Next surprise was when they hitched up a boat behind
their caravan – a triple !! Apparently
allowed only in Saskatchewan – In Alberta you can tow a boat trailer behind a 5th
wheel, but only in Saskatchewan behind a caravan !! I would like to see them backing up !! Hmmm
Packed up, and went to the office and found they were open !! So had myself a good shower, and hit the road.
95 kms of paved road north to Beauval, where, seeing I had a spare seat, I picked up a young hitchhiker. I managed to hold my tongue when I saw his trousers were half way down the back of his legs……….Young local lad, off to see his girlfriend in Pinehouse, about 100 kms up the road. All dirt road, and it was an interesting conversation – Not quite the erudite and informational chat about the country that I had been hoping for !! I think the furthest he had ever travelled was to Saskatoon Saskatchewan, where he tells me he was stabbed for no reason - so he came home. Doesn’t like big cities any more !! Only good car he ever worked on was a Lamborghini - Not sure where he fond that, but I didn't pursue the answer !! Where his road turned off was 45 kms from his destination, and we had hardly seen a car all morning, so I drove him the 45 kms to Pinehouse. Soft touch, that’s me.
Saw a black bear, but he was gone into the bushes before
I could even take my normal “rear end” shot !!
Got some good shots of some other bears – Which turned out to be big
black plastic bags when I got close !!
Shame – Got some really good shots of them !!
Where I was supposed to turn off the black top back onto
dirt, the black top actually continues for another 35 kms to a place called La
Ronge, where, I had read on the internet some time ago, there is one of the last
independent Trading Posts – a la Hudson’s Bay Company and all that. Well, you have to go and look into it, don’t
you ? So I trundled up the road and
found this delightful little town (compared to some of the others I had seen
recently !!), right on the edge of a beautiful, and enormous, lake. I wandered around for a while – very “local”
if you know what I mean – and found a lovely spot to make a late lunch sandwich
beside the lake. Then, after filling up
with fuel, (out here, filling up with fuel is a bit like going to the loo – A
wise man does it when he can…….) I found Robertson’s Trading Company – and what
a place !!! Where else can you find :-
- Taxidermed (?) fish and carved moose antlers above the dairy goods ?
- Ermine and squirrel pelts ($10 each !) beside the meat section ?
- Stuffed moose head above the cold meats ?
- A brown bear above the mixed herbs and condiments ?
- And various stuffed animals above the Wagon Wheels and (aptly named) Bear Paw biscuits ?
- An eagle soaring above the chocolate chip cookies ?
- Snow shoes (two different types !!) in the hardware section (Do I see “Made in Cambodia” on the box ??)
And finally Australian (spelt incorrectly) Crocodile, Roo, and Camel meat for sale !!! (I am told the locals like the roo and croc, but find the camel a bit chewy !!!)
A fascinating place.
I spoke with Mr Robertson, whose father started the store and was a
licenced fur and pelt evaluator, as is the son I spoke with, and he tells me
they are they last independent Trading Company that deals directly with the
trappers when they bring the pelts in. I
saw photos of pelts piled high in the store when they are brought in in January
or so, when the pelts are usually at their best. A great find, and I spent a fascinating hour
or so in the store and chatting with the owner.
Then it was 35 kms back down to my road again, and back
onto the dirt. These locals do NOT slow
down on dirt, and I am SO pleased that I put those windscreen tear-offs on the
car, like I did with the Lotus 2 years ago.
I have 4 on mine, and we got a few stone hits in Alaska last month, but
in the last 2 days I have probably had 5 or 6 hits which would have definitely
been a cracked windscreen without the protection. So money well spent – And once I have
finished with the dirt roads up here, I
can tear off one of the 4 layers leaving me a pristine windscreen again, and
still 3 more protective layers left. Pro
Tint – An American company, if anyone is interested. They do them for Nascar racing in the US, and
the Touring Cars in Aus also use it. I am sure the British and Euro saloon cars
also use it, so it is readily available. I bought my stuff from their Sydney
branch. Sales push over…….
When I turned back onto the black top of route 106 to
Flin Flon (yes, really !!), the Big Sandy Lake was right there in front, and
then it was continuing water all around as I headed east. The dirt roads today were really deep gravel,
so the car was squirming and moving around all the time, making it quite
difficult driving with a real need to concentrate. All the water off to the
left and right would not have been a good place to end up – Certainly a trip
ending option were it to occur !! So
when I saw signs for camping at Bloomfield’s Resort at about 6pm, I immediately
stopped. To call it a “resort” is
perhaps a little over exaggerating, as in fact it is all really rather run down
and sad. But I found a nice little spot
next to the enormous Lake Dechambault, cooked myself a delicious steak, and
then took some photos over the lake as the sun set, sipping on my Merlot. Perfect end to a fun day.
On to Thompson tomorrow, and find out what the deal is
for getting to Churchill. One thing’s
for sure, Life is never dull on the road !!
There is always a surprise around every corner.
BTW, I
forgot to mention about the horse flies.
For the last couple of days they have
been ATROCIOUS. As soon as you slow down to about 20 kmh,
your car is
surrounded, and if you don’t wind the
windows up before you stop, and close the
doors quickly, they are in the
car. However, what is
really odd is that they don’t seem
to bite !
I am sure they would if they got the chance, but they do
not seem to be
particularly aggressive – they just annoy you by their sheer
numbers. They
also go to
bed as the sun sets – But that’s when the skeeters get up !!! Ain't life fun !!
Pics are here :- https://picasaweb.google.com/117739775480775657932/0055LacVertToLakeDeschambault?authkey=Gv1sRgCKWWioq1uZz2sgE#
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