The Little Caravan That Could: Day 44

Day 44 - Duluth, Minnesota - Estevan, Saskatchewan

Unique Countryside

We have seen every name in our family on the road. We had a chuckle when the children were listing off the places. Everybody had something different to chime in: "We saw Cooper Lake Road… Colt Road… Austintown… Savannah Street… New Britain… Dane - but it was on trucks… Cass Lake… " And then Cooper said, "But we haven't seen Raine." I think we all thought for a moment, and then I had to smile, "Raine's been with us the entire way!!" Of course, we had had plenty of 'rain' the first week or so, and then periodically on the rest of the road trip."

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Snow was not something I expected to experience in Minnesota! I know that they have hard winters, but I did not imagine it would happen while I was on the road home in the first week in October. I suppose, knowing that Calgary had six inches of snow in September should have clued me in to the possibility. Even so, it was rather disconcerting to be driving through fog, snow, and incredible gusts of winds through these wide open areas. When Courage opened the van door to get something from the caravan, the door snapped hard on its hinges. As I drove through the midwest, the caravan and van fought to stay on the centre of the road, and I needed my entire focus to keep things under control. The snow kept us company for nearly two hours before the flurries abated.

A curiosity about my return trip is that I had not studied the map, as I had originally planned to drive back across North Dakota to Bismarck, but due to time constraints, I was taking the fastest route north from Minnesota, and so when I passed onto a bridge announcing I was in North Dakota, I was rather surprised, as I thought my new path bypassed North Dakota. The children and I have learned so very much about geography since we have been on the road.

A favourite photography subject on this leg of our journey was train cars. At times they appeared as Brio trains, and others as marshmallows lined up across the horizon, and still others reminded me of the electric trains that hobbyists love to build.

Cooper, my front seat navigator, is also sometimes delegated to making lunch on the go. Our days have been long and returning home has been pushed to being as quick as possible. The kids have gotten good at reaching into the boxes in the back, extracting what they need, and before you know it lunch has come and gone, and we didn't even have to stop. I did leave home with an ideal: All kinds of goodies were packed into storage crates, along with menu plans for tempting simple dishes for along the roadside, where I pictured us relaxing as we caravanned along the byways. Maybe on my next road trip this will be the way.

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My gas consumption was carefully planned before I left home, and I budgeted 10 miles to the gallon knowing that I would likely get more. Imagine my surprise when on this day nearing the end of our long journey, I found the van consuming gas like a child eats candies! I refilled my van four times, and though the tank was not always empty when I entered the gas station, I did seem to lose 50 miles on each full tank!

I was being sensible with filling my tank considering I knew many miles could go by without seeing a gas station, or if the stations were miles off the main road like I encountered on one particular day. That event sticks out in my mind for another reason also. We had been motoring down the freeway in Nova Scotia, and it had been a long time since we had seen a sign for gas, or even an exit with stations located nearby. My sun visor was a little low, and it wasn't until we had shot past the mile high sign that I realized we had missed our chance. When would there be another opportunity to fill up? I was getting nervous. The last thing I wanted was to be stranded out on the highway. Visions of ax murders and serial killers lurked in the edges of my mind. I shook off the silly thoughts and kept driving while madly scanning the countryside for any hope of rescue.

As the marker slid closer and closer to the red mark at the bottom, I knew I would have to take my chances on the next exit. Courage used the GPS to try to find fuel, but it seemed to be pointing us in backwards directions, and I really didn't want to turn around.

Soon after, seeing a sign for an upcoming small 'town', I slowed down and took the exit. I had seen a house on the right hand side as I was leaving the highway, so I figured I would head there and ask them where the nearest gas was. If worst came to worst, they might have fuel or at least a place to stop while I called CAA.

I didn't end up finding that house, but taking a small road that threatened to be a dead-end, I headed for a nicer home hoping he might be of some use. I parked and hopped out, jogging over the tarmac to where a man was mowing his lawn. I caught him attention and explained my plight, hoping secretly he had some gas to offer, and he told me how close I was. Just down his road, loop around, and back on the freeway and the next exit I would be good.

Having gathered what I needed, I couldn't help but take a moment to comment on his attractive stone covered home. It turned out he had built it himself, was a construction worker like the Framer, and worked hours away from home during the week. He stated it was well worth the drive as he had the best of both worlds. He lived in one of the prettiest areas of Canada, and was able to make an essential living not too far away. It was worth the sacrifice. We ended up chatting about this and that, including how lovely the area was and how fortunate he was that he lived next door to a huge lake that led lake by lake all the way to the Atlantic Ocean. Who'd want to live anywhere else!

But the funniest thing was when he discovered that I was not just 'the wife' running out to get directions to gas for her husband, the driver, but instead, that I am on the returning leg of a 16,000 km journey - just me and my five kids. Sorry folks, but when you are female and you impress guys that "We Can Do It!" it always gives me a kick! Out of his up-to-then very polite mouth burst the words,"Holy sh--! No kidding!" I had to chuckle. Yup, me and my caravan, van, and Chicklets, we just be moseying on across the continent.

So here I was in a similar situation looking for a gas station in the middle of nowhere. According to my GPS, I was not far from a gas station. A gas station. Well, I suppose you have to call it that. It did have a pump. One pump. My van was bigger than that pump. For goodness sake, the sign was bigger than that pump! But it did contain gas.

Having filled my tank, I went into the station with my debit card ready to pay the owner. “How much?” She inquired. I’m sure there was a split second questioning look on my face before I smoothly moved into acting like I knew what she was asking. How much did I owe her? Hey, nothing abnormal here. All’s good. I smiled and told her I would be right back. I quickly exited the store, and rounding the front of my van, I gave the ‘All’s well’ sign to the waiting children, and then scanned the pump numbers.

“$81.10,” I told her as the door of the shop banged shut behind me. I thought she might well lose a few dollars with this method, but apparently, out here in the country it’s the relaxed way of doing things. As I spun on my heel, leaving that gas station, the cashier resumed her conversation with the bearded old guy sitting at the counter eating his fries.

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The rest of our day’s driving was through glorious country-side. How can one deny the existence of God when fully immersed in such splendor! I was so privileged to be able to take home just a piece of this magnificence through the lens of my camera.There were oil drilling machines, and trains, and silos splayed across the rolling hills. As the sun dropped low on the horizon the opulence of the landscape dazzled me.

By 7:30 that night, just as darkness was falling, we pulled into Estevan, Saskatchewan. We had prayed as we crossed the Canadian border, really not wanting to encounter the nonsense we had been subjected to before, and thankfully, because I had only been out of the country for two or three days since Ontario, I was quickly ushered through!

When planning my trip north, I had been advised that parking in North Dakota Walmart might not be the best option, due to the oil drilling in the area and the amount of people that were cruising through, but it didn’t cross my mind that the oil would not know border lines and Estevan would be the same.

The small Walmart in town was obviously popular with young workers as trucks laden with mud were either careening through or parked with debris scattered all around them. I had called ahead and asked about parking there overnight, and I was given the green light, but upon seeing the size of the lot and the quantity of large filthy vehicles, I was a little hesitant to set up camp.

Our refrigerator has caused us some issues on this trip, and not all of it has been caused by human error - at least I don’t think so. We have had to toss the entire contents one time due to not plugging into a working outlet, and then the other times we have found the unit warm after it had been turned to propane, so I am not sure if we have a problem. Even so, after chucking out any fresh food at the last incident, I needed to get some ice as the fridge had a rank odor and bleach would be needed before it smelled fresh again. We stopped at a gas station where I filled up, and Ayana bought me a solid bag of ice. This bag of ice would turn out to be a miracle bag. Five days later we would find it still keeping the contents of our cooler cold!

Last night was another one of our fridge situations. I had made a delicious dinner of various types of beans, sauce and hamburger, and there were plenty of leftovers that were put in the refrigerator, but unfortunately someone did not turn the unit from electric to gas, thereby rendering the dinner inedible due to sitting overnight in its own heat.

Raine saw a sign on a restaurant billboard stating “Kids Eat Free on Friday”, and since it was Friday, I figured it was worth a shot! I know that in the States many restaurants are supportive with large families, but I was pretty sure in Canada it would be something like ‘one kid-one adult’. The kids all got comfortable in the waiting area, and I told them to be discreet if the hostess stated there were too many children, as I didn’t want to look like a pauper family that was turned away from food. After all, it was just a treat, not a necessity. Having a large family, sit-down restaurants are things we don’t normally do - fast food - yes, restaurants - not often.

Sure enough, the hostess quickly informed us it was the Canadian rule not the American rule. Oh well. Off to Walmart to buy groceries we went. I was famished, as I am sure the children were, so we ran into the store with the intention of buying just enough for one large feast. Always a feast, as by the end of the day of driving and walking, we are ready to chow down!

Seasoned chicken breasts, fresh green beans, sweet and sour sauce to name but a few items that were purchased, and we headed out to the caravan to warm up our frozen bodies. Trust me when I say, there were no happy campers when Courage, who had run ahead to get the heater running, informed me that the furnace was not working. Seriously? Not working? I had just had the caravan overhauled before the trip to be sure everything was in ship-shape order.

Squinting with my glasses perched on top of my head, I had a child hold a flashlight over the writing as I read the minuscule instructions written on the machine to be sure Courage had it right. Knowing that, of course, he did, and there was likely no hope for a warm cabin for the evening. Something was definitely not working. It was absolutely freezing inside the trailer, likely because the little window had been open all day as we were driving!

Given we were in Walmart obviously there were no plug-ins, and I knew that Canadian campgrounds were generally closed at the end of September, so we were in a bit of a bind. We decided to start with putting our now wasted groceries into the defunct fridge, and then we headed out looking for any motel where we could park the trailer and sleep inside the building. I used the GPS to direct me to about five places, and we spent the next hour or so driving around in circles in the small town trying to find anywhere I could park and leave the trailer. They were either dives or had no parking whatsoever and with my options being so limited I was getting very discouraged.

I was tired, it was cold, and I knew the trailer was too nippy to sleep in without electricity or propane, so we had a problem. I was starting to feel a bit disheartened, and I figured the one choice I was left with was to get something for us all to eat, and then drive as far as I could that night, pulling over to take a catnap if necessary. At least the van was warm. Though it was not my ideal choice, I was really in a dilemma!

We drove around looking for Tim Horton’s or McDonald’s for a quick, simple, inexpensive dinner. I ran into Tim’s and ordered a box of donuts, dinner sandwiches for each of us, and a cafe mocha for me. We were good to go. There was a lady standing in line behind me, and I turning to her I asked her if she knew of any campgrounds that might be open. It turned out she was not from the area. She didn’t. But she was kind. As we finished speaking, another lady joined the line, and joined in the conversation having caught the tail end of what we were discussing. She was local, and she had heard it would be down to -4 that night, so I really needed to find a campground, motel with a large parking lot, or simply move on to my next destination which was a few hours away.

This is when my luck turned. I had prayed as I was entering Tim Horton’s for a solution to my problem, and this would turn out to be my answer. This helpful stranger suggested the Best Western Hotel, as she said that it was next door to Walmart and the department store would be large enough to park my trailer in.

My hope returned! I had really, truly not wanted to drive on into the night when my day had been so incredibly long. The children as typical were awesome and supportive about keeping the day going. I was just happy that it would not have to end that way!

Traipsing back to the caravan, I felt much relief. Now to see if I could squeeze us all into one room or if they were going to make me pay for two. Two would require us to drive on to our next destination, as that was pushing us up near $300 for the night. I knew I had the ummph to keep going, and there are good truck stops if we wanted to stop for a catnap…

Arriving at the Best Western, I found that it had a huge parking lot as well as being located right across the street from Walmart. Options. That is always a good thing. Entering the front door, I prayed that I would find cooperation. I explained my situation hoping the man would be sympathetic and allow us to park our caravan in the lot and not charge me outrageously. He had an available room. Triumph! And then I felt convicted to state that I had five children with me.... knowing he might tell me that he could not put us all in one room. He immediately looked at the computer, and I held my breath. I am sick of the rule that you can only have four people in a room due to fire hazards. That is why I like smaller, less regulated hotels that are mom and pop operations. They set their own rules, and in those places we are allowed to squeeze the whole crew in if we want to! The desk attendant told me that he had one room with two queen beds and a sofa bed. The last one unoccupied. Did I want it? Did I! I looked at him hopefully, and said slowly, ‘For the same price?’ To which he replied, ‘Yes.’ Done!

Now, I am a cup half-full person, and as soon as this situation was dealt with I could see all the good in it. A warm room, comfy beds, hot showers, internet access, and as my eagle-eyed children were so quick to point out - free breakfast! Not to mention there was a swimming pool. So even if I would not have chosen to spend this money, I could see the benefits.

When the Framer contacted me later, he guessed that the first thing I did upon entering the room was to turn up the heat to high. He knows me well! Eighty-five degrees to be exact. Later that night I would regret it, but for now, it was necessary and deliciously warm.

The children settled into having hot showers, turning on the television - such a rare treat when you are on the road - and consuming their chicken sandwiches and donuts. Knowing that a hot meal was what we were really looking forward to, I had taken a handful of menus from the front desk to browse and choose from. Once decided, I put in a call to the pizza shop for the largest pepperoni, mushroom, and cheese pizza they had. I then sank down into the plush couch with keyboard on lap to begin writing of our never to be called ‘boring’ day.