Waldo

Waldo

Canada has a reputation for oversized attention-getters.  We found one Thursday the 19^th in Upsala, Ontario:  Waldo the Great.  He was hanging on a post near a gas station where we stopped.  I caused some hilarity among other customers as I took several photos and tried to decipher the vandalized plaque describing Waldo.  You can see that he has had unfortunate attention from passersby.  Online I found a little detail on his history:

·         He was built in 1997 solely to draw attention and visitors to Upsala

·         He is made of steel, styrofoam, paper mache and fiberglass

·         He is 4 feet high and 12 feet long

·         A story was created for him as follows:  "Legend has it, that in 1788, Governor General Sir Jigmore appointed Marechal to capture "Big Waldo", the fish of all fish. The battle took place on the 3rd Saturday of May, 1888 and "Waldo" met his match. For many men and many ships, who dared sink a hook in Waldo's lip met their fate at heaven's gate on Lac Des Mille Lac."

(This is obviously a “fish story;” Canada has never had a Governor General named Sir Jigmore.)

Waldo in better days

 

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Canadian farmers are like many American farmers in the way they stack broken (?) equipment around the edges of fields and let it rust away. Saw a farm with seven old dump-style trucks along the edge of a field, all heading the same direction, at different stages of “overgrown.”  Are they for sale?  Does one get a better price if the vines are completely covering the cab inside and out?

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We left Ontario and entered Manitoba toward Winnipeg late Thursday, July 20.  After days of mountains, trees, lakes and two-lane undivided highways the road changed to a divided highway with two lanes in each direction.  In some places the directions were so far apart that we couldn’t see the lanes on the other side.  It also got flat.  Very flat.    

 

The Longitudinal Center of Canada:   96 degrees, 48 feet, 35 inches – is 10 miles outside of Winnipeg.  We didn't feel the bump but we saw the sign.

 

Thursday night in Winnipeg we “settled” for a Motel 6, having never stayed in one before and with pre-conceptions.  We were delighted with it.  Simple, clean, well-designed room;  very friendly and helpful staff; special treat bag to welcome The Diva; a huge sports complex right next door where we walked this morning.  Behind both was a perfect field of wheat bordered by the Assiniboine River.  The price was even reasonable.  They deserve a plug for that!

Wheat

Assiniboine River, Winnipeg



 

FLAT!

Canola



Flax

We drove all day Friday with unbelievably flat fields of wheat, strawberries, canola, corn, oats, barley and flax stretching to the horizon on both sides of the road.  How do I know what was growing??  LABELS!  The yellow canola and the blue flax were a great combination when they were planted adjacent to each other.  It’s hard to capture even a hint of the effect when snapping from a moving vehicle.

 

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This is the land of BIG tractors and farm equipment.  On one stretch of road in Portage lá Prairie we saw dealers for New Holand, Massey Ferguson, Case, John Deere, Cat, Kabota, and Allis Chalmers.  They all looked prosperous.

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There are bear-proof trash cans everywhere since we got to Canada.  After a few seasons in the weather some of them are nearly human-proof as well because of corrosion. 

We are meeting the nicest people.  Today we talked to a couple from Eastern Ontario who are driving to Vancouver on nearly the same path we are using, will be gone one month, and are returning home the same route in Northern US as we are.  We discovered that we spent the last two nights in the same towns.  She took this photo of the three of us!

5:37 p.m. Friday.  No “Mom & Pop” motels in Moose Jaw.  We’d decided to hold out for one and try it tonight, so we drove on westward hoping that one of the half-dozen small towns between Moose Jaw and Swift Current would have the perfect one.  It needs to be the 50s drive-to-your-door style, clean, have wireless access and take dogs.  Not too picky!  We found none in Caron, Mortlach, Parkbeg.  Chaplin had one for sale. None in Uren, or Morse.  Herbert had one.  As we approached it SRD was saying “YES!” while Token Liberal was shaking head “NO.”  It did have a router for wireless, peeling paint, enough space in the room for one bed, one chair and a very small table with a dorm refrigerator under it.  All looked like they had been in use since the 50s.  Token had to be “bad cop” and disappoint nice lady and SRD.  No dice!  Off to Swift Current – 20 km.  We did find a perfect one here and booked it.  It is just fine.  Whew!