Cabri Regional Park With Kevin and Ruth

living.boondockingmexico@yahoo.com

I titled yesterday's post "Funny Questions" but I didn't comment on it.  People look at our plates and say, "oh you're from Mexico.  Funny, you don't look Mexican".  What does a Mexican look like?  Brown, white, Jewish, Hindu, Muslim, French, we come in all colors.  Does an immigrant from Holland in Canada say, "I'm Canadian but I'm from Holland".  Food for thought.

Thanks Home Depot!

We got up early on Thursday, watched local news and checked the weather.   After getting cleaned up, we said goodbye to our good friends at Home Depot and the city of Lethbridge.  Off we went for Medicine Hat.   We were out of the mountains and into the rolling hills.  It is a nice change, too much of anything isn’t good and we had been in British Columbia since the 16^th of May.   It is time to get moving and Kevin and Ruth were next on our list.

On our way to Medicine Hat there were several construction stops.  Minor repairs I am assuming from the damage the winter had done.   We found a great little visitor’s center in the town of Bow Island.   We met Sara(h) the centre’s manager.   She told us the story of how Grassy Lake and Bow Island had an accidental name swap.   Her grandparents were immigrants from Holland in the 50s when Canada was looking for Europeans to settle.   Bow Island is the pinto bean capitol of the world.  I told Sara to watch for this post on the blog.   I’m sure Mexicans will want to flock here as pinto beans make up a good part of our diet.

 

Bow Island, pinto bean capitol of Canada

 

Medicine Hat, the gas capitol of  Canada

 

Saying goodbye to Sara we headed to  Medicine Hat also known as Gas City where we found gas for $1.14 a liter.  Think about it, that is a difference of .39 from Langley, BC where gas was $1.53.  That’s a savings of $20 a tank.  Quite a bit.  Medicine Hat was as friendly as every other Canadian city or town.  We looked for the big teepee below.  Matt was the centre’s worker there and he gave us a map of Saskatchewan.  I did a quick email check and we headed back to the rv to fix a truly delicious brunch.   We had some of the leftover Copper River salmon from Colin and Contessa with a bagels and eggs.    We were stuffed but fit for the rest of the trip.

 

 

Amazing fuel prices east of British Columbia.  I'm sure they will go back up when we hit the east.

 

Just crossing the border into Saskatchewan, we found another interesting visitor’s center.  We barely made it in the door before we heard, “Welcome to Saskatchewan, would you sign our guest book?  Where are you coming from?”   As a side note, we had just driven through a rain storm and the temperature had dropped from 15C to 7C.   We watered and headed out to the parking lot when an older gent came running up beside us.  He said he had seen our plates and that he had spent some time in Monterrey in the 90s and he truly enjoyed his time there.   We told him how much the city has grown and how much nicer it is today.  Small world. 

From there we headed for Swift Current.  Kevin had sent me directions from Hwy 32 up to Cabri.  Great directions although we didn’t arrive until 4:15.   From the highway to the park is about 50 kms and it is nothing but field after field of farmland.   I have enjoyed the trip through Alberta and Saskatchewan.  Coming from Missouri, I love farmland.  We need farmers and especially in Mexico where young people are migrating to big cities because of technology and the internet.   We eat from these people.   All the food we see in stores, restaurants, snacks, etc. come from this often unappreciated resource.   Long live the farmer be he rich or poor, big or small.  Each fruit, vegetable, animal product takes loving care, passion and a desire to continue a 70,000 year old tradition.   Basic, isn’t it?

 

 

Just like Kevin said, go down the hill and you will find the office.  Lo and behold, there sits Cabri Regional Park, an oasis in the middle of farm country.   Truly beautiful!   As we pulled in it was great to get big hugs and greetings from those guys, their daughter Lindsey, and the grandkids Cameron and Sadie.   We talked all night.  Ruth made some great burgers that Kevin cooked on the grill.   Lindsey must have honed her culinary skills from her mother’s talent.  She whipped up a big batch of potato salad, some of the best I’ve ever tasted and I hate to admit it but I couldn’t control myself.   Too much fun already just after the first night here. 

 

   I've been doing all the driving.  Busted!