Month: July 2013

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The Novatel Mifi 2 Is a Piece of JUNK

My Mifi 2 was wonky yesterday morning, but let me connect to the internet and do some work. The connection was GREAT thanks to my new Yagi antenna! Then the Mifi powered down and refused to power back up. It had done that before and yanking the battery solved matters, but not this time. I went over to C&C’s to use their phone so I could call Bell.

The tech rep immediately listed everything that my Mifi has been doing since I got it — randomly powering down, going dormant despite having a signal, freezing, etc. She said I was lucky that the permanent freeze happened so soon after getting the Mifi 2 as they could replace it free at this point. This is a known issue that Novatel can’t be bothered to fix. What a piece of junk! If I wasn’t stuck with Novatel products for mobile internet with Bell (who has the best mobile bandwidth package) I would have thanked Bell and gone with another device.

Bell has been GREAT. The tech said I could just go to the store to exchange the device, but that’s not an option since I’d have to drive 400KM EACH WAY to a store that carries the Mifi 2! The tech asked me for my phone number and said that she would call me within the hour with a better solution. About 20 minutes later, she rang back to say that the best she could do is have it spent Priority overnight to Assiniboia, the system refusing to send to the hamlet since we don’t have civic addresses.

I’m not holding my breath that the new Mifi will be here today, but I’ll check the post office this afternoon. I’m at the Assiniboia library right now hoping to get some work done. I lost half a day yesterday and hope to make up some of that this morning.

I’m really starting to feel cursed.

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I Can Skype!

My neighbour has an old rust bucket of a pickup truck behind his shed. Its rear end encroaches on my property. The truck bed has holes along the side for a canopy. Since one of these holes was very clearly across my property line, I stuck my broom handle in that and aimed the antenna towards the cell tower. *

That puts the antenna almost 30′ from the rig and about 7′ from the ground. I knew from my experience with the whip antenna that I had to get as far to the northwest from the rig as I could and stay close to the ground, hence why I thought the truck would be a good antenna holder.

My RSSI number, the only thing I have to gauge the quality of my signal, dropped from -106 to -96 and has been hovering between -98 and -96. My phone still isn’t working here, but it barely works up the hill with the booster, so that’s fine.

My mother and I desperately needed to have a voice to voice business meeting so I decided to try Skype. We spoke for 28.5 minutes and only got about 10 seconds of fadeout. Otherwise, the sound was crystal clear and there was almost no lag. Moreover, she was on wifi across the house from her modem, not on ethernet, so the fadeout could have been at her end.

I have also been able to effortlessly stream Netflix since I moved the antenna to that location. I am so happy! I just need to find something colourful to tie to the antenna wire so that no one gets decapitated walking across that part of my lawn!

(* my neighbour will likely be happy that someone is putting that truck to good use!)

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Haven Has Improved Water and Internet Access!

I decided to hook myself up to city water, something I haven’t done in YEARS, because I’m tired of having to fill the holding tank every couple of days. Major bleaching of the city water intake ensued. Unfortunately, there isn’t enough water pressure with which to take a shower, so I still have to use the holding tank and water pump for that. Oh, well. At least I have running water!

I added a ‘quick connect’ to the water intake to make it easier to disconnect. It’s an awkward space and always leaks, so I wanted to only have to screw in and leak-proof once. I can now easily separate the hose and connect it to my fancy new sprayer. I also added another 50′ of hose to give me a little bit of play. The hose was cheap, less than $8, and I’m kicking myself for only getting 50′ of it.

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I used my fancy new sprayer and extra 50′ of hose to wash my truck yesterday! The water pressure was awful, so I had to give it several passes, but it was nice to get all the grime and bugs off. I even gave Moya a good hand waxing after, which made Caroline scoff. Yeah, it’s rather pointless to clean your truck when you’re going to be on dirt roads most of the time, but a coat of wax does protect the finish. Anyway, it was wonderful to be able to do wash the truck without worrying about using up someone’s water. The 50′ of hose wasn’t enough, so I wound up driving the truck around back of Miranda since I had just enough space to squeeze around her.

I’m going to order some Poliglow and spiff up Miranda sometime in August.

I was also going to add a quick connect to the water tank intake hose, but decided that instead, it’s high time I properly repair it and put the quick connect money towards repairs. All in due time. 🙂

As for internet, I had a ‘you have a package’ notification in my mailbox Friday. I was very tempted to ring for the postmaster, but prefer to respect her work hours since I have no reason to contact her outside of them. So I waited patiently all weekend with no internet to speak of after I got a great connection on Friday (hence the earlier than expected post).

I have had NO internet since about dinnertime yesterday. I got in and half-assedly hooked up my new Yagi-type antenna because, being the idiot that I am, I forgot to pick up a telescoping pole in Moose Jaw. By half-assedly, I mean I installed it on a pole that I leaned against the ladder like so:

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That’s all I did. I haven’t even tried to point it in the direction of the tower or move it up and down or try different locations around the property. This was still enough to give me a strong steady signal. The blog loads immediately and I’m now downloading a 60MB file. It’s going more slowly than up the hill, but the speed is satisfactory (it has ended up taking about 13 minutes).

Imagine when I actually get this thing pointed the right way?! Once my download is complete, I will see if I can get a phone signal. All appendages crossed that I’ve FINALLY found the solution!

I bought my antenna from the Wilson Amplifier Store based out of Laguna Hills, CA, and was very pleased with their service, albeit a little confused at first.

I saw my package go from Utah to California and the status change to ‘complete.’ I emailed customer service asking what was up with that. They replied promptly that their Utah warehouse can’t ship to Canada, so all orders go to Laguna Hills where they are forwarded on to Canada. They gave me a new tracking number and I was gratified to see that the package had already hit Canadian customs! Shipping was expensive, almost $40, but even with the two-step process, the package arrived here very quickly.

The reason I went with a US supplier is that the Wilson Amplifier Store offered a complete package. I didn’t have to cobble together the antenna, cable, and mounting hardware. I did need an adapter to fit the antenna with my Sleek booster, but the adapter I used with my bigger whip antenna does the trick.

Well, I’d better get to work. It’s nice to have a full plate of it upon return from vacation. I have a lot to make up for, what with all the time off I’ve taken this summer!

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Moose Jaw Grocery Run

I decided to do a Moose Jaw grocery run today so that I can avoid leaving home for the next couple of weeks, except for perhaps a Willow Bunch run to get some produce. I have tons of work to do. Also, C&C are starting the addition for their house and have a list of chores for me, so I am going to be VERY busy through the rest of the summer. Might as well start with a full larder even if a four hour drive felt like a bit much today.

My GPS doesn’t like the road east to Willow Bunch and tried to route me through Assiniboia, idiot that it is (no matter what setting I picked), making the drive to Moose Jaw much longer than it needs to be. But I knew I could head to Willow Bunch, swing north on highway 36, and then cut east to Moose Jaw on highway 2, cutting the trip almost in half.

There is literally nothing but a few farms between Willow Bunch and Moose Jaw. There is even a sign at the 13/36 junction saying that the next services are in Moose Jaw, 100KM away, and a matching sign at the 2/36 junction saying no services till Willow Bunch.

The drive was very scenic (but of course) although I had to really watch the pavement since it was in very bad shape, nearly as bad as major highways in Quebec. I must have looked like a drunk, driving around all those potholes!

I got to Moose Jaw around 11:30 and the first order of business was lunch. I had heard good things about DK Sushi and so decided to take a chance on it, hoping it would be good enough to be my habitual Moose Jaw treat. I had no trouble finding the restaurant and quickly opted for the $16 all you can eat menu as it was varied enough for me.

Everything was fresh and delicious and obviously made to order. Their miso soup was very yummy. I indulged in a couple of gyoza and even though they were fried, they were very flavourful. I had a total of 24 pieces; eight of BBQ eel, eight of yam and avocado, and eight of spicy tuna. All great! The tuna was VERY spicy, but that was offset by the sweet eel sauce. But no more spicy tuna for me as it’s made with mayo and I have firmly ascertained that eggs are what has not been agreeing with me. 🙁 The eel was so good that I decided to also try it on their ‘pizza’, of which you get a quarter per order (a couple of bites), which was perfect. Again, there was mayo (the Japanese use mayo the way Americans use ketchup), so I’ll have to watch that for next time. I finished with chocolate ice cream, which was also really good, very rich and chocolately, not the cheap ice milk that’s usually offered. I definitely got my money’s worth!

I made a number of stops after, learning the hard way how to set up an itinerary for the next trip as I had to double back a couple of times.

I first went to Canadian Tire to get some more garden hose, quick connects, and a sprayer. The store was overrun by bratty screaming children, so I gave up on shopping for anything else and was grateful that the garden centre was quiet for five minutes so I could figure out what quick connects I needed.

After, I went to Walmart for a small run, mostly for cat litter and an oil change. I helped out a customer looking at the solar panels for his RV (mostly to tell him that a 5W panel will be useless to him and that he needs about 60W, then giving him a little bit of info on how deep cycle batteries work and the best way to charge them). I continued the battery discussion with a couple of the mechanics and one just grinned as I kept confirming information that he had told another tech.

I’ve figured out that I need to go no more than 4,000KM between oil changes. More than that and I just end up pouring in oil that will end up getting drained too soon. I did buy some bulk oil for just in case, but I’ll make it a point to get to an oil change place more regularly than I needed to with my little car.

Next stop was M&M Meatshop! Wow, I haven’t been to one since I left Lethbridge! I spent quite a bit on pork, chicken breasts, and fish, but it’s all good stuff and will be tasty. I was just about to pay when I noticed boxes of cod fillets and made sure to add one to my order. They will be a welcome addition to my diet.

I then headed back behind DK Sushi to do my main grocery run at the Safeway. A lot of the stuff was crazy expensive ($7 for two bunches of kale?! $1 for a single lemon?!) but I got such good deals on other stuff that it all evened out. My card savings were $40.24 and I also got a 5 cents per litre fuel discount. So when I went to gas up after, it was at $1.19, the cheapest by far that I’ve paid since I got back to Canada.

The one thing I didn’t find at Safeway was almonds in bulk and I suddenly remembered that Moose Jaw now has a Bulk Barn. It wasn’t in my GPS. I asked a lady also getting gas if she knew where it is. Yup, right by Walmart. Dang! I headed back up there and got a few things. Oh, Bulk Barn, how I have missed thee! I have not been to one since I left the Ottawa area. When I lived in Ottawa in the late ’90s, my world was within a 45 minute walking distance radius of my Sandy Hill apartment. A big treat was to hop on the bus and go a few stops away to get to the Bulk Barn at the Gloucester Centre.

Moose Jaw has really grown in the last five years! Last time I was there, it was very sleepy and there weren’t that many stores and restaurants. It has really built up and feels like a proper city. One lady I spoke to said that Regina has a Costco, but otherwise there’s no longer any reason to go shop in Regina except for really specialized stuff.

It rained hard for most of the afternoon and there was a major storm watch for the Assiniboia area, but the drive home was under clear skies and felt like it didn’t take any time at all. It is cooling down now and the internet is misbehaving, telling me that the promised bad weather is indeed incoming.

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No Place Like This on Earth

-I’ve always wanted to see the frontier.
-You want to see the frontier?
-Yes, sir. Before it’s gone.

The frontier is still out there, in southern Saskatchewan, wide open and free where people still live close to the land and the government can’t be bothered to meddle. A recurring comment this week was that we couldn’t show southern Saskatchewan to others, lest our frontier be overrun. In fact I was supposed to inform you that we flew to New Zealand and rode there! 🙂

My time on the wagon train was the stuff of dreams, Monday most especially as it was the only day I got to ride a horse.

Once I got a handle on him and felt comfortable, I stepped away from the wagon trail. As I set off, Caroline called after me that I was going to sunburn my teeth, I was grinning so hard! I sat loosely in my saddle, held the reins with two fingers of the left hand, and allowed my horse to gently lope up a hill.

At the top, looking down at the valley below, I gasped as I had read a description of this scene in countless books and seen it in at least as many movies. Below me was the wide open prairie with the only sign of civilization the tracks our wagons made in the long grass. And the wagons were there, too, a short column lurching their way through the rough terrain. All we were missing were the buffalo.

But I’m getting ahead of myself.

The wagon train is an annual event that occurs at various locations around southern Saskatchewan. This year, it was hosted by a rancher who lives just north of Grasslands National Park. As the crow files, the ranch is just 70KM from Haven, but just over 100KM by back roads and more than 150KM by main highways.

It took C&C and myself about two hours to get there on Sunday. Charles was driving their bus conversion pulling the horse trailer, Caroline was driving their truck pulling a flat bed trailer holding the wagon, and I was driving my truck.

We arrived early afternoon and set up camp. I had chosen to sleep in my truck all week, cook off the tailgate, and use my large tent as a change room and storage locker. This setup worked out great.

We had a communal supper on Sunday night, with the highlight being roast beef. I had a whole slice and a couple of bites! Beef isn’t that icky if it is VERY well cooked.

Monday morning was a little brutal since our hosts were offering a pancake breakfast at 7AM. Thankfully, Charles was our elected coffeemaker for the week, so by the time I was up and at ’em, he had some of the hot brew ready. I don’t think we made it to breakfast until past 8:00. Everyone was in slow mo!

After breakfast, I met my horse, Dusty, and walked with him for a bit before mounting. We set off mid-morning, three wagons and a few dozen riders.

I hadn’t ridden in five years but quickly grew comfortable with my mount, even though he was very green and skittish. Little did I know this would be my only day riding. His owner chose to ride him on Tuesday and, well, didn’t do nearly as well handling his new horse as I did. He fell off twice and while he wasn’t badly injured, he had to go home on Wednesday morning.

My knees were killing me by lunchtime Monday so I decided to try riding in C&C’s wagon for part of the afternoon. Well, that was a bad idea. There is no seat in the back so they set me up in a plastic lawn chair that twisted and threatened to launch me back into orbit. I was glad to get back on my horse even though I was sore! By the time we got back to camp, my right leg wasn’t even working any more and I stiffened up even more as the evening progressed. The pain was worth the day, though!

Since I was so stiff on Tuesday, I didn’t feel bad that Dusty wouldn’t be available. Charles put a hay bale in the back of the wagon for me to sit on and that proved to be a good idea. Riding in the wagon was quite a bit of sport and not nearly as much fun as riding a horse, but it was worth it just for the scenery!

And that’s how the rest of the week went, with me riding in a wagon. On Friday, I rode in someone else’s wagon, on a proper seat, but the rig was so springy it didn’t feel any more comfortable than did the hay bale.

The week was fun and scenic, that’s the best way I can put it. I love camping, I love pretty scenery, and I love camaraderie. The week had all of that. It was rather nice to be out of my element and listen to people talking about horses rather than sitting around discussing RVing.

C&C are wonderful traveling companions and I must not be so bad since they insist that I MUST go on next year’s wagon train with them!

We dined together every evening, sharing our food, and I even feasted on Caroline’s homemade venison spaghetti one night! I had more red meat this week than I’ve had in the last 20 or so years combined! They also made sure to have plenty of their delicious homemade wine with which to toast our days.

Their bus conversion has a toilet but no shower, so they cleverly turned a stall in the horse trailer into a shower room using a Coleman instant hot water heater. So Wednesday night, we all got a chance to wipe off some of the week’s grime, but were filthy again by Thursday. It was HOT this week!

It was really good for me to disconnect for a bit. I didn’t even have a watch. I went to bed when the sun dipped below the horizon and woke up at sunrise. The week was a good reminder that for all I’ve gained in my RV travels, I have lost something, too, and I need to start camping again.

Below are a few pictures from the week. I doubt that any of you want to see 500+ different iterations of southern Saskatchewan scenery and I also do not want to include any faces. But these should give you a taste of the week and make you rethink of your notion of what Saskatchewan looks like.