The road to SaskatoonAug 31, 2007
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Into the Badlands...Red Deer River valley near Drumheller
Saskatchewan wheat fields in fall
If the grandkids can do it, so can I!
We have a long journey in front of us today. Saskatoon is 7 hours or so away, so we headed off just after 8am. Boys are asleep and the weather is good. The weatherman promised southwest winds... perfect for us since we're going east. Naturally, when we got to the highway, the winds are from the north. This didn't last too long though and as the morning progressed, the cloud cover lifted and so did the temperatures.
We stopped for a quick lunch in the little picnic area in Oyen, and were away again by 1pm. It was getting very hot in the bus, as a result of the 31 degree temperatures outside. A/C, fans and windows are just able to keep up. Harvest is well underway in the wheat fields of Saskatchewan. It's a beautiful country, with the gently rolling hills and the colours of fall just beginning to appear in the trees.
Most of highway 9 (Alberta) and 7 (Saskatchewan) is two lane undivided and most people are good about passing. One exception was a supposed "professional driver" (18 wheeler) who we encountered trying to u-turn at an intersection. He caused a minor panic by pulling broadside in front of a car traveling in the opposite direction as us. And later, the same driver passed us, across double solid lines and on a curve. We were doing the speed limit and he was over by at least 30 percent.
By 4pm, we arrived at the Gordon Howe Campground in Saskatoon's downtown. After setting up the motor home, we prepared for dinner with the family. Baba (means Ukrainian grandmother) brought lots of food and we had steak, corn, potatoes and a great desert of chocolate cake, fruit and ice cream. Baba served all fifteen in attendance, in order of their birthdays. It's amazing that she knows all birth dates, from the smallest grandchild on up. At one point, the young kids were skipping. There's a picture of Dido (Ukrainian grandpa) skipping right along with them! Baba skipped too, but no pictures.
Erwin rode his new Harley Davidson (purchased without the full support of wife Zoe), but they both rode away at the end of the night... Zoe's first ride on the bike! We'll be visiting with family for the balance of the weekend, so will not likely update this journal until we're back on the road again on Tuesday.
