Saskatchewan

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First Boondockers Welcome Visitors!

I’ve been a member of the Boondockers Welcome community since its inception in 2012. This is a fantastic resource pairing folks looking for a place to park overnight with folks who have a place to park overnight. I listed Haven even before I spent any time here!

A few days ago, I got a message through the site from a lovely lady from western Washington state who is driving across Canada to Nova Scotia with a friend and who was wondering if I could accommodate their 17″ Roadtrek. Through messages, I learned that they were going to visit Grasslands National Park, putting me right on their route east. Finally, someone ignored the ignorant instructions to drive through Saskatchewan as fast as they can and are seeing one of the prettiest and least known parts of this country!

I could have offered power and water, but they are self-contained, so there really wasn’t anything to do but give them a level and quiet place to park. I’m working late and so didn’t have much time to socialise. They appeared tired and content to just stay in for the evening anyway, plus it’s been raining on and off so it’s not like we really had any place to sit and chat anyway.

Even if they are my only Boondockers Welcome visitors ever, at least now I feel that I’ve started to pay forward all that hospitality given to me by so many of you lovely strangers who read my blog and invited me to park Miranda in their yard!

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Insurance Matters

I haven’t updated my insurance coverage since I changed my residency to Saskatchewan in 2013. I’ve just been paying for my Aviva Elite full-timer policy that covers the RV with no consideration for my buildings. Now that I’m leaving for a solid ten months (or even longer!) and I had something happen (attempted break-in), I knew it was time to completely revise my insurance coverage.

Here’s what I sent my broker last week (some things redacted):

I switched my policy to your office around August of 2013 after moving from Alberta.

My circumstances have changed dramatically and I need all new coverage.

The motorhome is now parked permanently on my property and is my residence.

My property now has two outbuildings (14”x16” and 18”x16”) for which I also need coverage for them and their contents.

I need to make sure I am insured for fire service (the town suggests $10,000).

I am not going to be onsite for the next ten months or so as I will be traveling. I don’t have any running water, so no risk of damage from frozen pipes, and I have a neighbour who checks in periodically. I want to make sure I have a modicum of coverage during my absence in case of a fire or a tree falling onto my home or my buildings. I am not the kind of person who would make a claim for something small like a window breaking during a hail storm. I’m really looking for catastrophic coverage, if there is such a thing.

The contents to be insured are worth *** (itemized list). There will be nothing of value left in the motorhome during my absence, but I will have a few things stored with a neighbour.

The broker just called and said she spoke to Aviva before calling me and that… nothing changes. I am covered for all that! I just have to let them know when I’ve come home next year.

I knew that I was covered for stuff in outbuildings, but did not realise that I was covered for the outbuildings themselves, a huge surprise!

However, I do not find the coverage for the buildings adequate, so the broker will ask if it can be increased and for how much. She will also see about travel coverage for my electronics and triple check that I’m covered for rural fire service. She thinks I am because I’m in a proper community with a hydrant almost right at my property line but will confirm.

This phone call was quite a surprise. I’m really pleased that my premiums won’t go up, or much if I have to add a little extra coverage. I’m sure you’re all wondering what my policy is costing me. $64 a month. Really.

Next, since my truck will be in “storage” during my absence, I will contact SGI to see if I can suspend my registration/insurance. That will save me $70 a month while I am overseas!

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Drop-Ins

Six years and a couple of weeks ago in Prince George, BC, road weary and about to embark on the greatest adventure of my life to that point — my first drive up the Alaska Highway — blog reader Les invited me to recoup at his spread just outside of town. A couple of nights ago, he emailed saying he and his wife Linda were driving back to BC from Ontario and did I have room for their Roadtrek?

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After so many weeks and months of parking in other people’s yards, it is so good to finally be able to reciprocate! And to catch up with old friends, of course. Les was an RV tech, so he  drops me the odd note out of the blue if I’m struggling with something.

The three of us caught up over the course of the afternoon. Much beer was consumed. Les had a look at my door and had some suggestions. Like others who have stayed at Haven, he and Linda commented on how idyllic life is in the little hamlet. They met “Charles” and “Laura” and we made note of the other neighbours driving by, jokingly starting a countdown of how many more neighbours they had to meet (not many; our population shrank over the winter!).

Les and I finally had to call it a night around 9:30 as he’d had a very long driving day. Linda had already retired for the night by that point. When I came out this morning at 7:30, they were just ready to pull out so we said our goodbyes and they headed off on what will probably be their second to last leg of the long journey home. It took four nights just to get out of northern Ontario (which is 90 billion kilometres long), so they’re pretty road weary and ready to be home.

I really like this type of hosting, when people bring their house with them and give you beer! 🙂

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A Perfect Saturday At Haven

I awoke early to a pretty cold rig and turned on my mattress warmer, then dozed as my furnace kicked on and started to warm the rig to a more acceptable temperature. I had a warm spot that was just right and so no motivation at all to get up.  I read for ages and eventually got up around 7:30.

Then, I got right to work. I had my first assignment for a new client, so I spent the morning focused on that. Once I was satisfied with the file, I sent it off then went to Willow Bunch to visit the thrift store. There, I picked up good rain boots and a pair of barely used shoes for just $5, totally worth the drive down! I also visited the new food store, getting a really good deal on cereal. I’m glad Willow Bunch has a food store again after the Co-Op shut down the old one.

I got home around three and started to work on some translation for the Willow Bunch Museum (volunteer work) when the phone rang. It was my neighbour Caroline requesting assistance with their new-to-them fiver. I went over and showed them how to light the oven and stove (there had been air in the propane lines), work the fridge, and start the furnace. I’ll help with the water system next week when they dewinterize.

That earned me a glass of wine (okay, I stopped counting at three) and an invitation to stay for dinner! Caroline’s been curing meat, so she needed a test subject for her ham! We had that with apple sauce, Brussels sprouts (complete with a bread crumb topping), corn (complete with feta), and scalloped potatoes with cheese. Yum! Good thing I don’t eat like that every night!

I also got in loads of cuddling with their dog Brutus and one of their cats. I got lots of that yesterday, too, since Caroline and Charles were gone all day and they’d asked me to go in and try to coax Brutus out sometime in the afternoon. He was distraught that his humans were gone and it was only by sitting in a chair in the living room and cuddling with him for a long while that I was able to get him to go out — several hours later. He’s a stereotypical sweet old man stuck in his routine. I just adore him!

Today was also the first sunny day we’ve had since the weather turned on Tuesday. It’s been chilly, but since these are more seasonal temps, I can’t complain.

Perfect days at Haven are mundane and I wouldn’t have them any other way!

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I Can Get A Lot Done in a Morning

It was a cold night, just below freezing. I was grateful to be able to turn on my mattress warmer in the wee hours of the morning. Then, around 6:00, my furnace kicked on (thanks to my programmable thermostat) to warm up the rig to an acceptable temperature when I was finally ready to crawl out of my warm cocoon.

This awaited me outside!

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Notice, it’s just in the shade, but I still had snow on the truck when I left for town around nine.

First stop in town was the RCMP detachment to drop off my victim impact statement. Then, I went to a photography studio to have my passport picture taken. Might as well take advantage of my otherwise unnecessary trip into town and get my passport application sent off! I can’t buy a plane ticket until I have my new passport so this needed to be done ASAP.

I had my paperwork all filled out so I was able to go straight from the studio to the post office. $20 for the picture, $22 to XPress post the application to Canada, and something like $160 for a 10-year passport. Thank goodness we have a 10-year option now!!! And the renewal process is so easy. Nice to see one Government of Canada department improving its efficiency. My passport actually doesn’t expire till next March, so I’m kind of “wasting” nearly a year, but with most countries not granting entry unless your passport is good for at least six months beyond your entry, I would have been limited as to where I could go in Europe and forced to come back by March. Brr!

Then, I made a couple of stops. I went to The Bargain! Shop for household things — hand soap, dish soap, and laundry detergent, as well as to check out the clothes. I’m looking for a particular skirt style for my upcoming travels and they get out of season things from good brands, so it’s worth having a peek every now in then to see if they’re carrying any treasures.

I then went to the Salvation Army to do the same thing and also see if they’d brought their prices back down to more reasonable levels. Almost. Not as good as it used to be, but I would shop there again. They had tons of nice handbags and I caved and bought a gorgeous quilted tote with handy pockets in it. I just can’t resist a unique bag…

Next stop was the grocery store, where spent a whopping $20 on produce — a bag of onions, a bunch of bananas, four pink lady apples, two nectarines, a bag of satsumas, and a red pepper that was almost $3. Wow. The store was really chaotic and dusty as they’re laying down the flooring (tiles), with half the produce at one end of the store and the other half on the other side of the store. Most of the meat aisle was inaccessible. I can’t wait for them to be done, especially since I don’t see any real improvements being made. We didn’t need a shiny new store with new coolers. We needed more space…

Finally, I popped into the bakery for a coffee and bun to go because I was feeling a little faint. The bakery’s a little pricy, but it’s a nice treat now and then.

I got in just before twelve. Now, lunch and then I really need to get to work!