It’s been a very long day, but my new toad and I have made it safely to Donna and Ken’s. More details tomorrow, but I will just say that I came out of the dealership feeling smug.
I’ll spend tomorrow here in Stettler getting Moya prepared for a cross-continent journey and take off 1st thing Wednesday for my property.
My vehicle registrations are due tomorrow. I’ve paid for the motorhome, but wasn’t sure what to do about the car. The Service Alberta website was useless.
So I called and after spending ages on hold, I got a live person. She explained that my insurance company would have informed the Ministry of Transport that the vehicle is off the road, so I don’t have to do anything.
When I go register my truck next week, I can bring the car’s license plate and if it’s deemed to be reusable (I can’t imagine it not being reusable), it will be transferred to the truck. Easy peasy.
Unrelated, after this call, I had to call the lawyer in Saskatchewan who dealt with my property transfer because the cheque I sent for their services hadn’t cleared my account yet. The person who answered confirmed that the cheque was deposited yesterday and that my account is in good standing. I was then thanked profusely for not only paying on time, but making sure my payment was received. Methinks they have to chase their clients!
Okay, I’m ready to turn in my grown up card for today… but I’m waiting for a call from Ohio.
I am at the Applebee’s in Minot, North Dakota posting from my iPad. I’m off to Verizon next to see about getting the US cell phone activated with a data plan.
As I approached the border this morning, the last words spoken to me by the customs supervisor last year echoed in my mind. I made some notes in your file. As long as you’re back in Canada by April 7th, your next crossing should be easier.
He wasn’t kidding. Had the agents not struggled with getting the front door opened, I would have been through in under four minutes. My having to get out and unlock the door for them delayed the process by a whole 30 seconds. They rummaged around for a bit and then the lady handed me my passport and told me to move ahead. I asked her where she wanted me to park because her instructions seemed vague. “No. You’re clear. Have a nice trip!” Yahoo!!!
Miranda is parked at the Walmart, one of the worst lots I have stayed in, hard to get around in and on a slope. But there aren’t any obvious alternates and it’s just for a night.
I seem to have changed time zones as my iPad says it’s 12:45 and I distinctly remember pulling into Minot at that time. It’s been a short driving day having left Estevan less than four hours ago, but I’m beat and glad to call this drizzly day done.
I am at the Walmart in Estevan (The Energy City), still in Saskatchewan. I didn’t get much sleep last night and drove about 500km total today in the toad, so I was tempted to stay in Weyburn. But I felt that three nights there were already pushing it, that another 80km wouldn’t kill me, and that it’d be nice to start the day so close to the border (40km). If the border crossing goes smoothly, I will have a chance to do my business in Minot and still make it to the RV park I have in mind. But I have managed to get a full charge today (THANK YOU GALARNEAU), so tomorrow’s cold and overcast forecast isn’t too scary, not with sun being promised from Friday onward, and I will keep open the option of detouring to Bismarck if I do not manage to find the required services in Minot.
Estevan is rather a large city for this part of Canada. The Walmart isn’t as convenient to access as I had to drive through town, but the lot, like that in Weyburn, is nice and big with plenty of space to tuck away a 50′ rig on level spot.
It’s a vacant lot, so there isn’t much to see, but here, as promised, are photos of my little piece of Saskatchewan heaven. 🙂 I am providing plenty of clues as to the location, but would ask that no one guess the exact name of the locale on the blog. I’ll be glad to confirm guesses by email. The structure you can see in the pictures will be taken down by the sellers, but I did invite them to leave it there for the year in exchange for cutting the grass this summer…
driving south out of Assiniboia
this is ‘main street’ in my village!
still on main street
veering down into the village proper
my plot (the structure will be removed)
the entrance to my plot
looking towards the street
looking down main street towards Willow Bunch (18KM away)
driving to Willow Bunch (the administrative centre of the rural municipality)
driving north out of Willow Bunch
It’s a skinny lot sandwiched between houses, but I think that once the trees have leaves there will be sufficient privacy. I can see myself backing Miranda into the far right corner (if facing the lot from the street).
Considerations (in no particular order):
-garbage collection?
-having gravel laid down for a proper RV pad
-having electricity, water, and internet brought up into a proper RV pedestal
-figuring out sewage
I went to the community’s administrative centre to find out more about using the services on the lot, but the ladies there were clueless. All I know for sure is that I have electrical wiring and pipes underground that can be brought up by a permitted electrician and plumber. I’ll figure all that out next year. I could land for six weeks before even having to worry about services, so I’ll have plenty of time to work out what I want to do and how much I want to spend. Internet would be a first priority.
From a tax basis, I can have a 100′ square foot structure on the site without affecting my property taxes. I have a vision of a little cottage that would hold a guest bunk, a washer and dryer, and garden tools, but that wouldn’t be until several years from now. I don’t want to spend too much on this property; it’s meant to free me, not anchor me!