Battleford, SK Canada 52.763931° N, 108.273859° W: We got some miles in last night before stopping at a Walmart. The landscape hans’t changed much in the last week. Canola fields with brilliant yellow flowers for miles, rolling smooth hillsides, trains double-stacked with cargo boxes, and silos.
There are ground squirrel burrows everywhere. Chip is very excited about this development. Chip zig-zagged from one hole to the next on the lawn alongside the RV, gleefully poking his cute little snoot into each squirrel hole.
The problem is he won’t do anything but hunt and won’t do his puppy business until he’s had his fill—which became a problem in the wee hours of the ever-shorter nights in these parts due to inconceivable mosquito clouds.
Danny woke us up with a complaint of mosquitos in the RV. Much like when he reported the creep in Minneapolis scoping us out in the parking lot, I didn’t think he was serious at first. Once agin, I was wrong.
He’d dug out his bug zapper racket and was frantically swatting at a cloud of the buzzing blood-sucking demons. There were hundreds of them. So much that his arm was tired. I took over while he double-checked all the windows were closed. They were, but the door wasn’t. Each swipe of the racket claimed dozens of lives with a satisfying sizzle-pop-sizzle.
Before long a stinky haze of fried bugs hung in the room despite the fans running in the vents.
An hour in, Danny and I were still battling the invaders. I gave up and made a coffee. I made my way into the bedroom where Chip was waiting to be let out.
Just steps from the RV it felt like walking into cobwebs as the mob descended. Chip could care less and darted for the earthen burrows of furry creatures just waiting to be hunted. I picked him up and set him by a sign post with hopes of another dog having left a scent he’d be persuaded to cover—his legs were franticly doggie-paddling in the air. He took off for the nearest burrow upon touchdown like a little puppy rocket. I chased him down, tucked him under my arm, and ran for cover. Danny and I spent the next two hours eradicating the enemy insurgents.
All we can figure is the combination of infrared light from the bright white LED parking lot lights, the exhaust of the other RV nearby, and the heat from around the door must have created the perfect storm for such a dense mosquito cloud.
Kevin contracted a severe case of pinkeye which made driving nearly impossible.
We stayed three nights, in Lumsden, Saskatchewan in Riverpark July 7-10th while Kevin worked remotely and we all recovered from being sick. It is a municipal park next to ball fields, a playground with a splash pad, and a building with free public showers and toilets. There are great trails along a dead-water stream. The water’s surface was coated in duckweed and there were dozens of ducks, some with little ducklings trailing behind them.
There were power and water hookups on site, but only one dump station for everyone to share near the entrance. Their was a little shed with two coin-op washer, and two dryers. Oddly, there was no detergent for sale.
On the first night we had to call the manager of the park because it was 11:00PM and there were children screaming in the park. It was ridiculous. Apparently Canadians let their children run wild in the dark screaming. How would you know if one of them was hurt or in trouble? As a Crime Junkie, I know that the US accounts for 66.2% of 5,454 known serial killers. That is three times the creeps than any other country by population. The US also has more incoming and outgoing international child abductions than any other country. You’re welcome for that.
We decided to eat our first meal off the RV since having hit the road in Maine at the little snack bar at the RV park near the ballfields. We were very disappointed with the food, so much so that I couldn’t finish my burger. I have decided to avoid RV parks in general, and will only be stopping as is necessary for services or lack of other options.
We have 1,782 miles left to Tok, AK!
After the leaving the park we found a much better eatery, Twisted Sisters near Moosejaw, SK. MUCH better! Their ice cream was most excellent and their fries were hand-cut crispy ones with the skins on.
We expect to arrive in Alaska Sunday with long days if all goes as planned—which means Tuesday. Being so sick has slowed us down substantially, in addition to unexpected repairs and necessary upgrades.
