internet as my Rogers Sim card was showing no service.
Sorry I missed the walk.
Lovely shadows.
Just across the road from Rae’s place.
All too soon the mosquitoes came out and chased us in. I caught a glimpse of a vivid sunset through the trees but did not have my camera with me. There was a time change in our favor between Winnipeg and here but I didn’t change the clock back until bedtime thus assuring us a solid 8 hours of peaceful sleep. The next day was an even longer day. Thanks for the hospitality amiga 🙂
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I’m glad you trusted my culinary abilities if not my very detailed driving directions. 😉 😉 😉
Your Rogers thing would have worked in my office, but why bother setting it all up?
So glad you guys made it. Nice to see my slice of heaven through other eyes.
[…] and Contessa dropped by for a visit on Monday night! I was waiting for Contessa’s post about the visit before publishing my […]
Wonderful post, pictures and delicious looking dinner shared with good company and a plus that you did not have to cook or clean up. A win-win for you? I wonder why people would grumble about when you do or do not post – after all it is your blog and your life. Isn’t the blog a hobby and not how you make your living? I just check often and always happy when I see a new post.
Your babies are looking good – all three of them 😉
Glad you enjoyed the post. I think it was a win- win for all of us. Rae was inspired to have guests and people to cook for. I for one would have been happy to go to bed without dinner but was happy to be served such an excellent meal.
Directions are subject to interpretation. Once you have seen the terrain all becomes clear. Best example of this is the Church’s Mexican Camping book. Rae please feel free to cook for us anytime. Loved it.
Just a hint for passing vehicles on gravel roads: drive down the middle for as long as you can. They have to slow down! Never failed to work for us in rural Alberta.
Great advice Shirley. We will be sure to put that into practice. I so appreciate your comment.
Yes, great tip. I always tend to slow down and move as far to the right as I can but this never helps as it just encourages the oncoming traffic to go even faster. I will follow your advice from now on.
Exactly Croft, we were as far over to the right as we could get.
Loved the photo of you and Carmeh relaxing in the RV! I also loved seeing your view of Rae’s neighborhood. It looks a lot different than I imagined, more treed and neighborhoody…very nice.
Thanks Colleen, I had no exact idea in my mind re Rae’s home either but it was a most pleasant experience.
Been following Rae’s adventures and read about your visit on her site and then looked up your blog. The reason I thought I would comment is because of your comment about your dog drinking so much water. We had blood work done on our doxie about a month ago because of our concern for her drinking so much water the last few months. The test showed she had Cushing Disease. It is quite common in older dogs and doxies also. Our little dog was 15 years old so deciding against futher testing we would just keep her comfortable for the time she had left. Unfortunely her time came today. When I saw your concern I felt compelled to share our experience. A blood test could eliminate your concern, There are things they can do to help if it is Cushing Diease. You could also check it out on the internet to see if she has any of the other symptoms.
Oh Sharon, I am so very very sorry for the loss of your baby today. Your comment brought tears to my eyes as well as those of my husband. I so feel your pain and am so sorry for the passing of your baby. Thank you so much for taking the time so share your experience with your sweet baby. Yes she was 15 but will always be a very special piece of your heart. I know that there is a reason for the symptoms Cameh is showing and I so appreciate your input. We will have her checked out next week at the vet once we get back home. Thank you so much for taking the time out of your life at this difficult time to help us.
We send you many hugs at this difficult time.
Thank you it has been a sad day with many to follow. We were glad it was her choice and not one we would have had to make for her. Safe travels.
Oh Sharon, my heart is heavy for you. Please feel my arms around you with hugs of love and understanding. You are right, the days ahead will be extremely difficult and sad but I so hope that the memories of happier times will sustain you during the next days ahead. I have no idea where you are you are but I so wish I was there to comfort you.
Thank you again. I think I can feel the hugs out here in Nebraska, USA. My husband has been a great hugger through all of this. I will enjoy going back through your blog to read about your many adventures, looks like I have a lot of reading to do. Take care and thanks again.
I hope you are having a better day Sharon. Such a sad time for you. I meant to mention that I will check with our vet about getting some blood work done.
Days seem strange without our little shadow checking out what we are doing. Too many reminders around the house. Just have to remind myself that she is ok and not ‘trying’ to do things she used to do. Thanks for your concern and I’ll be keeping you and your little girl in my prayers that she just continues to enjoy her life. She and our little Fancy have visited a lot places many people will never see. I consider her life was full of love and adventure. Love your pictures. Sharon
Regarding the oil activity, there are a multitude of drilling companies searching for oil in southern Saskatchewan. My family still has rights to 3/4 of a section of land that my grandmother sold in the 50’s. Regularly over the years a company would approach the family and throw a bit of money at us for the rights to drill for oil. Sometimes they drilled, (and got nothing) and sometimes they didn’t even bother drilling and let the lease run out. Any working property lease provides a percentage of all oil revenues to the rights holders. The standard percentage is between 15 & 18%. Last year they found oil on our land, and In our case that percentage gets split among 14 cousins, so none of us are getting rich. It’s money we never expected though, so that’s a good thing.
If you ever check out the youngest snowbird’s blog she invests in some of those oil companies and has done well through those investments, although not recently.
My late sister-in-law in Alberta also owned a share of an oil well operating on leased family property. She was sharing the revenue with a similar number of cousins and her share usually amounted to a few hundred dollars a year. Like Rod says, you will never get rich from it (unless you own many of them).
Great post! Sorry – I was one that wondered about your delayed posts because while I knew you had been at Rae’s I also noticed you had not posted about it. I was not complaining, only remarking. I appreciate your posts whenever you are able to make them.
What a great visit! And what a meal! I also saw angles of Rae’s property that I had not seen before. Very nice.
Croft, I had to whittle my photos down from 40! It was interesting to see where Rae has set herself up and her plans for the future. Life has been busy for us and continues to be. Amazing that I was able to post at all. Than new laptop has made all the difference.
Thanks Rod, that is most interesting. In your case not a lot of money but in your Grandmother’s day it would have been a lot.
Well its your blog and you can post it whenever you like, whats the hurry? I don’t think you need to explain.
That is a long travel day but a nice ending visiting Rae with a lovely meal.
Enjoy the rest of you journey back home.
I was a very long travel day, not as long as the Isla to Totonaka which is 500 miles but very tiring. It was great to have a wonderful dinner waiting for us.