Day 8: SK to AB - Is this Ever Going to End?

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From the title, you should be able to figure out that our patience is growing thin. We really like this country. It's very beautiful, quite diverse, and the people are for the most part friendly (except when they are driving in cities). We also feel this country is a bit wide in the middle. Unfortunately, laying off the honey or doing stoutness exercises may have worked for Winnie-the-Pooh, but I believe it won't work for Canada.

Just to prove to you that Saskatchewan is not all flat, please see exhibit 1. This photo shows one side of a hill near the western edge of the province. Do you notice the downward slope from left to right? Also, the road began to have bends. The U-shaped valleys become more pronounced. (Thanks to Mr. Hincks, grade 9 geography teacher).

With much fanfare and ribbon-cutting, we arrived at Lloydminster on the AB-SK border! Photo 2 shows one of the great pillars that mark this much-storied site. This is the location of the crushing war in the early 1910's, in which both the Alberta Revolutionaries and the Saskatchewan Sticks lost approximately 20,000 men each. The tragic loss of life amounted to nearly twice their respective populations at the time. Eventually, the "Treaty of Many Berries" was signed and gasoline prices have been regulated at $1.10 per litre on both sides of the border. Thus, unlike in the olden days, you can't expect to drive a couple of blocks and save a few bucks on a fill up.

Drove through Edmonton with both hands on the wheel. It's a crazy town for driving these days. No photos. Would not dare.

We got our first view of the mountains today (Photo 3). Shortly after this photo was taken, we drove over the Pembina River - our first V-shaped valley (Yo, Mr. Hincks!). By the time we reached Hinton, we were firmly in the grip of the foothills (photo 4). The roads bend left and right, the elevation changes markedly, and the fuel economy plummets, at least in part due to the increased speed limit.

At long last, we arrived at Frank's grocery store. Photo 5 harkens back to my April move with the U-Haul. For those of you who don't know Frank, he is a childhood friend of Gerry's dad. And here we remain, at the Days Inn, looking at the the next stage of our journey with a mixture of dread and relief. Dread, because it's another long slog to Hope. Relief, because it's the last full day of driving.

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