Dryden, Ontario. 17 April, 1996
Wednesday morning, 0730 hrs and Roxy, Barney and I are on our way again. Soon we are passing through Kenora and it is time to gas up again. I never realized that I would be missing the Canadian Shield as there is nothing but trees, trees and more trees. When I gas up at Kenora I can still smell the oil burning and I think about it, but the oil light isn’t coming on so I don’t worry too much. It is here in Kenora the Cellular signal returns and I will not lose it anymore.
Ontario – Manitoba Border. 17 April, 1996
It takes over 2 days to cross Ontario, from Quebec to Manitoba. Soon we are out of the trees and into the start of the Prairie. Manitoba looks so different from Ontario. The Trans Canada is twinned again and has become Highway # 1.
It seems like no time before we are into Winnipeg. The last time I was here was 16 yrs ago when Mum, Dad and I passed through our way to British Columbia on the train. When we are getting close to the city, the eastbound and westbound lanes of the highway seem to be built on dikes. There is a bit of flooding going on and I wonder if I will be getting past this before the waters let go. Just before the city you can take the bypass and avoid the city all together. It is here on the bypass I got to stop and tie the tarp back down on flea, and when I get out I find out how windy it really is.
When I get through the bypass I stop again to gas up, and I still smell the oil burning. I refill the flea, drain the bladder and refill the coffee. Once back on Highway #1 I make good time but feel a vibration coming off the road. It turns out to be ridges in the road, and the vibration soon ends. I don’t have to stop again until Brandon and take a 20-minute rest to cool down the flea and water Roxy and Barney. It is hot and sunny now and the winds have died down.
Manitoba – Saskatchewan Border. 17 April, 1996
Soon we are crossing into Saskatchewan. There isn’t too much in the way of population or towns of any size anywhere near where I am. The major towns are spread far apart. Somewhere east of Regina I stop for another bit of a rest and to let Roxy and Barney have a bit of a look. The Prairies are a nice change from Northern Ontario and the Prairies are not that flat either. Soon I will be in Regina and I will be glad, I have been driving another 13 hrs.
In no time Regina looms into the horizon and soon we are on twinned highway again. I forget where we lost the twinned highway in Manitoba but up until here, the #1 highway is a two-lane blacktop. Just like the movie that stars James Taylor, Dennis Wilson and Warren Oates. It is time to quit driving for the day and I gas up at a truck stop East of Regina, and the attendant checks the oil and wonders where the oil cap is. The mystery is solved as to why the burning oil smell. So now I have to find a Mazda Dealer.
From the truck stop that I am at, I find out where the Mazda Dealer is. So at 1630 hrs Roxy, Barney and I are on our way to downtown Regina to buy an oil cap. I have no problem finding the dealer. It is good to get the new oil cap and when you think about it I was lucky. I was spraying oil all the way from Ignace, Ontario to Regina, Saskatchewan. I only lost a half a litre, I could have had the motor seize up on me. Well Dad always used to say “Experience is the best teacher”. From now on I will sure the oil cap is on tight from now on.
After I get back to the truck stop, I book a motel room. I get Roxy and Barney settled and then to the restaurant to get supper. Of all the places I stopped along the road to get something to eat, this was the best place. I call Edie to let her know how far along I got. I am talking to Courtney and have a nice chat with her. Edie is out to the store.
After supper I return back to the room, call Edie and let her know where I am and she tells me the Trans Canada in Winnipeg washed out behind me where it looked like I was driving on dikes. Barney is crashed on the bed out for the count, Roxy is somewhere else. I watch TV for a bit and wonder why the American Channels are coming from Detroit and not Minneapolis, I am tired and my mind has turned off. Far to the south, I see storm clouds on the horizon and the sound of thunder is in the distance. I am so tired I fall asleep with the storm brewing, tomorrow Calgary.
