Saskatchewan

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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.

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Preparing For a Time Machine Journey

“Some people say that there are no more frontiers left for us to conquer. But then again, some people still go out into the wilderness in search of their dream.”

I think that anyone who’s read this blog since the beginning knows I have a serious fixation on the late 19th century. There are two things I’ve always wanted to do that tie in to that era.

One was accomplished on 17th July, 2010, when I summitted the Chilkoot Pass.

The other will unfold in the next week. Tomorrow, I am traveling deep into the Saskatchewan grasslands, into the very heart of the prairies, and am joining a wagon train!

We will be setting up a base camp, traveling during the day, and returning to camp in the evening. This wagon train happens every year in different areas and sometimes they move camp each day, but this year the style is more that of multiple scouting expeditions. I don’t care how we do it. I am going to get to ride a horse and travel alongside wagons through the prairies!

When Charles and Caroline invited me to join them for their yearly gathering, it was planned that I would travel in their wagon or walk beside it. But a friend of theirs got wind that I know how to ride and has arranged for a part-time horse for me. So I will get to try all three modes of transportation.

This will be my first true vacation since the Chilkoot where I will have to disconnect completely. I’m not even bringing my iPad. The only concession to technology will be my digital camera. So check back Monday the 15th for news about my adventure!

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Energy

It’s been a very full and active day under yet another broiling Saskatchewan summer sun. Once I had water, it was time to do laundry, mounds and mounds of it (and I’m not done yet). I got into a routine of getting hot water from the exterior shower and carrying it in a bucket to the WonderWash and then filling my new water jug with cold water while I spun the clothes. The outdoor shower is very slow, so having water in the jug made rinsing quicker. It sounds like a lot of work but, really, it’s less than traipsing across town to borrow someone’s washing machine.

During the day, I also worked a little more on the genset and reattacked my weeds.

Last night, I went over to Laura’s to drop off some internet research I did for her and asked her about a trash barrel she had promised me. She said that she needed to find a guy with a truck to haul away the branches in and covering it and then I could have the barrel. The branches would go to the ‘pit’ somewhere near the community hall.

Truck? Waitaminute, don’t I have one of those?

(When I got home, I was holding a flower pot with soil in it for transplanting my tomatoes and was just finishing that up when Isaiah and Grace stopped in for a quick chat. My “I’m a real homesteader now that I’m growing my own food!” quip as I held my tiny tomato plant was good for a laugh. Isaiah says that I’m fitting right in, ie. that my yard is starting to look cluttered (and yet, it’s very neat. I just need a shed!).)

Late afternoon today, I emptied out the truck and headed to Laura’s where I filled the bed with as many branches as possible. Then, I had to find the pit. I suspected that it would be near the vehicle graveyard and I was right! Just before the graveyard, there is a rutty track that leads straight down to a pit where everyone throws their branches. I backed down there and unloaded the branches, then almost spun out trying to get back up. Note to self, you do not have a 4×4.

I repeated the exercise twice (learning to jam the gas pedal and then quickly clutch into second), clearing away all the branches, then I went back for my well-earned trash barrel! A truck is so perfect for life out here, gas mileage be damned, and the property was definitely a factor in getting Moya.

I was just about to go take my shower (hallelujah) when I remembered that I had to put stuff back in the truck. So I went back out to sweep it, then put in the mats and made up the bed in preparation for leaving on Sunday.

What’s interesting about all this is that I had the energy to do it. Since I arrived on the beach early this year, the heavy shroud of fatigue that has plagued me for years, well before I started RVing, began to lift. Even though I’m still sleeping like crap, that doesn’t stop me from having an active day. Just a year ago, there is no way I would have gotten the truck cleaned today. I would have been glued to my lounge chair and even taking a shower would have seemed like an insurmountable chore. I’m not sure what’s changed except that I started to cut back on sugar as a new year’s resolution….

Life is so much easier to live when you’re not experiencing it as though swimming through a sea of molasses!

Needless to say, I earned myself a hearty dinner tonight and my body demanded some rice after all that exercise. Dang it was tasty! 🙂

The earth is dry and dusty here… but where we’ll live there’s a winding stream and the grass on the gentle hills around it grows high and rich and green. It’s the plot of land you’ve dreamed of.

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Haven With Water! (Sort Of)

The city worker came out really this morning, about 9AM, and was very nice! He told me that while there are utility maps floating around, they have been proven inaccurate and there is no way to know for sure that I have access to the water main without digging deep. He thinks it could be thousands of dollars to get a water tap! I think it could be cheaper than that if I find someone with a digger, but anyway, the point was he didn’t think I could have a tap in the near future unless I wanted to shell out big bucks. Bummer.

That said, he had been informed by the gals at the RM that I am now on the garbage route and that I will be billed for water, so he came prepared. He opened up a public tap about 300′ from the rig. It spewed out thick orange water for about five minutes, then it ran clear and cold. We strung out my super long green hose then added the sections Laura had given me. It was just enough! I also had a length of white hose I could have used, but I prefer to only use that when I’m hooked up to truly potable water.

The low water pressure coupled with the distance meant it took a full hour to fill the on board tank. Moreover, the hose crosses a couple of properties, so I need to move it when I’m done so that the mowers don’t get at it. Therefore, this is not super convenient, but it’s better than hauling jugs! My water heater is running and I am going to have a wonderful shower tonight! 🙂

I’m using the rest of the hauled water to start on my laundry today. I’ll see how far I get. I have MOUNTAINS to do and no pressing work today, so I might as well get at it. I definitely have work tomorrow.

It’s nice to know just how efficient the RM staff is! And here is another example. Tuesday morning, I opened the front door and noticed that the garbage bag that had been on the stoop the night before was gone. Tuesday is garbage day. The holiday had messed me up a tad and I forgot to bring my bag up to C&C’s on Monday night and figured that it was no big deal as I could put the trash next to my curb as of next Tuesday.

I was deeply curious about who grabbed the bag seeing as you really have to be looking at my stoop, ideally with binoculars, to see what’s on it, I’m that far from the roads. Anyway, the water guy said that he had spied it and snatched it! Wow! Talk about service!

Being able to have a shower tonight made me want to get down and dirty with my genset again today (I am now completely filthy and look like a heathen).

I am getting really close to isolating the non-start and it’s near the spark plug. So even though the spark plug looks good, I’d be best to replace it. Wish me luck finding one. Figuring out how to install will likely be easier. 🙂 It’s so frustrating that it sparked the other day and I’m cursing myself for attempting to start it without enough gas on board. I might have missed my only chance. 🙁