DAY 38 - "The cathedrals of the prairie."

This morning began at Iron and Claw, a great little downtown Kenora coffee shop. We then made our way around Lake of the Woods, out of Ontario, and into Manitoba.

A quick pit stop in Winnipeg at the Forks Market and then the gates really opened up. We left the city limits and boom, big sky prairie land.

Popular opinion seems to consider this particular stretch of the Trans-Canada Highway to be boring, but we in the speedy Volvo with the Utah plates agree that it absolutely has its own beauty.

Steven was so excited to see the vast fields of bright yellow canola as well as the Cathedrals of the Prairie, the huge grain elevators; though we’ve been hard pressed to find the old wooden ones without metal cladding.

The canola is alive, with the sound of bassoons!

The other fun thing about being in this huge expanse of flat farmland is the silly variety of roadside attractions.

Knowing this was coming and that it would be a welcomed time-suck, we planned a short drive-day so we could detour and see the world’s largest everything and anything: the Coke Can in Portage la Prairie, The Happy Rock in Gladstone (get it?!), the Canvas Back Duck in Minnedosa...

All so good.

We landed in Brandon, Manitoba, had dinner at The Dock on Princess and crashed early for a good night’s sleep and more westward progress tomorrow.

An update, if I may...I’ve been remiss regarding curb checks...but I have notes and the count has Steven leading the pack at: 5-0-0-0 (that’s two American and three Canadian curb checks...and that last one in Kenora was a doosie).

Also, it’s come to my attention that someone made a “Sam Gilbert II” Facebook profile...that’s not me, there is only one of me. I have changed my password, reported the page, and will send a message to the 12 of you who accepted bizzarro-Sam’s request (unfriend that imposter!).

Also, also...we’re still keeping an eye on those fires. CBC reported that the town of Jasper was all but gone, but Banff is still open and not in any kind of danger zone.

How’s the smoke for you friends in Montana and Idaho? We’re starting to see it on the horizon up here, but that was apparently from that awful fire in Chico. Stay safe everyone!

DAY 39