I Knew It Was Too Good To Be True.

The forecast for Monday is a low of -26C. These past two weeks were just a tease. Winter is not finished with us yet. There is even 20cm of snow in the forecast for nearby Hay River. I shall have to wait for spring's arrival a while longer.

This is one of I think three different Skidoo's running around town. I asked this guy what his skidoo used to be, and he said it still is an Elan, heh heh. There isn't much left, but he sure gets around on it. I think I shall be glad when the snow is gone, as the snowmobiles run til long after I've gone to bed...sometimes 2am before they quit, and when several of them do not have mufflers...you kind of notice them...I am impressed at their ability to keep these things running. This fellow went came out of the school with his rope and wound it around the wheel, gave it a toss and off he went.

And Then I Got Stuck

I was hanging out at home after supper tonight, and noticed that the sun finally came out for the first time today, and it was nearing sunset. Since I haven't captured one in a while with my new camera and not at all with my new lens, off I went. The first place I went to pull over was near the arbor, as there is a bit of a parking lot there, and they've been driving on it and partly plowing it all winter. Except since the sun has warmed our days, the snow has gotten soft and what I once drove on when it was hard as rock had since turned to mush...I got stuck. Dammit.

The first vehicle that came around the bed gawked but didn't stop, perhaps figuring I was just parked. They then circled back and came and asked me if I needed help. I knew them both so it was both embarrassing and funny. Only one tire was really bogged down, having hit a soft spot in the packed snow. I chucked down some kitty litter, and under the bumper they headed to push me out, one a 15 yr old gal and her mother. Neither could drive standard, so I powered the car. Still no movement, so another gal from the school came along, offered her shovel which was just up the road. While she was gone, another guy passed by, an older man who makes jewelry. He turned around later on and came back, and once the tire was shovelled out, I was on my way.

so then I hauled my car into another parking lot just down the road...but it was hard and still frozen...and I STILL managed to capture the sunset and play with my camera. Be sure to click on them to experience the fuller size effect. I had to resize them to upload, as they are huge files otherwise and choke my sluggish internet.

The Great Mackenzie River

Today was a day for a road trip and shopping. In the company of two friends from here (nurse and spouse) we hit the road, bound for Fort Providence. We stopped first in Enterprise and went to Winnie's gift shop, where I had spent a fair bit the last time I was there. I didn't buy anything other than a chocolate bar there today...I was destined for different shops this time. So we pushed on to the Fort Providence winter road. The detour is shown here. It doesn't cross where the ferry does due to warm water currents causing open water. The place where we crossed was massive in width. Portion cleared was about the size of an 8 lane highway (4 each way), to make room for all the trucks that must cross at a crawl (25kms/hr). We stopped partway out, and took some photos I've posted here. Then we headed across to Big River Truck Stop, and had some lunch. The food was fairly good, the usual truck stop greasy fare. Two of us had the hot turkey sandwich and the missus told us she roasted the turkey herself. Off we were headed to Fort Providence, where I finally bought something in their gift shop. I bought a ready to frame piece of artwork - moose hair tufting. It is a lovely piece as you can see from the photo, but it cannot be truly appreciated until you can see it in person and admire the bristled texture of the artwork. I bought my last moose hair tufting at Winnie's in Enterprise. I saw this boat trapped in the snowbank at the side of the road...it is not the ferry.

Springing Into Life!

It was -35C on Monday morning. Today it was +9C. Spring has definitely sprung, if only temporarily. I am hoping the frosty temps are gone until fall, and that spring is now upon us, melting the snow and the rain tonight is washing away winter's tired look. Yes, I said the RAIN! Yahoo! We haven't had rain since late September or early October...several months ago. I don't much like the inbetween time though, when the snow is all dirty and rotting. I'm looking forward to the first blooms, whenever that might be. My guess is sometime in late May or early June. It was about that time last year in the Yukon before the leaves came on the trees. Once they did, the came fast and furious. I can't wait!

Of course. It could be -35C again next Friday, for all that. So I shall bask in the spring sun, and take advantage of what I can whilst I can. Tomorrow is a road trip to Fort Providence with a couple of friends. We are planning on driving on the Mackenzie River ice road, and cross to the other side as well. I'm hoping for a nice sunny day, so I can take some photographs, as the dull snowy days are difficult to capture on film.

T'was potluck at the nursing station here tonight. One of the nurses hosted the teachers, RCMP, my boss, and I for supper tonight. The RCMP didn't make it this time, but everyone else did. I brought BBQ chicken breasts and rice. It has finally warmed enough to BBQ. I'm no sissy and can stand out there in the cold to BBQ, but since it is unsheltered, the BBQ loses most of its heat, so it is fruitless most of the time to BBQ. I think I did once over the winter, but I've done it about 4 times this week so far, heh heh.

It was nice to get out with others tonight though, I have to say. The teachers are all fairly young folks, and we talked about travel, work, shopping, play, you name it. We feasted on a variety of dishes, including a super hot and spicy enchiladas - zowie, my lips were burning. My chicken all went, despite the slightly burnt texture...there was a flareup...but who can pass on freshly grilled outside chicken in early spring? Dessert was fruit pizza, of a different variety than I am used to...rice krispie treat crust, chocolate frosting, and fruit on top. Normally I've seen it made with a more shortbread like crust, cream cheese filling spread over that, with fruit on top, then glazed with apricot jam. Ok, now I'm hungry again...

Now it is time to rest my healing eyes and listen to music....perhaps some reading. (not as harsh as electronic screens of the computer and television).

What In The Hell

I feel like someone beat the hell out of me. It just came on about an hour or so ago. I haven't been doing anything athletic, nor have I been moving furniture. But then I remembered falling down yesterday, on the icy parking lot (that no one cares to EVER sand). Weird that it took nealry 24 hours before I felt it...

Freezing My Pipes Off

It's -35C this morning as I look out over the frosty snowbanks. Most of my water pipes are frozen up, along with my tub drain. I have running water in the bathroom sink, but nowhere else. It has come and gone from each spot over the weekend, seemingly at will. Yesterday I had all of the water sources working except for the toilet. Since the tub drain wasn't working, I simply scooped up the water sitting there to flush the toilet. Now it's gone, the tub water pipes are frozen again, and I have to flush from the bathroom sink. You can't fit a bucket under the tap of a bathroom sink. So I must fill a smaller container in order to fill the bucket to flush the toilet...what a damn rigamarole...

It promises to be +5C on Thursday. My ass...if it does, maybe all my pipes will come clear...it's gonna be a dirty week...

Carnival Friday

Winter Carnival in Fort Resolution - these are photos from some of the kids events - leap frog, three-legged race, and egg toss. The last photo is of a little fella who sat next to me during the talent show, and slept most of the time. He is dressed in a traditional outfit, waiting for his turn to compete in the Traditional Dress contest. I left before that came on, so I'm not sure yet who won. I had arrived at the talent show at 6:15pm, and it started sometime after that. It went on for hours and hours though and at 10pm, there were still 3 or 4 events left...yawn...I was too tired, my head hurt from all the noise, and my eyes were dried out of my skull...so I missed the Traditional Dress...

Annual Dogsled Race

Going by the usual time clock here ( at least a half an hour behind/late) I headed over to the dogsled races at 12:15pm, hoping to get some shots of the mushers as they pulled out. Turned out I was too late! It was about the only event that started right on time. I can imagine why...there were about a dozen teams of ten dogs, so 120+ dogs are a lot to contain if you can't get the show on the road on time...

Getting to the starting point was interesting, I must say. The plow had been out on the ice and cleared a road, parking lots, and lanes for the mushers to begin in. After I wound my way through the dull snowbanks (can't see the contours easily in dull sunshine), I managed to find my way to the start line, only to discover the teams would be out for over an hour. I was wondering on the way down why so many vehicles passed me going in the opposite direction. So off I went to the local restaurant for a cheeseburger and fries and drove back to the lot on the ice to watch the action. There were many snowmobiles on the lake, zipping back and forth.

The snowbanks were so high though that I missed the first mushers returning, and only managed to capture the last half of them. The dogs who ran were not quite what I was expecting, much skinnier and less woolly looking dogs, more like racing hounds, and you can see how much they frosted up during the activity. I also spotted some bleeding paws, where they have cut them on the ice and snow. I was expecting more rugged looking dogs, such as thick coated huskies. Perhaps they only use these dogs for short races like today and the huskier ones for long distance mushing. Who knows...

Forgetful Journey to Hay River

Well, I started out for Hay River the first time...and then started thinking about what I forgot. First it was my sunglasses...which was of supreme importance to my light sensitive eyes. I had my purple ones on, but I really needed the black ones (over the purple). That was at about 9kms out...then about 24 kms out I realized I hadn't taken my new camera...dammit...but still wasn't convinced enough to turn around. Then I remembered I forgot my paperwork for the eye doc I was to see in Hay River at about 36kms...SHIT! So I had to turn around. What a waste of time...that's what happens when I rush out the door. After driving back home and retrieving all items, I started thinking about what I forgot again...my shopping list...whatever...I am not returning again!

Ran a few errands, did the shopping, stopped by the social services office there to hand off some information, then it was off to my eye appt. Turns out my right eye has achieved 20/20 vision - yahoo! My left eye is still lagging though, at 20/40. The tech there was surprised I was not on a steriod drop for that eye, so will check with Lasik MD about that today. She feels I might still be able to achieve 20/20 in my left eye, or very close to it. That was good news. She also told me I still had some "haze" which was not unusual at this point in the recovery. Okey dokey...

Then it was time to pick up the kitties! And instead of showing up at the Buffalo Air Express counter where I had dropped them off, I see them riding by on the top of a luggage trailer...WTF? So I went over to the luggage belt where the rubber flaps are and the young man there was about to sort through the luggage to put off and informed him the cats needed to be handed in first...after all, it was -23C plus windchill at the airport and they are not outdoor cats. he looked rather surprised, but complied with my request...sheesh...poor buggers. I know they have a fur coat, but they are not used to this cold outside...

They appear to have enjoyed themselves on vacation in YK with K. Stormy smelled like her house - incense, candles, maybe her perfume. He's just a young tomcat...then there was Via. I didn't get to smell her right off as she was still perturbed from the flight...she smelled like cigarettes...

Once in the car, Stormy went right to the food bowl, then took a spin in the litter box, and before long, settled down on my coat to groom for the next hour, finishing shortly before we arrived home. Via on the other hand gave me a dirty look, and settled right down on my coat, ignoring the both of us. Her look said it all - where in the hell have you been - get me home.

So now they are home and cozy. I was glad I took my camera after all, as I captured this sunset on the drive home, and for the first time, it really captured the colors accurately, thanks to the awesome camera. If you click on the photo (or any of them on the blog) you will get the full-size version.

Where The Hell Is Spring?

Tonight daylight savings time "springs forward" an hour. I'd like to know where the hell spring is. It's -25C tonight and we got more snow again last night. I think our groundhog is stranded below the permafrost...stupid rodent.

Shit Happens

What a treat to come home to...plumbing is frozen up and who knows when the plumber can fix it all, if at all. My sewage pipes were frozen so I couldn't use the toilet or bathtub...or anything else, but those were the two biggies in my books. I had to drive to the office to use the bathroom, since I don't feel like going to my neighbors, whom I do not know, and ask them if I can take a crap in their home...oh the shame of it all...

The first guy who came said he didn't know what the problem was for sure, but assumed my pipes had frozen and burst, but he was too big to fit under the trailer to fix it, and his "boys" are laid off for the winter, and drawing Employment Insurance, and have no wish to work at this kind of stuff in the cold winter. Yeah...chew on that one for a while...

Enter the plumber from Hay River with his professional steamer, and after much effort, was able to clear my plumbing lines only to inform me that I have bigger problems...the toilet seal is leaking and has soaked my bathroom floor, leaving it soggy and rotting...the drain from the washer is leaking, the bathroom sink is leaking, the pipes in between the toilet and tub are installed improperly, a bit of a hack job...and there is no "clean out", whatever that is...

I can use my plumbing, but sparingly until the bigger problems are resolved. Arrrrggghhhh...just what I wanted when I was supposed to be resting comfortably at home and healing my eyes.

The first guy came back with the second guy, they talked shop for a while, and agreed that nothing more could be done right now as they don't have the manpower sorted out, or the right parts...but they will see about things tomorrow...seems to be the theme of the north thus far. Time, people, and resources are not always readily available to solve problems...and that included plumbing.

They're gone now, and I've since scoured the bathroom, and had a shower to clean the grit off...a bushwoman I am not, when it is this cold. I don't mind not having running water as long as I can dip into a pond, river, lake, or ocean if need be to clean up. All that stuff is currently frozen...probably for a few more months yet.

Now it's time to cook supper...I can wash things off again.

Marathon North

I left Calmar this morning at 7am and arrived home at 9pm...and ready to BE home. It was a long, boring drive and the first three hours were torture on my eyes...finally the drops and drugs kicked in and I could settle in for the rest of the drive. 1260kms was a lot of ground to cover today, but I was adamant to be home tonight in my own bed. The roads were clear and dry for the most part...a bit messy just outside Peace River, and my freshly washed car was plastered with mud once again...sniff...good thing I had two coats of wax on it, though. I just took it to the carwash in High Level and cleaned it off again, in less time. The rest of the drive was dry and cold, so not much more than a bit of dust on it now, from the last 40kms or so of dirt road.

It is strange to be here among my things without the cats. I can't remember the last time that happened. I'll have to sort out getting them home tomorrow, and will get them home by early next week at the latest.

I have unpacked most of the car, with only the cat litter and cat food (large bags) to bring in, and a few odds and ends. I haven't unpacked much of what I brought in yet though...that can wait. It just needed to be in from the car so it wouldn't freeze. Unlike my sewage line that appears to have frozen. Great. The plumber must be called tomorrow and sort that whole mess out...sigh...

I don't know when I'll return to work, likely by Thursday, depending on my eyes. I have some sick time and need to give my eyes a good rest after the marathon drive home.

Northern Bound

I'm northward bound tomorrow. Got those nasty "contact bandaids" out this aftenoon, and my vision has improved a great deal. My eyelids are still swollen and sore from having them in, but now they are out, they can actually heal up...a couple of teabags on them for a while will help a great deal. I'm told my vision will continue to improve over the coming weeks, which is all good.

I'm all stocked up for another several months in the north, and am looking forward to returning home to my cozy trailer, and getting the felines back home with me. I don't know when the latter will happen, but will work on that after I finally make it home. I don't know for sure how much driving I'll be able to do tomorrow, pending light sensitivity, and eye fatigue. Knowing how stubborn I am though, I'll probably push through to home tomorrow night, rather than spend another night away from home.

I can't say I will miss the city at all, too much bustle, and traffic, however I will miss my nieces, both big and little...and the husband/father of course, who was my gracious driver to all my appointments in the city. It's been a very pleasant visit, despite my irritated healing eyes, and I have really enjoyed spending time with the littlest ones, R. and M. R. was out skating today and fell and hit her elbow, so is recouperating on the sofa, with a nasty swollen bruise on ice. What a little skater she is though and did very well. M. is on the verge of crawling, having taken a few tentative moves forward yesterday while visit with another niece, C. and her b/f J. I have to say, it's been wonderful to visit with them all, after not being near any family for a while!

Now I have to think about how I can best pack up the car...I have a LOT of stuff...

On The Mend

Yesterday was a tough day on the old eyes...extreme light sensitivity, I ran out of pain meds, and it seemed nothing I could do eased the irritation and pain in my eyes, particularly the left one. The one numbing drop that I was using is only supposed to be used 4 times day...so that didn't help the other 20 times a day when they hurt...

Went for another post-operative appointment yesterday and the contacts were not ready to come out. They also told me that those numbing drops can actually slow down healing...GREAT - would have been helpful if they told me that in the first place. No mention of it in the information they provide you...

Hoping that tomorrow I can get them out, and hit the road on Tuesday morning. I have a lot of packing to do, so might tackle that tomorrow. We were spoiled with +8C yesterday...it is back to -14C here now, and even colder in Fort Res.

Blogging For The Blogger Challenged...

Well, my friend K was supposed to be blogging but had this comment recently..."Okay, I have a witty comment for you... I was supposed to be blogging, but unfortunatley, I am password / sign-in illiterate.... Sorry and I hope the surgery went well.. PS I am picking up tickets for Saturday night so you have to be here in "the knife" for 9pm Saturday (vision or no vision)... oh, yeah and the cats are fine... Mack "

Today brought this tale - the felines appear to have settled well...

"Okay, so I remember hearing something once about cats stealing your dreams or something... Last night I woke up at 4 am, got up and had a smoke and some apple juice then went back to bed.. I had the most bizarre dreams about your cats... Stormy had lost all of his fur, and I can't remember what else was going on with him, and Via was reading a Chinese calendar and in the dream I was on the phone with you trying to explain that Via was reading this calender, she as well had lost all of her fur.

Bizarre.

When I got up in the morning, everyone was fine, no fur loss. Stormy doesn't seem to be a foot away from me whereever I am, and one second he's in front of me and when I turn around there he is again, in front of me. (You may want to check in every few days, as I am afraid he will trip me in the kitchen and I will not be found for days) ... "a bit under-foot in the kitchen" you say- and he doesn't even want anything, I could understand if he was begging for food or something, but he's not- he's like a Newfoundland dog that pushes up against you.

Via is sleeping lots, but comes up when she requires attention, and let me know that she prefers fresh water out of the bathroom tap, rather than that bowl on the floor- so I leave it dripping for her. I think Stormy has some form of OCD, I bought him some more mice and he piles them in different places in the house. I came home yesterday and "teddy" was waiting for me just inside the door of the apartment. Both cats have taken over the bed. They told me to sleep on the couch. "

stay tuned for the continuing adventures of Felines In YK...

Five Thoughts For Friday

1. my eyesight is slowly improving, but I won't see the full effect until the bandaid contacts come out. The pain is still fairly consistent but as long as I have my happy pills and numbing drops...it's all good.
2. the weather isn't much warmer "down south" (here) but promises to be warmer tomorrow. Monday's forecast for Hay River is -40C...brrrrrrr...
3. the kitties have taken over at my friend K's...see next post for details...
4. I am sure glad I finished my shopping because my eyesight during recouperation is unpredictable, and I get carsick real easy...ugh...
5. knitting is a challenge while I am recouperating...had myself quite a snarl of dropped stitches, and several other mistakes...thankfully I could sort it out this morning, and have finished that mitten. I think my eyes are just too fatigued at night to bother with it. I can knit with my eyes closed for the most part, but when it comes to decreasing stitches, I need to concentrate more and be able to see and count stitches.

Burn The Eyes Right Outta Your Head

I can't really se what I am doing, but wanted to post a short note...I had my laser surgery today (PRK) and am on the road to recovery. I can't see the screen, it's too blurry and I just happen to know where most of te keys are, but can't see i I have made an errors. If I peer close up, I can find out, but my eyes are quite sore, and Im tired, doped up...just heading t bed. I's been a long day, and I am pleasaed so far with the results...when I get this temporary contqacts out, I'll know better then what my correction will be, as in how close to perfect vision. I am told to expect daily noiceable improvement as the eyes heal. SEE you later!

NOW I am done

I had a little more shopping to do today, picking up some more craft items for my craft group I'm running. Michael's had some things, but not all of it. I'll end up making out an on-line order for the rest.

And now I am done with shopping. I have only been to a few stores, but it sure is tiring to shop, shop, and shop, not to mention overwhelming. Now that I live in a town with one store (and a gas station), Hay River can be overwhelming, hee hee...so to be in a city with thousands and thousands of stores, is truly mind boggling. Now, of course I have lived in cities before with plenty of shopping opportunity, but I have spent the last year and a half in the north, where shopping is quite limited. Whitehorse and Yellowknife have some shopping, but very little selection, and often no choices.

I am also now broke...

My laser surgery is tomorrow, and then I have several days of recouperating, and hanging out with my niece and grand nieces. I was showing the oldest how to knit and crochet. She's four. You might think that is too young but she is SMART! After all, she is my niece...even if by marriage...we are related wayyyy back anyhow.

Shopping might be done, but visiting is far from over. I'll be heading over to another niece's apt tonight to visit. Haven't seen her since 2002, so looking forward to that. I missed yet another niece this morning and her two kids, but I expect she'll be over again soon enough. It sure is nice visiting with family, after being away from any family for so long. I've seen my daughter, but no one else since 2005. There are a number of nephews to visit with as well, which will come in time. I'm here until some time next week, so reckon I'll get to squeeze it all in. The weather has been fairly nice, although chilly, but what else is new...

Shop 'Til You Drop

And drop I nearly did...

Of course, the plan for Sunday was to get that beast of a television into Future Shop and see what could be done about it. I kidnapped my niece A. to spend the day with me, and help out with directions. Little did I know that we were to enter the biggest Big Box Haven I have ever entered, and I thought Bayer’s Lake in Halifax was sprawling with them…that area looks like a corner store compared to where A. directed me.

The lineup at customer service wasn’t long, but the wait was, with only one person handling the issues. It seemed there were several more wandering around, as is usually the case, but only one serving our needs. And serve they did. After explaining that I had no desire to see this television repaired, since I had already purchased a new one, and informing them that I lived WAY out of town and had no desire to drive back down to pick it up if they were able to repair it, they offered me store credit to the tune of $294!!! I originally paid $400 for the boob tube in 2000, and it was still under warranty. They told me they would give me $100 for the warranty, and meet me halfway on the purchase price. Sweet! Once we wrestled that beast onto a cart and into the store, I was handed a gift card. With this in hand, I proceeded to the car audio department in search of Sirius satellite radio, and after picking one out and choosing to have it hardwired into my car (eliminating all those messy wires) the clerk informs me that they do not have the hard wiring package in stock, OR the system I picked out. Great. Why did you waste our time then? I left that department disappointed, and headed over to the photo department to have a peek at the Canon Rebel Xti. It was love at first sight. I HAD to have that camera. It was recommended by my good friend R. in Cape Breton, who’s opinion I trust, so it was just a matter of deciding when to buy. As they sensed my hesitation, they offered a store credit card with 3 months no interest – GREAT! I had planned on buying one with my tax refund anyhow, so 3 months is plenty of time to file and receive my refund and pay off the balance. Sign me UP! With taxes (GST only – love that!), camera case, 2 gig memory card, 4 year extended warranty (that’s what got me the store credit earlier) I was out approximately $1500. Deduct the store credit, and I was only out just over $1200. This camera is an SLR format, which I don’t understand yet, being new to the whole business of a more professional grade camera. I’m sure I’ll figure it out soon enough, like anything else I chomp into. It was easy as pie to set up once I returned home, and within minutes I was snapping away.

From Future Shop (where we had spent nearly 2 hours, when it was all said and done) we went straight to lunch at Swiss Chalet. I had been craving a good roasted chicken dinner and after being disappointed time and time again during my two trips to Yellowknife, I dove into my meal with earnest.

Cotton Ginny was next and anyone who knows me, understands this is my favourite store to shop in. I love wearing cotton, and they know how to size their clothing to fit a more voluptuous figure. I was able to secure a few good deals, and walked out with a pair of pants, a pair of pyjama pants, 2 tops, a jacket, a skirt, a summer handbag, and 3 cotton “belts” (that I’ll use as head wraps/scarves), for about $275. I’m good for the next several months now, with that fix.

Next stop was IKEA. It’s been years since I had been in one, since there are no locations on the east coast, and I’d been up north for the past 15 months. It was quite overwhelming, with too much to choose from. We spent the better part of an hour there, and I picked up several household things, spending less than a hundred bucks. I even managed to secure some new bolts for my IKEA shelving at home, since those dumbass movers managed to lose a bag of them.

A short stop at Pier One where nothing appealed to me, and we were off to Tim Horton’s for an ice cappuchino to suck on for the return drive to Calmar, completely spent. After being away from serious shopping sprees for several years, the day was quite overwhelming, and I was glad to escape the throngs of Sunday shoppers.

Today’s plan for the day is a solo journey into the city to visit the Passport Office to drop off my application, and then it’s time to hit Wal-Mart and Extra Foods in Devon. There are several of both in the greater Edmonton area, so closer to base camp is easier to navigate my way to and from.

Tomorrow is evaluation for my surgery, and then I’ll know how really broke I am…

Driving South

After dropping the felines off at the airport (honestly, it was like I was sending children away for the summer, I got a little choked up – silly, I know) I hit the road and headed south for Edmonton area. After gassing up and dropping a chunk of change at the craft store in Enterprise (tons of moose/caribou tufting artwork!), I was barrelling down the highway once again. The road was clear and dry, and the sun was out, rising above the treeline to my left.

The drive continued this way, with little to grab your attention. Trees, flatlands, and no wildlife. Kilometre after kilometre flew by, and the closest I came was 2 dead deer on the side of the road being scavenged by crows. Ewww. Lunch came at High Level’s Boston Pizza, where it did not sit well at all. I guess being away from greasy food for a few months does that to a person. But it was GOOD, once I finally got my correct order. I asked for extra cheese on my pizza and for some reason the server ordered it with CHEDDAR cheese. I can see where you could easily confuse the two…sigh…it looked positively disgusting so I had to send it back.

With the exception of Peace River, the landscape changed very little. Warnings of photo radar were broadcast while I passed through, making just one stop at Tim Horton’s (haven’t been there since last November!!!) before sailing on through, thankfully not encountering any photo radar vans (at least I didn’t see any…).

I found my niece’s home with no difficulty, thanks to great directions, and great hospitality. It was good to finally get out of the car at that point. My hips and back thanked me greatly, and were much improved with a fine dosing of ibuprofen. With such a straight road most of the way, I find those drives harder on my back than a venture through the curving hillsides of Cape Breton, or the roller coaster ride through the mountains on the Alaska Highway due to lack of motion. As I heard one person call it – your steering could be gone and you wouldn’t know it for miles…