2250 kms so far on the trip to Ottawa. Probably 600 kms more than necessary, but whatever. In any case, I've arrived in Saskatoon, and am hanging out at the Travelodge. Casey and I are fine, but I needed a shower, a little TV, a soft bed (sorry Casey), and a little internet time. Clients, you know.
I was a little surprised by Southern Alberta - evidently the 'Alberta advantage' does not extend throughout the province. Little places where basically all the businesses are closed, open only certain hours, for sale, or all three. Not impressed. My oops of the day was popping into a cute little Par 3 for a little golf. Nobody there, stuck $10 into the honour box as the sign said, and then realized that if nobody was there, I couldn't rent clubs. Dammit! I never did find the Creationist Museum, but the museum at Drumheller is amazing. Killed a few hours pretty easily for $9. Nice.
But then things got a little wierd. I was trying to get ready for a telephone call with a client for 8 PM, and could not find a wireless internet site anywhere. There were, however, lots of video gambling machines around. Hmmm....I need to think about that a little.
Not to be a jerk, but I am used to a world where I can grab my laptop, walk a few blocks from my house, and hook up. Heck, at Waves, Commercial and 3rd, so a decent but not too long walk, they are open with wireless internet, good snacks, and great coffee 24/7. Southern Alberta, not so much.
Drumheller? Nope. Youngstown. On my God what a dump. Hanna? Um, no, unless I check into the Best Western for $40 and not use the bed or the shower. Finally, the Super 8 in Oyen, population like 1100 or something. I asked the clerk if I could just sorta hang out and work in her lobby. Yup, no problem. The only problem with the place is there is no food after 10 PM, so I grabbed some decaying chicken wings from the cooler at the Husky, and retired to Casey for the night. In the morning, same thing. Offered the clerk $20 to hang in the lobby, drink coffee, and work for a few hours. Her magic words: No worries. I LOVE Super 8 in Oyen! Pretty nice place, too.
From Oyen, Kindersley, Saskatchewan. I figured it would be bigger - they have an airport there. Not so such. Off to Dodsland, where my mom is from. I chatted up a few oldtimers in the Dodsland Hotel, looking for people that knew my grandfather's family - they operated a hardware store there, but there were too many people with too little business, so my Grandfather took off to Penticton. THANKS! There ain't much there anymore - not even a grocery store. I explored the cemetery looking for evidence of family, but nothing there. Apparently there is a book in the museum that would have told me more about the family, but it was closed. It was Wednesday, which apparently is a good reason.
In brighter news, Biggar Saskatchewan is kinda cool. Nice little town. I had ice cream to celebrate. Rum and Raisin, in a waffle cone.
