Trip Report - Saskatchewan

**Bumper** · 04-30-2004

Trip Report - Saskatchewan

Okay, I admit to being a compulsive trip report poster. As a matter of fact, it’s all I can do to keep from sitting down at the computer keyboard after I’ve taken out the trash. (Who could doubt me after “The Bumpers are coming” trip report from Hell?) As far as I’m concerned, trip reports are fun!!

Anyway, Mrs. Bumper and I made a pilgrimage for a few days last week to Davidson, a small town in rural Saskatchewan, with a stopover in the provincial capitol of Regina. For the uninitiated, and geographically challenged, Saskatchewan is the next Canadian province to the West of our home in Manitoba. Why this trip, you question? And well you might ask! After all, the Canadian prairies are not generally considered a “hot” tourist destination. London, Rome, Paris, Regina(?), Davidson(?) etc. Saskatchewan has a well-earned reputation for being....let’s be charitable and say “featureless”. (Not that our home province of Manitoba is a lot more exciting, topographically speaking.) Saskatchewan makes places like Kansas and North Dakota look positively inspiring. According to Webster: Flat - a. horizontal; level; spread out; lying at full length; absolute; dull; monotonous; dejected; having lost its effervescence or its power to generate electrical current; below the correct pitch in music (See Saskatchewan) Tedious - a. tiresome because of length, slowness, or dullness. (See Saskatchewan) This journey was an obligatory family get together to mark my cousin’s 50th birthday. It featured a gathering of a diverse group of my certifiably demented cousins who are all refugees from various mental-health institutions. An international assortment of lunatics from Kalispell-Montana, Milwaukee- Wisconsin, Edmonton, Calgary & Didsbury-Alberta, Minneapolis-Minnesota, ourselves from Winnipeg, and a collection of locals. A varied and interesting band of wingnuts and whackos. I sometimes wonder how I managed to turn out to be so normal and level-headed?

Travel: In a trip report on Playa, we would discuss Northwest Airlines and the Airbus 320, and getting around on the ground by taxi. In getting to the outback of Saskatchewan, we employed the Bumpermobile, a 2001 Toyota Sienna. Just get on the Trans-Canada highway - the only real road in Western Canada. Point it west, turn on the cruise control, and take a nap. 350 miles later, turn right at “the” tree (all the beavers starved to death) and you’re in Regina, a city which is best seen in a rear-view mirror. The only Canadian provincial capitol where they still pasture cows on the grassy boulevards of the main street Next day, out of Regina and on to the thriving metropolitan centre of Davidson. A wide place in the road that’s so small they share their drunk with the next town, the “now entering” and “now leaving” signs are on the same post, the street lights dim when you plug in your electric razor, the traffic jams are caused by being stuck behind a combine, third street is in the next town, you don’t bother signaling turns because everybody knows where you’re going, you call a wrong number and they give you the right one, the McDonalds has one golden arch, the 7-11 is a 3 ½-5 ½, the phone book has one yellow page, there’s no place to go that you shouldn’t, the New Years baby is born in April, and a “night on the town” takes 7 minutes . In rural Saskatchewan, you get around in the same vehicle as got you there. A “cab” is an after-market item you put on a tractor or a combine. (By the way, one of the cousins we were visiting took delivery of a new tractor last week. The smallest 4-wheel drive model produced by Case International. Pretty basic, no bells and whistles - price tag $230,000.00...YIKES!!) We noticed that in most parking lots, our Toyota mini-van was the only vehicle that wasn’t a half-ton Cowboy Cadillac. This being Canada, these had no gun racks full of assault weapons, but they did have the mandatory tool box made of aluminum tread plate and full of empty motor oil cans and plastic fertilizer jugs.

Accommodations: Not the Gran Porto Real. Not the Las Palmas condominiums, not the Playa Maya, or even La Tortuga. In Regina, that Paris of the prairies, a Super 8, with the traditional lumpy institutional mattress, and a sumptuous, gourmet continental breakfast. I suspect the “continent” was Antarctica, because the blueberry muffins had definitely been previously frozen. In Davidson, we stayed in the palatial Jubilee Motor Inn. The rooms were so small, the mice were hunch-backed; the Gideon bible is in pocket book format; when I called down and asked to have a towel sent up, they said we’d have to wait because someone else was using it; and they are single-handedly keeping the 25 watt bulb industry in business.

Dining: We searched all over Saskatchewan in vain for a Yaxche, Apashionado, or even a Babes. In Regina, we ended up at Montanas, a “roadhouse” type restaurant at which I tried for quacamole, chips & salsa, pescado entero, and Dos Equis. Settled for buffalo wings, beef ribs and Rickard’s Red. A tasty and satisfying alternative, but not quite the same thing. The rest of the trip was spent with family, who - being basically farm folk - are all into “eating light”. That means as soon as it gets light...they start eating, and they only stop long enough to wash the dishes from time to time. Turkey, ham, Ukrainian garlic sausage (gotta eat that in self defense), potato salad, deviled eggs, coleslaw, pickles, a variety of dips, raw veggies, jellied salads, and those homemade delicacies; moose sausage, elk sausage, and smoked lake trout. All followed up with an assortment of pies, cakes, and cookies. Good thing I packed my baggy sweats and industrial-strength belt.

Wildlife: No monkeys, no sea turtles, no parrots, no iguanas, no moray eels, no geckos, and no okapis. We did see an interesting variety of livestock. I now know a lot about various breeds of cattle. There’s red cows, red and white cows, brown cows, brown and white cows, black cows, black and white cows, dirty white cows, and beige cows. I realize that’s pretty detailed, technical, and comprehensive information, but do the best you can to follow along. Truth be known, there’s really only two kinds of cows: those that provide milk, and those that are lunch. Any more data than that is superfluous. Frankly, most of the wildlife we encountered was sighted on or near the highway. Recognizable species spotted were roadkill examples of antelope, porcupine, raccoon, gopher, cat, dog, an assortment of birds - wild and domesticated - and a great number of anonymous, gory piles of fur and feathers.

Activities: During the trip, we took a short detour to visit with friends in Moose Jaw. No kidding...a name like that you couldn’t make up. We’ve got lots of them in Western Canada: Medicine Hat, Cereal, Dog Pound, Moose Factory, Head Bashed In Buffalo Jump, Salmon Arm Flin Flon, etc. Sorta’ makes you wonder if thinking up place names was a popular pastime for the early settlers sitting around the camp fire in the evening after a day of looking at the back side of a couple of oxen all day and breathing in all that prairie dust.

We attended a fund-raiser barbeque put on by the equivalent of Playa’s “Bomberos” - the local volunteer fire department, whose proud claim to fame is that they’ve never lost a basement yet. Witnessing the volume of smoke being generated by the four barbeques they had in service, we were reassured by the fire fighting equipment in evidence around the station. The day’s entertainment consisted of setting off salvaged automotive air bags in the parking lot. Trust me, these “safety devices” pack a Hell of a wallop. Getting T-boned on the interstate would likely do you less damage than having an air bag go off in your kisser.

Mostly, we sat around and listened enthralled to the local yokels discussing subjects of rural interest. The low price of grain, the high price of agricultural chemicals, summerfallow practices, the NHL playoffs, mad cow disease, grass hoppers, $325,000 combines, golf cart trailers, farm auctions, fishing, tire sales, and the hot topic of the day - the fact that Saskatchewan now has province-wide emergency telephone service. (The most common question seemed to be, “What number do you call for 9-1-1?)

The trip home, after the several days of socializing, eating too much, and drinking, was uneventful. Mind you, “uneventful” is a charitable description for most journeys involving automobile travel across Manitoba and Saskatchewan. Our cats forgave our temporary absence and we’ve already started preparations for our next expedition, which takes place in about three weeks. It will be a 2 ½ week excursion to Victoria, on Vancouver Island, in British Columbia. If you’re lucky, we’ll restrain ourselves and not regale you with tales of that particular outing.

**tommy** · 04-30-2004

funny trip Mr.B...did you guys go down or up and see Chuck???? if so I hope and Im sure it was fun...

**sctx** · 04-30-2004

Are you sure you were'nt in Kansas.... they have a tree there too.... were the locals making art outta hay ???

And inquiring minds want to know : Did you see any roadkill wolverines or sail rabbits ???

**Bumper** · 04-30-2004

Quote:

Originally Posted by sun seekers

did you guys go down or up and see Chuck???? if so I hope and Im sure it was fun...

Not this trip, Tommy. That's part of the Victoria jaunt in May. We've got tickets to the Stan Rogers benefit fund raiser at his bar on the 23rd. I'll remember you to him, and Mrs. B has instructions from The Lady You Live With to give him a hug on her behalf.

**Bumper** · 04-30-2004

Quote:

Originally Posted by sctx

Are you sure you were'nt in Kansas.... they have a tree there too.... were the locals making art outta hay ???

And inquiring minds want to know : Did you see any roadkill wolverines or sail rabbits ???

Trust me, Scotty, in Saskatchewan, you can definitely say "I don't think we're in Kansas any more, Toto." Kansas is just WAY too exciting, by comparison.

Didn't spot any recognizeable wolverines - backwoods or beach category. Some of those anonymous blood stains on the pavement might have been them, but I rather doubt it. Wolverines, especially the beach variety, tend to be pretty clever, and likely avoid getting up close and personal with 18 wheelers. (Howzat for sucking up, BW?) Have to say you've got me on the "sail rabbit" reference?

Would that be a cottontail that came out on the short end of an encounter with some Goodyears, and is a bit flatter for the experience? A furry frisbee, p'raps? If so, it's hard to say. Some of those piles of meat might have been bunnies at some point, but only the crew off CSI would be able to tell you for sure. I might have some DNA on my Firestones they could try to match up.

BarbC · 05-01-2004

Thanks, Bumper,
I hope I get to show you around Ottawa someday!
My husband went on a trip last year (for work) and visited 5 cities in Saskatchewan. All the rest of us kept asking, What 5 cities in Sask?
If I weren't having so much fun working, I'd join you in your retirement road trips!

**sctx** · 05-01-2004

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bumper

Have to say you've got me on the "sail rabbit" reference?

Would that be a cottontail that came out on the short end of an encounter with some Goodyears, and is a bit flatter for the experience? A furry frisbee, p'raps?

you are correct sir.... after about five days, they are sufficiently dry and hard and you can pick them up and sail them.... kinda like a boomerang squirrel

**Jesus** · 05-01-2004

Bumper, Are you driving all the way to BC?

jobob · 05-01-2004

Now I know the Bumpers have moved to Seattle.
As you drive thru Banff on your way to Victoria Bumper, wave, we're directly west on the other side of the Rockies in Invermere.

**Bumper** · 05-01-2004

BarbC:
Appreciate the "show around" offer. Might just take you up on it at some point. We love Ottawa. It's one of our favourite places. Mrs. Bumper was born there and has lots of family there yet. We visited for several days last September. "City" is a relative term, particulaly in Saskatchewan. As far as working for a living goes...I recommend you don't do it a day longer than you have to, no matter how much you enjoy it (and I liked my job too, but...). Tried gainful employment for 35 years, and found it WAY overrated.

sctx:
Many years ago, I had a guy tell me he had seen some "fresh" roadkill. Claimed he knew it was fresh because it was still steaming (This was in February). I straightened him out by telling him, "Hell, around here, we don't consider it "fresh" unless it's still rolling!" What are we gonna' do with these damned tenderfeet, Scotty?

Jesus:
Yeah, we're driving to BC on our next road trip. We've made the journey numerous times. I used to live in Victoria, and my folks are still there. It's about 1,600 miles. We used to do it in two real tough "killer" days, what with the mountains and the ferry ride to the island. But now that we're retired old farts, we do it in three much more relaxed days. You're travelling through some incredibly beautiful country to, so it's great to be able to slow down and enjoy it more along the way. The mountains can get a little hairy when they're full of tourists in motor homes, but they're not too bad in May. We're looking forward to it.

jobob:
We'll be sure to give you a wave, once from the South on the way out, and once from the North on the way home. We like to vary the route for a bit more variety. You sure live in a beautiful spot. Us flatlanders are jealous as Heck. My favourite spot on the entire planet is in your neck of the woods. The Springs at Radium Golf Course. We'll be out that way again the end of August, and the first couple of weeks in September, for our annual 2-3 week pilgrimage for mountain golf, and pasture pool & wine buying in the Okanagan. Brought home 17 cases of "souvenirs" last year!! Life is good!

**Jesus** · 05-01-2004

2560 Km? Wow, and in two days?
Mhh, thinking on 6 hours sleep plus a couple hours for meals per day, leaves 16 hours per day of driving. That makes 80 Km per hour. Mhh, actually is not that bad. What is the max speed in the Trans Canada highway?

jobob · 05-01-2004

Do you mean legal or otherwise Jesus?
Generally 90 or 100kph, divided highway sections like in Alberta where they don't think laws apply to them anyways, 110kph. No cops around? sky's the limit.

TAPPY · 05-01-2004

Great job Bumper, love your trip reports.....always a good read !!!!

do you by any chance have a page on virtual tourist dot com ??????

**Jesus** · 05-02-2004

In Mexico the top legal speed in very nice constructed highways is 120 kmh, but people usually do 130-150, and some fearless guys do 180.

In the desolate and lonely trans-canadian, what is the real average speed for a non-crazy guy?

jmac · 05-02-2004

Bumper, you are amazing!!

You have Saskatchewan down to a science. I have 2 brothers that live there, mind you they are in the more scenic areas, North & the Qu'Appelle Valley. I can't believe they didn't discuss the Roughriders & the gun laws. I can add in a few more names for everyone's entertainment. Spy Hill (the only hill for miles around), Carrot River (yes, wild carrots did grow on the bank of the river once), Porcupine Plain (have no idea if there are porcupines there or not). Love the trip reports. Can't wait for the next one. I can see it now, drove the prairies 2½ Provinces (including the not so exciting Southern Manitoba) in 1 day, took 2 days to see the rest (1 Province). Not like you'd miss anything.

Have a great trip Bumpers!!

04-30-2004	#1 (permalink)
Bumper Class Clown Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Winnipeg, Canada Posts: 11,409	Trip Report - Saskatchewan Trip Report - Saskatchewan Okay, I admit to being a compulsive trip report poster. As a matter of fact, it’s all I can do to keep from sitting down at the computer keyboard after I’ve taken out the trash. (Who could doubt me after “The Bumpers are coming” trip report from Hell?) As far as I’m concerned, trip reports are fun!! Anyway, Mrs. Bumper and I made a pilgrimage for a few days last week to Davidson, a small town in rural Saskatchewan, with a stopover in the provincial capitol of Regina. For the uninitiated, and geographically challenged, Saskatchewan is the next Canadian province to the West of our home in Manitoba. Why this trip, you question? And well you might ask! After all, the Canadian prairies are not generally considered a “hot” tourist destination. London, Rome, Paris, Regina(?), Davidson(?) etc. Saskatchewan has a well-earned reputation for being....let’s be charitable and say “featureless”. (Not that our home province of Manitoba is a lot more exciting, topographically speaking.) Saskatchewan makes places like Kansas and North Dakota look positively inspiring. According to Webster: Flat - a. horizontal; level; spread out; lying at full length; absolute; dull; monotonous; dejected; having lost its effervescence or its power to generate electrical current; below the correct pitch in music (See Saskatchewan) Tedious - a. tiresome because of length, slowness, or dullness. (See Saskatchewan) This journey was an obligatory family get together to mark my cousin’s 50th birthday. It featured a gathering of a diverse group of my certifiably demented cousins who are all refugees from various mental-health institutions. An international assortment of lunatics from Kalispell-Montana, Milwaukee- Wisconsin, Edmonton, Calgary & Didsbury-Alberta, Minneapolis-Minnesota, ourselves from Winnipeg, and a collection of locals. A varied and interesting band of wingnuts and whackos. I sometimes wonder how I managed to turn out to be so normal and level-headed? Travel: In a trip report on Playa, we would discuss Northwest Airlines and the Airbus 320, and getting around on the ground by taxi. In getting to the outback of Saskatchewan, we employed the Bumpermobile, a 2001 Toyota Sienna. Just get on the Trans-Canada highway - the only real road in Western Canada. Point it west, turn on the cruise control, and take a nap. 350 miles later, turn right at “the” tree (all the beavers starved to death) and you’re in Regina, a city which is best seen in a rear-view mirror. The only Canadian provincial capitol where they still pasture cows on the grassy boulevards of the main street Next day, out of Regina and on to the thriving metropolitan centre of Davidson. A wide place in the road that’s so small they share their drunk with the next town, the “now entering” and “now leaving” signs are on the same post, the street lights dim when you plug in your electric razor, the traffic jams are caused by being stuck behind a combine, third street is in the next town, you don’t bother signaling turns because everybody knows where you’re going, you call a wrong number and they give you the right one, the McDonalds has one golden arch, the 7-11 is a 3 ½-5 ½, the phone book has one yellow page, there’s no place to go that you shouldn’t, the New Years baby is born in April, and a “night on the town” takes 7 minutes . In rural Saskatchewan, you get around in the same vehicle as got you there. A “cab” is an after-market item you put on a tractor or a combine. (By the way, one of the cousins we were visiting took delivery of a new tractor last week. The smallest 4-wheel drive model produced by Case International. Pretty basic, no bells and whistles - price tag $230,000.00...YIKES!!) We noticed that in most parking lots, our Toyota mini-van was the only vehicle that wasn’t a half-ton Cowboy Cadillac. This being Canada, these had no gun racks full of assault weapons, but they did have the mandatory tool box made of aluminum tread plate and full of empty motor oil cans and plastic fertilizer jugs. Accommodations: Not the Gran Porto Real. Not the Las Palmas condominiums, not the Playa Maya, or even La Tortuga. In Regina, that Paris of the prairies, a Super 8, with the traditional lumpy institutional mattress, and a sumptuous, gourmet continental breakfast. I suspect the “continent” was Antarctica, because the blueberry muffins had definitely been previously frozen. In Davidson, we stayed in the palatial Jubilee Motor Inn. The rooms were so small, the mice were hunch-backed; the Gideon bible is in pocket book format; when I called down and asked to have a towel sent up, they said we’d have to wait because someone else was using it; and they are single-handedly keeping the 25 watt bulb industry in business. Dining: We searched all over Saskatchewan in vain for a Yaxche, Apashionado, or even a Babes. In Regina, we ended up at Montanas, a “roadhouse” type restaurant at which I tried for quacamole, chips & salsa, pescado entero, and Dos Equis. Settled for buffalo wings, beef ribs and Rickard’s Red. A tasty and satisfying alternative, but not quite the same thing. The rest of the trip was spent with family, who - being basically farm folk - are all into “eating light”. That means as soon as it gets light...they start eating, and they only stop long enough to wash the dishes from time to time. Turkey, ham, Ukrainian garlic sausage (gotta eat that in self defense), potato salad, deviled eggs, coleslaw, pickles, a variety of dips, raw veggies, jellied salads, and those homemade delicacies; moose sausage, elk sausage, and smoked lake trout. All followed up with an assortment of pies, cakes, and cookies. Good thing I packed my baggy sweats and industrial-strength belt. Wildlife: No monkeys, no sea turtles, no parrots, no iguanas, no moray eels, no geckos, and no okapis. We did see an interesting variety of livestock. I now know a lot about various breeds of cattle. There’s red cows, red and white cows, brown cows, brown and white cows, black cows, black and white cows, dirty white cows, and beige cows. I realize that’s pretty detailed, technical, and comprehensive information, but do the best you can to follow along. Truth be known, there’s really only two kinds of cows: those that provide milk, and those that are lunch. Any more data than that is superfluous. Frankly, most of the wildlife we encountered was sighted on or near the highway. Recognizable species spotted were roadkill examples of antelope, porcupine, raccoon, gopher, cat, dog, an assortment of birds - wild and domesticated - and a great number of anonymous, gory piles of fur and feathers. Activities: During the trip, we took a short detour to visit with friends in Moose Jaw. No kidding...a name like that you couldn’t make up. We’ve got lots of them in Western Canada: Medicine Hat, Cereal, Dog Pound, Moose Factory, Head Bashed In Buffalo Jump, Salmon Arm Flin Flon, etc. Sorta’ makes you wonder if thinking up place names was a popular pastime for the early settlers sitting around the camp fire in the evening after a day of looking at the back side of a couple of oxen all day and breathing in all that prairie dust. We attended a fund-raiser barbeque put on by the equivalent of Playa’s “Bomberos” - the local volunteer fire department, whose proud claim to fame is that they’ve never lost a basement yet. Witnessing the volume of smoke being generated by the four barbeques they had in service, we were reassured by the fire fighting equipment in evidence around the station. The day’s entertainment consisted of setting off salvaged automotive air bags in the parking lot. Trust me, these “safety devices” pack a Hell of a wallop. Getting T-boned on the interstate would likely do you less damage than having an air bag go off in your kisser. Mostly, we sat around and listened enthralled to the local yokels discussing subjects of rural interest. The low price of grain, the high price of agricultural chemicals, summerfallow practices, the NHL playoffs, mad cow disease, grass hoppers, $325,000 combines, golf cart trailers, farm auctions, fishing, tire sales, and the hot topic of the day - the fact that Saskatchewan now has province-wide emergency telephone service. (The most common question seemed to be, “What number do you call for 9-1-1?) The trip home, after the several days of socializing, eating too much, and drinking, was uneventful. Mind you, “uneventful” is a charitable description for most journeys involving automobile travel across Manitoba and Saskatchewan. Our cats forgave our temporary absence and we’ve already started preparations for our next expedition, which takes place in about three weeks. It will be a 2 ½ week excursion to Victoria, on Vancouver Island, in British Columbia. If you’re lucky, we’ll restrain ourselves and not regale you with tales of that particular outing. __________________ Life's journey is not to arrive at the grave safely in a pristine, well-preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, totally used up and worn out, shouting "Holy Shit...what a ride!!" Last edited by Bumper; 04-30-2004 at 06:22 PM..

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04-30-2004	#2 (permalink)
tommy Rastaman Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Austin Tx Posts: 12,757 Blog Entries: 5	funny trip Mr.B...did you guys go down or up and see Chuck???? if so I hope and Im sure it was fun...

04-30-2004	#3 (permalink)
sctx HMWHTC President Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Body in San Marcos Tx....Tankah in my mind Posts: 31,109	Are you sure you were'nt in Kansas.... they have a tree there too.... were the locals making art outta hay ??? And inquiring minds want to know : Did you see any roadkill wolverines or sail rabbits ???

05-01-2004	#6 (permalink)
BarbC life=playa Join Date: Apr 2001 Location: Ottawa, Canada Posts: 817	Thanks, Bumper, I hope I get to show you around Ottawa someday! My husband went on a trip last year (for work) and visited 5 cities in Saskatchewan. All the rest of us kept asking, What 5 cities in Sask? If I weren't having so much fun working, I'd join you in your retirement road trips!

05-01-2004	#8 (permalink)
Jesus Nutty Peep Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Mexico City, Mexico Posts: 5,456	Bumper, Are you driving all the way to BC?

05-01-2004	#9 (permalink)
jobob life=playa Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: B.C., Canada EH! Posts: 620	Now I know the Bumpers have moved to Seattle. As you drive thru Banff on your way to Victoria Bumper, wave, we're directly west on the other side of the Rockies in Invermere.

05-01-2004	#10 (permalink)
Bumper Class Clown Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Winnipeg, Canada Posts: 11,409	BarbC: Appreciate the "show around" offer. Might just take you up on it at some point. We love Ottawa. It's one of our favourite places. Mrs. Bumper was born there and has lots of family there yet. We visited for several days last September. "City" is a relative term, particulaly in Saskatchewan. As far as working for a living goes...I recommend you don't do it a day longer than you have to, no matter how much you enjoy it (and I liked my job too, but...). Tried gainful employment for 35 years, and found it WAY overrated. sctx: Many years ago, I had a guy tell me he had seen some "fresh" roadkill. Claimed he knew it was fresh because it was still steaming (This was in February). I straightened him out by telling him, "Hell, around here, we don't consider it "fresh" unless it's still rolling!" What are we gonna' do with these damned tenderfeet, Scotty? Jesus: Yeah, we're driving to BC on our next road trip. We've made the journey numerous times. I used to live in Victoria, and my folks are still there. It's about 1,600 miles. We used to do it in two real tough "killer" days, what with the mountains and the ferry ride to the island. But now that we're retired old farts, we do it in three much more relaxed days. You're travelling through some incredibly beautiful country to, so it's great to be able to slow down and enjoy it more along the way. The mountains can get a little hairy when they're full of tourists in motor homes, but they're not too bad in May. We're looking forward to it. jobob: We'll be sure to give you a wave, once from the South on the way out, and once from the North on the way home. We like to vary the route for a bit more variety. You sure live in a beautiful spot. Us flatlanders are jealous as Heck. My favourite spot on the entire planet is in your neck of the woods. The Springs at Radium Golf Course. We'll be out that way again the end of August, and the first couple of weeks in September, for our annual 2-3 week pilgrimage for mountain golf, and pasture pool & wine buying in the Okanagan. Brought home 17 cases of "souvenirs" last year!! Life is good!

05-01-2004	#11 (permalink)
Jesus Nutty Peep Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Mexico City, Mexico Posts: 5,456	2560 Km? Wow, and in two days? Mhh, thinking on 6 hours sleep plus a couple hours for meals per day, leaves 16 hours per day of driving. That makes 80 Km per hour. Mhh, actually is not that bad. What is the max speed in the Trans Canada highway?

05-01-2004	#12 (permalink)
jobob life=playa Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: B.C., Canada EH! Posts: 620	Do you mean legal or otherwise Jesus? Generally 90 or 100kph, divided highway sections like in Alberta where they don't think laws apply to them anyways, 110kph. No cops around? sky's the limit.

05-01-2004	#13 (permalink)
TAPPY añejo Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Louisiana Posts: 16,062	Great job Bumper, love your trip reports.....always a good read !!!! do you by any chance have a page on virtual tourist dot com ??????

05-02-2004	#14 (permalink)
Jesus Nutty Peep Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Mexico City, Mexico Posts: 5,456	In Mexico the top legal speed in very nice constructed highways is 120 kmh, but people usually do 130-150, and some fearless guys do 180. In the desolate and lonely trans-canadian, what is the real average speed for a non-crazy guy?

05-02-2004	#15 (permalink)
jmac life=playa Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Manitoba Posts: 851	Bumper, you are amazing!! You have Saskatchewan down to a science. I have 2 brothers that live there, mind you they are in the more scenic areas, North & the Qu'Appelle Valley. I can't believe they didn't discuss the Roughriders & the gun laws. I can add in a few more names for everyone's entertainment. Spy Hill (the only hill for miles around), Carrot River (yes, wild carrots did grow on the bank of the river once), Porcupine Plain (have no idea if there are porcupines there or not). Love the trip reports. Can't wait for the next one. I can see it now, drove the prairies 2½ Provinces (including the not so exciting Southern Manitoba) in 1 day, took 2 days to see the rest (1 Province). Not like you'd miss anything. Have a great trip Bumpers!!