Remote Territory

After Shotgun dazzled me with her crazy trailer hauling skills through Regina the other day, I started humming the theme song to the Raiders of the Lost Arc every time she managed to get us through a difficult area.  Finally I downloaded it on my iPhone and it's our trip song now.  I took this photo after we successfully made it up a VERY steep, long hill and now when I look at this picture I hear the song in my head.  Dun da da daaaa...da da DAAAA...dun da da daaa..da da dum dum dummmm... 

We are heading into fairly remote, mountain territory today and we are already finding pretty sketchy wifi at our hotels along with fairly unreliable cell signals so it may be a day or two before you hear from us again.  I will post when we can! Thanks for following our adventure!

Alberta Province and the Edmonton Mall...Oh yeah!

This post really covers two days of our trip.  We took things slow coming out of Saskatchewan and headed for Edmonton.  We made time to stop in Lloydminster for lunch and a quick grocery trip and then we were back on the road!

Welcome to Alberta! 

I thought this bridge was beautiful but it was another one of those times when it was impossible to pull over.  So... you know...just go to Lloydminster and see it ok? 

Friday was a loong tiring day of driving.  We had made sure to book a room in Edmonton so that we could relax and spend some time at the mall.  However, when we got to the Travelodge West Edmonton it was literally falling apart.  Among the first warning signs that we shouldn't stay were signs stating that they couldn't be responsible for our personal safety. Also, there were creepy men hanging out outside of the hotel as well as in the hallways.  We tried to be big girls and headed for our room but we turned right around and left.  The rooms were beyond gross and the hallways were nightmare inducing.    Booking.com and Travelodge are in for a nasty email or two when we get home.   It took us a while to find a new hotel but we managed to get rooms at the Hampton Inn near the mall and we were back on track! The staff at the counter were wonderful and so very helpful!  Another customer at our new hotel heard our story and told us that the Travelodge was voted the second worst hotel in Edmonton and that it was notorious for how unsafe it was.  If that was the second worst, I have no desire to see the first!

By the time we got settled in our room it was too late for the mall so we headed for Red Lobster for dinner.  I forgot how fantastic their signature biscuits are.  Yumm!!

Saturday morning we were up bright and early and we headed for the Mall!  We had a lot of road to get in today too so we only gave ourselves a few hours at the mall.  A few hours was plenty because we walked so much we were exhausted by lunch!

The first sign I saw in the West Edmonton Mall.  Cracked me up because I'm apparently still 12. 

Shotguns face when she not only found pieces to her rare china set but found that they were on sale!

Spring was the general theme at the mall and I'm a sucker for beautiful flowers.  The mall was just gorgeous inside!

Myzithra pasta for lunch at the Old Spaghetti factory! Yum!  

This is only part of the water park inside the mall. Crazy.  If we'd made more time for the mall I'd have been right in there!

Oh, and there's a pirate ship of course.

We didn't get to see everything because of the short time we gave ourselves at the mall, however what we saw was amazing! If you get the chance, I highly recommend making it a destination!  After lunch we threw our purchases in the truck and got back on the road!  This evenings destination?  Dawson Creek, milepost zero of the Alaska highway!  

These are the moose crossing signs in Canada.  They crack me up.  We call them "interpretive moose".

The weather was gorgeous and sunny all day, perfect driving conditions!  However, that meant the bugs were out in force so I apologize for the bug spatter in this photo.  By the time we pulled into Dawson Creek we had to stop once to clean the windshield with baby wipes and water because the wipers weren't cutting it anymore.  Blegh. 

Welcome to Canada...eh?

 This morning we woke up in Minot and it was POURING rain, not just raining.  Flooding.  Oh yeah, it was windy too.  We were soaked before the car was loaded.  However, we finally got out on the road and headed for Canada!

Believe it or not these weren't the biggest things that passed us today.

We managed to make it to the Canadian border without drowning and we made it through with no trouble at all.  Very nice agents at the border!  One question...Why does it look like a prison there?  

We realized as we crossed the border just how hard it was going to be to navigate Canada without our smartphones and the maps app.  We are so spoiled!  Anyhow, the wonderful gentleman at the visitors center got us back on the right track and gave us a great lunch recommendation.  

Artwork display at the visitors center.

For those of you that know me well, you know that I seriously love my Canadian or European candy! So when we first stopped for gas I made a beeline for the candy section!

It only looks like we're driving through a lake.  This is a field.  With ducks...

I saw a ton of beautiful old weathered and apparently abandoned farmsteads.  However, it was pouring rain, windy and blowing us all over the road making it nearly impossible for us to stop safely.  So I had to settle for trying to take pics as we flew past them down the road.  

After several hours of downpouring rain and wind,  we drove out of  it and the next mission was to find petrol ASAP!  We followed a sign that promised fuel and we thought we might be heading for Deliverance...

However, it was more like Mayberry.  The gas station attendant even pumped the gas for us! Full service! I didn't know that existed anymore much less pumps like these!

I kid you not.  The conversation at the pump was this exactly.

"Where ya headed?"

"Alaska." 

The guy looked shocked for a second and then...

"Ways to go yet eh?"

I love Canada. 

I'm not even kidding when I say that at least every third person we've spoken to ends every sentence with "eh?" or "right?".  I really thought it was just a stereotype but I totally love it!

We missed a turn that was supposed to take us to Moose Jaw and ended up in Regina, the capital city of Saskatchewan.  We also ended up there at rush hour.  It was less than awesome and the roads downtown were less than trailer friendly. However, Shotguns crazy trailer maneuvering skills paid off and we got out of there without incident.
By the way the truck is now named Regina.

Finally we found our hotel for the night and we lucked into this awesome view! The hotel looked like a monolith from outside but was just beautiful and very fancy inside! Something like I might expect in Vegas rather than Saskatoon, Saskatchewan!

This is the pool in our hotel.  In the center of the hotel.  What you can't see are the skylights above it.  We were exhausted but made time to take a dip because it was just too cool looking not too.  The water was perfect and we had a lot of fun, though I kind of felt like we were swimming in the fountain!

Saying Goodbye and hitting the road

 We finally did it! All packed up and on the road!  This morning was bitter sweet because we were excited to get on the road but loathe to say Goodbye.  It was emotional to say Goodbye to Mama Shotgun and little Tilly dog. It was even harder for Shotgun.  However, we are on the road and headed North to Alaska!

The view from the back deck where I drank my coffee every morning while here in MN.  I wish you could hear how amazing the sound of the birds and the frogs in the swamp behind the house were.  I'm also a little sad that we missed the lilacs blooming!

Tilly just hanging out with me, hoping for a crust of toast.

I like to think she loves me more than just for my toast.

Saying Goodbye.

Actually leaving was the hardest part.

Finally on the road! Alaska here we come!

At the first gas station on the way out I tried one of their lottery tickets.  I paid a dollar and won two!  Whoohoo! I'm rich!  I also bought some power ball tickets earlier in the week but I didn't win.  Sorry kids!

Sunset over North Dakota.  

Our day ended in Minot, ND.  Not much in Minot, but a nice hotel with a really nice pool and hot tub!

Tomorrow....CANADA!

Meet Shotgun

 

Meet Shotgun:

Shotgun moved to Minnesota from Alaska just short of four years ago with three goals; to spend time with family, obtain a Bachelor's Degree, and find a man. The first two goals were met with great success! The last, not so much. With the degree completed Shotgun has decided to move back to Alaska, so our adventure begins. Betty and Shotgun have been looking for an excuse to travel together for many years, so Shotgun was excited when Betty jumped on the chance to be her partner in crime on the way back home...

(this blog post was written by Shotgun; Shotgun generally takes no responsibility for blog posting.)

Memorial Day Weekend and Packing

The last few days on our adventure have been fairly quiet.  We have been spending time with family and packing up the truck and trailer!

We took time to remember those we’ve loved and lost this weekend and spent some time with Shotgun’s family.  She has a wonderful family and they have all been so kind and welcoming to me. 

On the way to visit Grandma Shotgun we passed through Deerwood and it wasn't big but it had personality!

The flags the American Legion put out at the cemetery were so beautiful.  

I got to meet Grandma Shotgun and talk to her for a while. What a neat lady!

Shotgun drove me by this old church in the middle of nowhere that her family has attended for  almost 100 years now.  

and behind the church....cows.  Love it!

I also had the honor of meeting Great-Grandma Shotgun.  What a beautiful lady!

After spending some wonderful time with the Shotgun clan, we had to get to ready to leave. 

While running errands I found Paul Bunyan's footprints.  Apparently he used to stand in this parking lot and talk to the kids that would come by the park!

Going away dinner.  Build Your Own Bruschetta at Prairie Bay! Loved it!

A very tired Shotgun trying to finish up a bit of work in the trailer.  

Almost packed! We hit the road tomorrow!

Adventure Day 4: Lake Itasca and the headwaters of the Missisppi

It was expected to be beautiful day on Friday so we planned a trip to Lake Itasca.  It was a bit of a drive so we had to stop a few times on the way.  We stopped at the old township of Sebeka, very cute!

Where we at lunch in Park Rapids.  We had the most inexpensive and tastiest burger, fries and iced tea that i've had in a long while!

I loved the old country interior of this little place.  The train ran around over our heads and it wasn't as creepy as it sounds!  I still don't know what's in that weird little cage though...

However...the little clowns hanging from the ceiling were beyond creepy.  

Mama Shotgun told us not to pose and to start talking to her....I think she told us to say Ted Nugent? 

Shotgun and Mama Shotgun clowning it up for me.

Shotgun taking her chance to cross the Mississippi!

My turn to walk across the Mississippi! 

Signs of spring! Finally!

The sun finally made an appearance!

Panoramic view of Itasca