20070722 

Waskesiu SK (Prince Albert NP) to Regina (actually White City) SK, about 300 miles.


It stayed warm again last night - 68*F. According to the Edmonton news, next week it will be in the low 70's during the day and the low 50's at night. We sure timed this trip wrong. Our luck (or lack of luck) insofar as rain is concerned, continues. We've had no rain since we left home. The night before last, the road was damp when we woke up, but we didn't hear it.

We packed up today at a reasonable hour and took the scenic drive exit from the park, which led to D's church in Christopher Lake. I couldn't get the trailer into the church parking lot, so we put it in the school parking lot a few doors away.

Afterward, we started scurrying for Regina. As we did, it got warmer. The truck took it fairly well cruising at 65 (100km/hr) until 90 miles from Regina, when the fan on the air conditioner stopped. No A/C. We lowered the windows and suffered until our arrival at the campground.

There's not much to say about the trip. Every 20 miles or so, there's a town with one or more grain elevators. Between, there are fields of wheat in various stages of growth according to when it was planted. There are also lots of yellow fields of canola, grown for the oil.

At the King's Acres RV Park, we found out they'd lost our reservation and had no room at the inn. They referred us to another place down the road. I will submit a critique of this happening to the appropriate pages. That's a terrible way to run a business.

When we stopped and backed into the site, we looked at the temperature - 93*F. After we'd set up the trailer, I tested the truck A/C again. The fan ran normally. We went out to dinner, since the temp in the trailer was still over 90*. The A/C ran perfectly to dinner (at East Side Mario's) and back. There must be a thermal cut-out someplace that kills the A/C when temps under the hood are too warm. I'll have to check this out.

The second campground is smaller, but nice for being smaller. Maybe we'll just come here next time, given that there is a next time in Regina.

Our goal tomorrow is Moose Jaw and the Western Development Museum branch there, a counterpart to the one we visited in Saskatoon. We might drop into the casino so Dolores can do her statistical study. There's also the tunnels under Moose Jaw, and the old depot that is now a liquor store. 

 

20070723 

At Regina (actually White City) SK, about 300 miles. We're over the top & headed south.


It stayed warm again last night - 76*F. At some point yesterday or today, it was 104*F. Not only that, but the humidity is way up. This just isn't normal weather in the great north.

We got up and did laundry during the morning, before the big heat. About noon, we headed out. We got some cash and did a McDonald's lunch - our first this year. 

Then we put on the A/C in the truck and headed for Moose Jaw for the Western Development Museum branch there. Its emphasis is early transportation. We stopped in the visitors center to find it and got a coupon for half-price entry. This museum is equivalent to the one in Saskatoon, very nice. I took a bunch of pictures.

But still, we found ourselves just not feeling right - maybe it was dehydration. So we took an auto tour of downtown to look at the murals on the various buildings. That wore thin soon, so we drove back to Regina.

We stopped at an RV place to get a few supplies for the trailer. Then we went through a car wash to get the dust of many miles off the truck. Then we went through downtown to remind us of our visit here two years ago. Off then to Canada's Superstore for groceries (we're in a National Park for three nights following this one).

We returned to the trailer to find that the A/C control had been mis-set to "Fan" somehow, so the fan was just recirculating hot air. It was 97* in the trailer and 95* out. After resetting it to "A/C", we went to a local tavern for a couple of cool ones while the trailer cooled. When we returned, the temperature was under 90* and felt better. So we sat (without moving) in the trailer as the temp went down. When it reached 80*, we started doing things again.

TV weather says that most of the province (SK) will get rain showers tomorrow (Tuesday) or tomorrow night. Maybe Wednesday we'll get a break over in Manitoba. We'll see. This heat wave really does wear one out.

After a while, we fixed light dinners, then settled down for the evening. Off to Manitoba tomorrow.