Across Canada Day 4

We left this morning from our Hotel 6 in Brandon Manitoba before 7am. The hotel was brand new and did not yet serve their advertised continental breakfast, and so gave us 2 coupons for free breakfast sandwiches from McD’s. It was just down the street. Dad got bacon and eggs on a buttermilk biscuit, and I had a BLT bagel.

We headed down to the local safeway to pick up some bread and milk. We were both confused when we found the store locked… the sign on the door said they opened at 7am. Dad declared that I must have set the trucks clock wrong. I scratched my head and thought “the time has to go back an hour right”. I felt like there was no way I could have set it wrong, but I couldn’t figure out why else they would be closed.

We gave up, and drove to the shell station to fill up before heading for Saskatchewan. Dad picked up some milk, but they had no bread. Dad asked the girl behind the cash “what time is it”, she replied that it was 7:30, just as our truck clock proclaimed. Next Dad asked her if she knew if something was up with safe way. She said she had no idea. Dad mentioned that the sign said they opened at 7am. The girl stared at him blankly “yeah, but it’s Sunday”.
Off to Saskatchewan.

Either Dad and I were both clocked out and didn’t notice, or, there is no signage declaring that you have left Manitoba, or that you have entered Saskatchewan. We only realized we were in Saskatchewan when we entered Regina.

When we stopped for a stretch we found the air to be very fragrant with the smell of clover. Though we couldn’t pick out any clover visually, that’s what it smelled like. The smell followed us through most of the province, and Dad remarked that maybe it was the pigweed. Anyhow, it smelled great.

For some reason, I always thought that Saskatchewan was the flattest province. Not so. While Manitoba is almost totally flat, Saskatchewan enjoys a myriad of gently rolling hills, in seemingly alternating bands of green and yellow (a pattern of Wheat and Rape I believe, with a touch of what Dad figures is buckwheat).

After rolling through Lloydminster, we set our goal as being the far side of Edmonton. We stopped at a hotel in the tiny town of Onoway. The one star hotel (this fact was actually advertised in the sign) was full up as some festival was in town. We decided to push on to Whitecourt. We rolled into the Western Budget a little before 10. Dad was tired and went stright to bed, while I decided to have a beer and donair at the local saloon, and catch up on the blogging.

We will rise tomorrow morning by 6:30 and will likely see all of you before 11am. I am excited to see everyone, and am happy to have a couple of days for Visiting. Day 5 is Whitecourt to GP :)

Good Day 4