2019 On The Road Again #11

I was, of course, up and ready to go early in the morning. I went down to the lobby where there was what they called breakfast. Cold cereal and a few muffins seemed like a poor breakfast but I grabbed a muffin and went back upstairs to get ready to leave. I do not know why I bothered rushing. It was raining outside and the heat that I had experienced the previous day just east of Regina was long gone. Before I left, I put on my fleece sweater and my rain jacket. If I had had long johns with me, I would have thought about putting them on as well.

I waited at the same bus stop I had gotten off of the previous night. There was no bus shelter - by the time the right bus came I was already quite wet. The bus driver did the best he could and got me to as far west as the bus went. It was still a bit of a walk but in spite of the wind and the rain, it did not feel as far as other times. But it didn't matter how far I had to walk - by the time I got to the top of the hill, I was wet right through. Quick-dry pants are great in that they dry quickly - in terms of warmth when they are wet - wearing pants made from paper towels might have been warmer. The problem with feeling and looking like a drowned rat is that no one wants to pick you up. I understood - I would not want me sitting on my new car seats either. After far too long, with me feeling more and more miserable, a pickup truck did pick me up. He was rancher just going a bit down the road but he would let me out a gas station that had a snack bar etc. That sounded great to me.

It was a very short ride, but it was welcome. I got out of the rain, got a little bit dried out and I got to talk to a cattle rancher from the area. Given the weather - we only had time to complain and for him to wonder if the amount of rain would make it hard for him to harvest enough hay or grain to feed his cattle in the winter. I do not have many chances to talk to young people who are farmers. I would have liked a longer ride just so I could have learnt more from him.

He let me off at the gas station, I dropped my bag at the door with my sign saying "Nanaimo" and went inside to get a tea. It was very crowded inside. There was a long line up to get to the coffee/tea and then to the cash. I did not mind waiting at all. One of the reasons why there was such a long line up was that there were a number of middle-aged bikers. I had noticed them on the highway - groups of ten or so bikes zooming past, the riders wearing their rainproof gear, looking as if they were having about as much fun as I was. I think I saw well over a hundred bikes go by me. At the gas station, I hear one of the riders tell someone that they were off to a bike rally. I suggested to the rider behind me that the only people crazier than me to be out on the road were folks like him. He laughed and did not disagree.

I went outside, tried to hide under the minimal eaves of the flat-roofed building and slowly sipped my tea. I could see lots of cars going by on the Trans-Canada, but I was not about to stay out there getting wetter and wetter. I was quite content to stand there until someone saw my sign and offered a ride.

An hour later someone did.

2019 On The Road Again #10

My strong preference when driving to go as fast as I can, as far as I can - stopping only when I absolutely need to. Bathroom breaks should be held to a minimum and stopping for coffee and a smoke break is a waste of time. Initially, the five of us drove for some time but once we stopped, everyone got out of the van and it seemed to take forever to get gas, for everyone (except me) to get coffee and for everyone to either roll a cigarette, buy cigarettes or bum some from someone. And then, of course, one has to smoke it. Even getting into the van seems to take too long. In what seemed no more than an hour or so later, we stopped again. Something about the coffee going right through them and they needed the bathroom, and then they all needed to smoke and then another coffee for the road. Life would be so much easier if people did not stop.

As we rolled along the highway, I saw spots that I had stood at for a while, places that I had slept, motels that I had stayed in. I realized that I had a story to tell about almost every town that we went through. I thought about telling some of the stories as we went along but everyone seemed to be in their own little world - no one was talking and I did not want to interrupt their thoughts. Besides, I kept on falling asleep.

For a few years, I have been struggling as to how to write a book about my travels. I have thousands of words done, but it has never felt quite right. While the stories were interesting (sort of) there seemed to be nothing to tie the stories all together. Doing a chapter on truckers and another one on women and another one motels etc. etc. just felt clumsy. However, doing a book where the stories followed the Trans-Canada seems to be a better plan. I think I am excited about trying the book again.

Our driver said he knew Calgary well and would make sure that we got dropped off a bus stop. My fellow travellers' plans were not clear. The guy with the dog was going to find a place to sleep, the other one was staying in Calgary and I was tired. While it might be a bit of adventure to camp out with someone - I was not really up for it. I had not slept well or long for two nights and with the exception of the egg salad sandwich and the potato wedges - I had not eaten for just as long. I texted my daughter, asked her to find me a cheap motel at the west end of Calgary, she did, she made a reservation and as easily as that - I had a motel room for the night.

Finding it was a bit trickier. The three hitchhikers were, as promised, dropped off at a bus stop. We all got on the next bus but as I spoke to the driver he made a suggestion as to which bus I should have taken. So I said goodbye to my companions, got off and walked to another bus stop. When that bus came I got a nice tour of the city but the bus did not go where I wanted it to. So I got off at another bus stop, meet my fellow hitchhiker with the dog (he had gotten a more direct route) where he was waiting for the same bus as I. The next driver was great and was pretty sure he could get me near where I needed to go. There was, as well, a young lady we meet at the bus stop who was very chatty and seemed to be sure she also knew where I was going.

I eventually got off at the right spot, walked down the street a bit, and there was my motel. I checked in, dropped my pack off in my room and went out for something to eat..... everything in the area was closed. So I bought an apple juice at a gas station, went back to my room and went to bed. I was tired.