You can check out any time you like...

        I think I might be to blame for Burt Reynolds death. I was watching Smokey and the Bandit II on the dish last week and I had to give him a Google to see what he was up to. It didn't occur to me that the Bandit would have aged. So, when I saw a recent picture, I thought, "Shit, he's not long for this world!" Sure enough, he was not.

        What bothers me is, I was prophetic in another way, as well. Case in point, while celebrating my father's birthday with a family dinner, I told my step-mom that I was going to pay for some of the meal because I was probably going to need to ask for much more money in a couple of months; and I quote, "I don't need your stinking $20 for dinner, Cheryl. You and I both know I'm going to be calling you from Alberta, crying because I need to be airlifted off a mountain and the bill is $2000."

        Fortunately, I don't need to be airlifted, but I haven't even made it to Saskatchewan yet. My car has a slow leak in the radiator causing it to overheat and my wheel bearing needs to be replaced because it sounds like the screeching brakes of a Go Train through Union Station. It's only going to cost $1300, so my fortune telling is somewhat exaggerated. 

... or the temperature is set to
Holyshityourcarisfuct

    I was panicked today when I saw the temperature gauge of my little Kia creeping up to the H (H for HolyShitYourCarIsFuct). This happened to me just last Christmas, dammit. But, this time, I'm 2500 km from home and CAA does not cover that. So the first thing I did was call my dad. 

        Next, I Googled the address of a local mechanic, who told me to bring it right in. Unfortunately, Google said the Auto Repair shop was in Russell, MB, when in fact it was in Roblin, MB... 40 minutes north of Russell. 

        Now, I'm quite enjoying my stay here on the western border of Manitoba. The people here are never angry. They don't care if you go the 90 km speed limit (on gravel roads, no less!!!) because there's always room to drive around. They always have time to answer your questions or give you a wave and a friendly smile... or a hug. I even had someone stop to see if I was alright within seconds of pulling over to check under my hood.  But, I'll tell you what... Google doesn't know shit about this area. No one has reviewed ANYTHING. This place has two provincial parks, a national park, a ski hill, a huuuuuge lake and half a dozen golf courses, but as far as Google is concerned, "Ain't nothing to see here."

        Anyway, as long as I turned the heat and the fan on, my car remained steady in between the C and the H. I was able to drive to the repair shop without having to turn my car off every 80 seconds, where I received the bad news. But, I did get a hug from a woman getting an oil change who seemed genuinely concerned for my wellbeing.

Me, being terrified of this huge bull

        So, here's the other crazy thing. I'm staying here in Inglis with the most amazing couple. Real go-getters. They work all day at their various day jobs and side hustles, all while inviting strangers to stay in their home (with an excellent WiFi connection, I might add). Rick and Karen have hosted quite a few people from all over the world, including the girl from Poland who fell in love and decided to stay here. I was also introduced to the Australian lad who came last year and just never left. Another young woman came for a month from some other European country and she decided to stay, too. A guy walking the Trans-Canada Trail stayed for a week even though he intended to just pass through.

        I'm not saying Inglis isn't great. I love it. It's beautiful, peaceful, has great, inspiring people and lots of gainful employment opportunities. They have wing night Wednesdays at the bar, the occasional barn dance and beautiful night sky views. But, I can't understand why so many people arrive and just don't leave.

        Then it hit me... they don't have a choice. Suddenly, their car starts to overheat and they can't afford to get it fixed so they're stuck here and they have to hook up with some young farmboy who drives a Dodge and the next thing you know, they are harvesting canola every fall and spreading manure in the spring. 

        Cue the banjoes from Deliverance (another Burt Reynolds link!)

 "Sometimes you have to
 lose yourself 'fore you can
find anything" - Lewis Medlock
 (Burt Reynolds) in Deliverance, 1972.

      As it stands, I'm getting the part shipped from Winnipeg and I should be heading out from here by tomorrow afternoon. I've thoroughly enjoyed my experiences, which include: driving a golf cart, beautiful river valleys, riding in a combine, watching hawks hunt in cut fields of wheat, unlimited access to a well-stocked fridge, driving a Jetta onto a ski hill, seeing a grain of wheat fresh out of the field and seeing five sunrises and five sunsets. 

        I haven't quite decided if I will continue west after Saskatchewan.

PS. Deliverance was a movie about 4 men travelling down the Cahulawasee River before the natural wilderness area of Georgia was to be flooded by a dam. The inspiration for this fictional waterway was the Coosawattee River, which was flooded in the early 70s. The Lake of Prairies that I visited just west of Inglis, was also flooded in 1972, after the 8 year construction of a dam to prevent flooding in Winnipeg. Creepy.