On The Road Again 2015 #25

The Safe and Sound Inn was the rather boring name for the motel at Gull Lake. It was a typical motel just off the highway - with cement block walls, slightly mis-matched furniture, a shower stall with a too short curtain, thin towels and really friendly operators. They were Asian and his language skills were not great. However, as soon as I asked if they had a room, he called for his wife. She  got me registered very quickly, didn't even ask for my driver's licence or my plate number. I asked if there was a restaurant somewhere and they gave directions. When I asked what to do with the key in the morning, they said just leave it the room, which is the first time someone has suggested that....but it makes sense. They have a pass key- so why not leave my key where it is easy for them to find? I mentioned that I would be leaving early - they said not to rush - that they never "push" anyone out. They were nice people. It was not very busy there and I wonder if one could make a living running a motel on the edge of the Trans-Canada.

 I quickly dumped my stuff on the floor - spread out the sleeping bag and bivy sack, found my sandals and went to look for a place to eat. It had been 36 hours since eating on the ferry and I was ready for some food.

Gull Lake is not a very big town. According to the municipal website there are just under 1,000 people living there. The streets are wide, many of the buildings look old and quite utilitarian. The sidewalks were cracked and the streets dusty. But it was a charming town. Most of the houses were attractive, well maintained. There were kids playing on the streets and parents out for walks. There was a sense of wholesomeness about the town, a sense of it being a place where I could live. It felt welcoming. It clearly was not an area that had a lot of money, or at least people did not appear to spend their money building big houses - but it felt happy. I only saw four houses for sale which suggests to me that people like living there.

One of the things that impressed me was that on a few  of the buildings around town there were signs posted - stating what the original use of the building had been and who had worked/live there. It made for some fascinating reading. There seemed to be enough stores to get most of one's basic business done. There was post office, a grocery store, a farm store, a place to get your hair done and another for your nails, a corner milk store that also sold some sort of fried chicken and a restaurant.

 It was not a fancy restaurant, but it served food and that was all that I needed or wanted. When I walked in, the only other customers were a couple with their high school aged son. They had no food in front of them. I wondered if they were just finishing up and the restaurant would be closing, but I was made welcome - offered the usual coffee. I was going to just ask for water to start with when I noticed an array of teas in boxes arranged above the counter - so I got a mint tea. An unexpected bonus indeed. The menu was typical. Lots of fried food, and lots of meat. I had assumed that I was going to get a grill cheese sandwich and some fries - there is seldom anything else that I can order. But they had some egg dishes - so I ordered a Denver sandwich without the ham. It was great and so were the fries.

The waitress was in her  late 30s (perhaps), friendly and warm. While I was clearly an outsider, it felt okay. I knew that I would never move Gull Lake, or that in all likelihood that I would ever get a chance to meet the people in the restaurant in any other circumstances, but I didn't feel like a complete stranger. And that was nice. I spent much of the time before my meal came writing up my travel notes. There was time when I didn't need to keep track of who had picked me up I, but that time had passed me by.

Three other people came in and it was fun to watch them order. They clearly knew the menu well - but the restaurant's food order had not come in and so some of the food they ordered was not available. It is my sense that generally people who have their first two requests turned down - get a bit irritated. Not these folks. I suspect that certain foods not being available was not an uncommon thing. The restaurant was clearly part of the community - not just a place where folks ate.

After supper I walked around for a bit - but I was tired. I went back to my room, moved my damp stuff around a bit so that it would dry and got ready for bed. I was in bed and asleep before the sun had finished setting.