Day 40--June 6, 2013

         Our last day in Ontario went pretty much like the other days.  Off-the-wall things started early this morning.  Richard went out to dump the tanks and disconnect the bus.  The campground's sewer was stopped up, so instead of just letting it run out on the ground like others might, he decided to back out of our site and move to another one.

 

         The Jeep was still connected, so he let it and the back wheels of the bus go off the pavement onto a meadow.  A very wet meadow.  We were stuck.  The Jeep wasn't, but the back bus wheels were.  Richard only tried a few times to get out, but knew he would do a lot of damage to the ground.  So he called a tow truck, which took about 2 hours to get to us.  (We were in the middle of nowhere).  In a few minutes, we were pulled out.  There were ruts from the rear tires of the of the bus in the grassy area.  Richard paid the quite substantial bill, then dumped the tanks.

 

          As we were ready to leave, Richard decided to give the man some money to help cover hauling dirt to fill in the ruts.  He had a few piles of dirt at different places along the edge of his property.  The man was not at all happy with the amount Richard had given him..  He became very verbal about his displeasure.  He felt Richard should pay for a full load of dirt.  It was just crazy.
          We moved on to the next province and the beginning of the Canadian Prairies.  Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba are basically grasslands and therefore have earned the name of the prairies.  They are in contrast to the Rocky Mountains and are a continuation of the Great Plains of the US.  Flat, straight roads with a little more traffic than we've had in the last few days.  But, we also had more towns with stores, fuel, fast-food restaurants.  We were back in civilization.  The traveling was very peaceful.
          Since it is my birthday today, I spent the day doing two things I really enjoy.  I've rotated between napping and reading a great book.  BTW, I read more than I slept because Sharon Sala's 'TIL DEATH grabbed me early in the pages and has held me captive.  I would say I hope to finish the book tonight, but the truth is, when I get this involved in a book, I hate to see it end.  If you're looking for a good read, try this one as well as the other books in Sharon's Rebel Ridge series. 
          Before I get back to my reading, here's the answer to last night's question about how the original Winnie got her name.  Lt. Colbourn named her after the city where he lived, Winnepeg.  He nickednamed her Winnie.
Until next time,
Dolores