Sunday, May 11/2014 - Saturday, May 17/2014

Sunday, needless to say, was a "quiet" day.  Oh ya, I am a bit stiff and sore but not too bad.  It was a nice day and it was good to sit and enjoy the sunshine.
We spent the rest of the week getting the motorhome settled on the lot and I did the "spring" cleaning and unpacking the camper and getting the motorhome ready for habitation.   Man, I cannot believe how dusty the bus was just from sitting over the winter.
I got the laundry done and John straightened out the shop and the man cave.   On Friday, I started back to work at the nursing home…..my summer job begins.

Saturday, May 3/2014 - Saturday, May 10/2014

Hogan, trying to ignore the cat.

We stayed at the farm until Friday, the 9th of May.  I woke up in the morning and knew it was time to make the final journey home to Leoville.  I simply needed to "get home".. We had spent this entire week in the city getting the medical stuff/shopping done and with all that behind us, there was no more reasons to  stay.
We packed up, said goodbye to Bernie and headed out.  We stopped to pick up my quad at the service department and headed North.   We arrived around 5:30 and spent a quiet evening settling into the yard.
John had decided to go with the kids on the Big River Quad Rally the next day and since his quad was not repaired yet, Casey offered his for John to ride.
We made arrangements for the kids to bring Casey's quad up and we got to bed early in anticipation for a very busy day tomorrow.

Sunset at the farm - awesome

Big River Quad Rally

We met the kids the next morning in Big River and headed out onto the trails.   I was surprised that the trails were actually relatively dry.  There was even an issue with dust on some parts of the trail!!  We did manage to find some water though so all was not dry!!

The "wet" Way

Of course, I followed John through most of the rough, wet spots and only managed to get stuck once!!  The kids managed to save my ass by pushing me off the stump I got high centred on and I was able to maneuver the swamp without any problems after that!!   Thank heavens the "boys" were wearing their chest waders as I did not have to get off the quad at all.   They are such good boys!!

Changing Preston"s Tie Rod End

Of course with a group this size, there is always someone who manages to break down and this time it was Preston and his Commander.   He broke a tie rod end and fortunately Jace had spare and it was soon repaired and we were once again underway.

Beverage Break

Waiting for the "kids" at McRobb Lake

Eventually, John and I left the group and travelled the trails waiting for "the children" a bit further down the trail.   They did managed to catch up to us at  McRobb Lake and this was the last time we saw them as they had more issues with the quads breaking down.   Despite the fact that we waited for hours along the trail, we did not see them again.
We met up with a friend from Big River (Patrick) near the end of the rally and had a nice visit with him. We then did the final mile to the trucks and found only one other couple from our original group there.  They too had broken away from the group to come and pick up a truck and trailer for the quads that could not finish the rally.  It was already dark and the kids apparently did not make it past the grid road.
John and I loaded up as we still had to get back to Leoville and met Kellen and Kayla on the highway.  They had become separated from the group, took a wrong turn and ended up in the town of Big River!!
We found out from them that there were indeed quad issues and the rest of the group would be coming home on the grid.  By this time, it was really dark out.
We made it home to Leoville by midnight and all in all, it was a pretty good rally.  All the kids made if off the trail safe and sound despite breakdowns so that was a vey good thing.
I think I will be stiff and sore tomorrow but I don't have to start work until next Friday so I should be good by then.

One of the final beverage stops - end of the
rally is in site.

Friday, May 2/2014

Well, the wind continues to blow but we are done travelling for a while so it can darn well blow and blow and blow.  At least it will dry the land and the farmers can get their crops in.  Maybe it will dry up some of the water that is lying in the farm yard as well!!
Today, I really must do some laundry.  There is a bag of dirty clothes that need tending so that is on the agenda for today.
Gloria will be flying in today.  Her flight is scheduled to arrive at 1:30 so we will be able to catch up on all her news before she flies back out on Sunday.   Man, she is sure racking up the air miles!!
The laundry got done, Gloria arrived home and we relaxed for most of the day.  It is good to just do "nothing"!!   We had a quick supper of ribs and rice and John and Bernie watched the hockey game while Kimmy, Gloria and I sat around and gossiped!!    Life is Good.

Thursday, May 1/2014

We left Elrose and headed for the farm.   The wind accompanied us all the way.  There was a lot more water standing in the fields and in the ditches in this area and I could see why the farmers had not yet braved their fields.  Actually, we did see one sad sole in his field….he was stuck!!
There were still a few snow drifts along some of the ditches as well.
We stopped in at Dundurn, fuelled up, picked up some beer and then headed over to the most awesome Chinese food place to pick up supper for us at at the farm.
While we waited for the food, we headed over to the bar for a drink.  Gee….I so missed paying $9.50 for two beer!!  Holy Moly!!
With our Chinese ready, we headed to the farm.  Bernie and Gloria are awesome and have allowed us to stay there while we do our doctor, dentist, visit the family thing before finally heading up north to the Leoville property.  It is awesome and we so appreciate their hospitality.
We arrived at the farm and noted that there was a lot more water lying around this year as opposed to last year.  We dropped the trailer off in the field next to the yard then parked the camper beside the shop

Heading out

Crossing the South Saskatchewan River

The big Red Wagon

Dundurn Bar

Coming into the farm

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We just got all set up when Kimmy arrived from work to be the first to welcome us back home.  Bernie arrived shortly there after and then Karen.  Gloria will be flying in tomorrow from Vancouver where she is busy training the Transportation Department of the Federal Government on the new computer system.
The first Boston/Montreal hockey game is on tonight and Bernie is a die hard Montreal fan so that should prove interesting tonight!!
As it turned out, Boston lost this first game so "game on" for the next one.  The Chinese was awesome, the company great and it was sooooo good to be "home".   Life is good.

Wednesday, April 30/2014

Heading out

Our last day of "American" miles is upon us.  We will be crossing the border today and finally be back in Canada.  It is always good to be back "home".
Once again, we were not disappointed in the wind.   It remained with us the whole day!!  John mentioned he would be sad if he had to drive without it blowing!!

Farmers are going 

We got to Malta, Montana and topped up the fuel tanks and the propane.   This will be our last stop before hitting the border so thought we might just as well get the last of the cheap fuel and propane.  We will be enjoying "Canadian" prices for the next 6 months!!
We got to the border and were greeted by a cute little female border guard.  She asked us a few questions, looked into the trailer and then wished us a safe trip home.   We were in and out of there in less than 15 minutes.  She liked Hogan but that is no surprise - he is a likeable pup!!

Swift Current area

We were surprised to see that there was very little water actually sitting around and that the farmers were already on the fields in some areas here in the south part of our province.  The farmers in Northern Montana were on the land as well and it looked like a lot of their fields were already planted.

Our spot for the night

We wanted to stop for the night at a little roadside camp spot just south of the town of Elrose but the gates were closed so we continued on into the town to look for their camping area.  We did find it but the ground was so soft that John decided to park just outside of the designated "camping area".  We parked beside the ball diamonds.  They too still had a lot of water in and around them but we did find a suitable spot and spent the night.  
Hogan was thrilled to see grass and more than happy to chase the ball.  Look, Mom…..no prickles!!
We spent a quiet evening and prepared for the final leg of our trip tomorrow.    Life is Good!!

Tuesday, April 29/2013

The wind blew all night, not letting up for longer than a few minutes.   This morning,  the sun is shining but the wind is keeping the temperatures chilly.   I think we are going to be driving in this wind again today……sweet!!

Leaving Shoshoni Fairgrounds

We definitely were not disappointed in the wind…..it stayed with us all day!!   Of course the truck and camper handle the wind a bit better than the bus and the big trailer but we were tossed around a bit as well.  The wind coming through the canyon at Wind River was better but we were stopped along the way waiting for a clean up crew to clear the road and ditch area of the rocks that had tumbled off the mountain.   I imagine they have to do this a few times a year as the highway lies directly at the base of the mountain.

The tunnels in Wind River Canyon

I had forgotten about the tunnels but they are always fun to go through.  I managed to get a few good pics of them.

The crew is cleaning rocks that have fallen onto the road

Once out of the canyon, we travelled miles of open country.  Spectacular views were plentiful.  There was very little traffic so that was good.  Before too long, we were out of Wyoming and into Montana….the last leg of our American side of our trip home.

Welcome to Montana sign!!

Tonight's sunset

Caught a semi as it passed us.  It too was headed into
the sunset.

We travelled all the way to the James Kipp Campground but parked just off one of the many wildlife viewing areas that sit above the Missouri River.  It was quiet and no one else was around us.  There are many areas here to dry camp.  There is also a fishing access a little further down from us and there were indeed a few boaters driving past us.    It is paddlefish season it this part of the river and I am sure that these fisherman are hoping to score the one fish that they are allowed to catch.

Our camping spot for the night.   Just outside of
James Kipp Campground

Missouri River as seen from our campsite

Miles of wilderness.   Lots of elk in this area

All in all, we had another good day of travel.  We will be crossing the border into Canada tomorrow and we will finally be back in our own country.   Life is good!!