June 5: Thursday, we crossed into Canada at Pembina (where US I-29 stops) with no problems or delay. Dave had all the right responses (as usual) for the Border Guard and I volunteered no details (as requested)! 😉 We then followed Hwy. 75 to Winnipeg and got onto TransCanada #1 headed west and north. The quality of the roads here varies. A lot is very nice and some is very rough, with variations in between. TC#1 is 4-lane divided highway, very straight with the two sets of lanes parallel for miles on end. The big problem driving was heinous winds! They’re fine if they’re behind you, but these weren’t, and their intensity increased through the day. Regarding scenery, I think the Canadian Great Plains must be, if anything, flatter than those in the U.S.! In most places you can see enormous distances with little or nothing to obscure your line of sight. We covered 461 miles (yes, that’s miles, not kilometers!) today, and I’m grateful that the coach speedometer shows KM as well as MPH! Along the way we crossed into Saskatchewan and have stopped for the night in Indian Head. We also crossed time zones, so will have a welcome “bonus” hour of sleep tonight.

June 6: Before we left Indian Head, Dave discovered that an unusual noise he was hearing was due to a bolt missing from the alternator (had sheared off, apparently, and dropped away). He was able to find a replacement for it in a local auto supply store. The proprietor gave him 3 possible replacements and asked only that he bring back the two he didn’t need! Sure enough, one of the fit, so Dave quickly installed it and returned the others. We then drove westward across Saskatchewan to Lloydminster, a town that straddles the Saskatchewan-Alberta border. We stayed in a campground on the Saskatchewan side, located in a very nice city park, where they did not ask us to leave because our dog weighs over 25 lbs. (we didn’t point out the fact, either—our version of don’t-ask-don’t-tell). 😉 Once again the landscape comprised seemingly endless rolling wheatfields and views to a far distant horizon. The sense of wide-open space was amazing!

June 7: Before leaving Lloydminster, we contacted a quilting pal of mine, Linda Sharpe, who lives south of Edmonton (our goal destination tomorrow). She and her husband urged us come by to visit, so we “detoured” a few miles to their acreage outside Calmar, Alberta. They’re on a quarter-section (160 acres) of farmland, on most of which Wayne and Linda let their neighbor raise crops for a percentage of the yield. Wayne’s passion is cutting horses, and although he doesn’t compete any longer, he and his son still enjoy riding. So he keeps three horses in a small pasture with a large barn/arena to one side of their house. Linda and I had plenty of time to visit in her sewing room and catch up on all our quilting “news.” Her other passion is gardening, so I got a tour of her flower beds and the grounds around the house. The Sharpes started with an empty wheat field 10 years ago and have built and/or planted everything that’s there now: house, barn, numerous trees, flowerbeds, etc. They’re beautiful! That evening, some friends of theirs, a couple who emigrated from Holland about 15 years ago, joined us. What a delightful evening we had! The Sharpes urged us to park in their driveway for the night, so we did, then resumed our journey. We had such a good time there, and even Beighley had a playmate, Kelty the Sheltie! However, I’m still trying to get used to being able to see light glowing above the western horizon at 11:00 p.m. 😉

June 8: We left the Sharpes’ home near Calmar, AB, and drove toward Grande Prairie, AB, where we spent last night and will spend tonight as well. Time for another “still” day to rest and do some laundry, grocery shopping, and catching up on blog entries! Due to windy, cold weather (we’d call this “winter” in southeast Texas!), I seriously doubt that either of us will to any cycling today … unless the weather warms considerably!

An observation to the wise, especially those travelling in large vehicles: With the possible exception of southeastern Alberta, highways in western Canada so far aren’t maintained nearly as well as ones in the “lower 48.” The riding has been pretty rough in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and some of Alberta. We’ve seen some extraordinary, beautiful territory that we had never seen before, but I’m voting for a different route home! 🙂

June 3—4: Tuesday was a gorgeous day, start to finish: little wind and mostly sunny skies. Great for sightseeing all across Minnesota on our way toward North Dakota. About mid-morning Dave detected a glitch in the coach transmission (didn’t want to shift into 6^th gear in normal mode, which is the gear and mode we usually use on the open road). He checked a few things at the next rest stop, but none resolved the issue, so he called a well-rated transmission shop in Fargo, ND. Their Allison specialist was quite knowledgeable and helpful, and worked on the pesky issue until it was fixed. No more trouble the rest of the way into East Grand Forks, MN.

We stayed in East Grand Forks both Tuesday and Wednesday nights. Our campground is just over the Red River Bridge from Grand Forks, ND. It’s in a lovely MN State Recreation Area built where the terrible flood of 1997 destroyed at least two neighborhoods of homes. There are shops and restaurants with a lovely riverside view within walking distance of our parking spot. This morning we checked out the quilt shop there and enjoyed a tasty Thai lunch at one of the restaurants overlooking the river. We napped and did some grocery shopping, then Dave took Beighley outdoors while I swept and mopped the floor in the coach. Looks a bit more habitable now! 😉 Shortly after 7:00 p.m. (sunrise at 5:31 a.m., sunset at 9:20 p.m.!), we rode our tandem along the bike trail by the river. What a fantastic setting for a recreation area! We covered about 10.79 miles on smooth, paved trails beside nicely manicured grass and lush stands of trees near the river’s edge. The trails went under several bridges, including one railroad crossing under which we rode as a train crossed above us — what a hoot! After we got back to our site and loaded the bike on the car, Dave took the dog for an outing while I cleaned up. After showers and a bite of dinner, we’ll bring to a close a delightful break from traveling!