Day 16 - A Big Red Paperclip on our way to Winnipeg

Well we did have a good sleep and we are up at 7 am.  This hotel Microtel Inn and Suites in Weyburn is really great.  The staff are very friendly and helpful.  We got two bottles of water when we checked in and when we left this morning they gave us two more for the journey.  I would definitely seek out this brand again.

We are on the road just after 8 am and we seek out the only Starbucks in town.  It is of a Pharmasave Drug store...pretty cool.  I consider my caffeine a drug so it makes sense. 

We are heading to Winnipeg today via Kipling Saskatchewan.  Why you may ask... well.

Our dear friend Evelyn that lived across the hall from us for 14 years has a nephew Kyle that started the Big Red Paper Clip in 2005.  When we were planing this trip Ev said we had to go to Kipling Saskatchewan to see the Big Red Paper Clip.  So today is that day.  

The paper clip is in the Guinness World Record Book.  The paperclip is:  15' 2" tall, 3' 3" wide, 45' 6 ¾" long.  It weighs: 3043 lbs, it is made of 5" diameter steel.

Here is the story of the big red paper clip from the website:

On July 12, 2005, Kyle Macdonald launched an unlikely sequence of online trades which would earn both him and Kipling places in the Guinness Book of World Records.

Starting with a single redpaper clip, the young entrepreneur began “trading up”: the paper clip for a fish-shaped pen; the pen for a unique door knob and the door knob for a camp stove.

This he swapped for a generator, which was subsequently traded for a keg party.

Ensuing trades were for a snowmobile, a snowmobiling adventure to Yahk, BC,

A cube van, a recording contract, a year’s condo rental in Phoenix, AZ, then for a day with Alice Cooper.

The entrepreneur next arranged for a double switch with

Actor-Director Corbin Bernsen, an avid collector, who agreed to accept a “KISS” snow globe in exchange for a role in an upcoming Hollywood movie.

The movie role was offered online and Bert Roach, who was Kipling’s Economic Development Officer at the time, proposed to Council that an offer be made. After some negotiation, Kipling traded the house at 503 Main Street in exchange for the movie role. That final trade was made on July 12, 2006, one year to the day after Kyle Macdonald had begun his world record trade sequence with a single paper clip. The house itself is now most often referred to as “The Red Paper Clip House”.

As a part of the terms of the trade, Kipling also erected the World’s Largest Red Paper Clip, which was unveiled July 12, 2007

Pretty cool - isn't it!

A Bison

The sites in Saskatchewan from our windshield are pretty neat.  

We soon cross into Manitoba.  But because we are on a back road (not Highway 1) the sign welcoming us is minimal but we are still happy.

And we are now on Central time, so we move our clocks one hour ahead, only two more hours to go.

We are back on Highway One heading East.  We need some lunch and I have to say that Yelp App is our friend.  It has not let us down yet.  The app recommends Lady of the Lake Restaurant.  

Such a cool place and lots of vegetarian options and everything, including the ketchup is homemade.

This was key lime pie but Bernie ate most of it before I could get a picture of it.

About an hour outside of Winnipeg we started to see the dark clouds approaching and the wind picked up.

Sure enough the rains started and then BAM! It is so bad we have to pull over, along with many others.  The visibility was at zero so we waited a few minutes for it to pass.  I did a video while it was really bad, check it out.

Bea Damn is very comfortable and is a darn good navigator.

In Winnipeg we are staying at another Airbnb for four nights.  Here  is a link to our accommodations!  

It is quite central and we can walk to many spots.  We are tired from a long day.

We head out for a walk and some groceries and eat in tonight.  

We plan out the next week or so too up until Ottawa as our friend Meghan from Toronto is coming to Ottawa to see us and tour around.  You may remember Meghan, we have cruised twice with her, including last January.

So I book our accommodations thru Airbnb for Ottawa for three nights.

We have lots of things we want to see here in Winnipeg so stay tuned.

Here is our scavenger hunt list today:

• Moose
• Deer
• Hitchhiker
• Eagle/Hawk
• Licence plates from every Province in Canada - but you can not count the province you are in.  So if we see an Alberta plate in BC then it counts, but not if we are in Alberta. British Columbia  Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, Yukon, and North West Territory
• Skunk - saw a dead one
• Sheep
• Beaver
• Goslings
• Buffalo
• Goat
• Owl
• Bear
• Loon
• Crane
• Prairie Dog
• Fisherman fishing
• Canoe
• Hummingbird
• Antique car on the road
• Old VW Bug
• Car broken down on the side of the road
• Helicopter on the ground
• Airplane on the ground
• Speeding ticket- hopefully not our own
• Ambulance with sirens on
• Dump truck
• Line painting crew at work
• Mail delivery person walking their route
• Cruise Ship (from Janice and Jim)
• Coyote 

If you have any items you think we should add to our scavenger hunt list, let us know.

So Today's Stats 
Driving distance today 570 km  
Total distance 4570 km

Day 15 - Huge Coffee Pot, Moose, a Beaver and Gas at Dog River aka Corner Gas

Sadly we had another rough night.  Not sure really why we could not sleep that well.  We had a full day, we logged 14,000 steps.  But we both were awake until 2 am.  It did not help that the neighbor upstairs was clogging around at that hour too.  Remind me never to rent an apartment that has someone above!  

But really that was the only downfall of this place.  Everything else was perfect!  Probably the best Airbnb we have ever stayed in, and we have stayed at some really great ones.

What is worse is we were then wide awake at 7 am!  Alarm was not even set until 8!  But we are awake and we may as well get a move on.  But it could be a rough day.

You know with age comes wisdom and we both know each other really well (after 27 years we should).  Bernie needs coffee, he may not say he needs coffee but I know he needs coffee.  So as soon as we pack up and get on the road, I search for a Starbucks.

Okay we are all set and should last for a little while.

Today is all about heading South and seeing some obscure spots.  It starts with Davidson and their huge coffee pot road side attraction!  Gee if only we could hook this coffee pot up to the back of the car and keep refilling our personal tank we would have it made.

Next stop is Moose Jaw.  I don't know how many of you remember our old mascot that would travel with us.  He was a moose and his name was Jasper Moose Jaw.  His story was that his Mom was from Jasper, Alberta and his Dad was from Moose Jaw Saskatchewan.  We adopted him many years ago and he travelled with us until he got a little worse for the wear and needed surgery and major cleaning.  He retired nicely a few years ago.  

Today while in Moose Jaw we stopped in the Visitor's center - which I loved immediately when I saw the Gender Equality sign on the Women's and Men's washrooms!  Way to go Moose Jaw!  Well anyways back to the store.  We see a small stuffed beaver and Bernie said we had to get him as our new mascot.  

So let me introduce you to Bea Damn - she isn't big but she sure is adventurous.

Her first stop is with the giant Moose in Moose Jaw Saskatchewan - it is called Moose Jaw because the town is situated on the Moose Jaw River.  

Also it is home to the Snowbirds, Canada's military aerobatic air show flight demonstration team so there is a Snowbird plane here too.  Yeah I got a picture of a plane on the ground!

It is now 11 am and we are now South of the Trans Canada in rural Saskatchewan.  

When we talked about where we wanted to stop on this trip Bernie mentioned he wanted to stop in the site where Corner Gas the tv show was filmed.  Well it turns out it was filmed in Rouleau Saskatchewan.  A  very, and I mean very small town.  

We had hoped to get a bite to eat here but the only restaurant is closed.  We do manage to get gas - but it is not at Corner Gas as all the site that were built for the filming had been torn down.  Some sites around town were used in the filming and we find them and take pictures.

Bernie loves this show!  Even if it is an old one and he has seen it five times, he still watches and laughs at the jokes. 

They do have a cute cutout where you can have your picture taken.

Here is the Howler Newspaper building from the show.

The Dog River Hotel and Bar Building from the show.

Since there is no place to eat here we keep driving.  We stop in a small town called Milestone.  We find a small restaurant here called Mary's - but don't think Mary runs it anymore!  A very nice East Indian man greets us and there is already one table occupied.  Another table arrives when we do and then another table of three shortly after us.  The man I believe is the owner, calls to the back that he needs help he says "we are busy".

Got a Quebec license plate!  

We enjoy a sandwich and bowl of soup and that hits the spot and we are back on the road.

We arrive in Weyburn Saskatchewan around 1 pm - we made good time.  It is so darn hot! Around 31 - 33 degrees!  

This city is cute and we park the car and walk around the town core.  

Weyburn is where Tommy Douglas, a one time Prime Minister of Saskatchewan is from.  At that time he introduced the Saskatchewan Single Payer Health Care.  He then was leader of the New Democratic Party and as opposition was able to introduce our Health Care System that we know today to the rest of Canada.

He is considered Canada's greatest Canadian.  Oh and he is grandfather to Keifer Sutherland the actor! Keifer's Mom was Tommy Douglas' daughter and she married Donald Sutherland.

One thing about this town, the people are bad drivers.  I mean cars and shopping carts.  While trying to cross the street a woman with her turn signal on to turn left comes straight at us instead of turning!  Thankfully we stopped and she kept on driving like nothing happened.  Then later in the grocery store Bernie and I are looking at some bananas and this woman turns her cart and stops right in front of Bernie and stares.  Not sure why she did not just go around there was tons of space.  When Bernie did not move she pushed her cart into Bernie.  Bernie just moved away and I stood my ground!  I am stubborn that way - a bad trait I know.

I later asked Bernie why he did not say anything and he responded - I am tired and cranky and I was worried I would say something I would regret.  Ha ha ha, yeah no doubt.  Better to be the bigger person.

It is now 2:15 and we hope we can check into our hotel early.  YES!  We both need to get a nap in - in fact Bernie is snoring right now as I right this.  

We see a Brown's Social House Restaurant right across the street so I think that is where we are going for dinner tonight.  

We are both looking forward to getting into Manitoba.  Saskatchewan has been lovely but we have had enough.

Oh and the stuff we shipped to Cape Breton arrived this past weekend.  Bernie's brother Paul is storing it for us until we arrive.  I bet he is shocked at how little we have.

So here is our route today.

Here is our scavenger hunt list today:

• Moose
• Deer
• Hitchhiker
• Eagle/Hawk
• Licence plates from every Province in Canada - but you can not count the province you are in.  So if we see an Alberta plate in BC then it counts, but not if we are in Alberta. British Columbia  Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, Yukon, and North West Territory
• Skunk - saw a dead one
• Sheep
• Beaver
• Goslings
• Buffalo
• Goat
• Owl
• Bear
• Loon
• Crane
• Prairie Dog
• Fisherman fishing
• Canoe
• Hummingbird
• Antique car on the road
• Old VW Bug
• Car broken down on the side of the road
• Helicopter on the ground
• Airplane on the ground
• Speeding ticket- hopefully not our own
• Ambulance with sirens on
• Dump truck
• Line painting crew at work
• Mail delivery person walking their route
• Cruise Ship (from Janice and Jim)

If you have any items you think we should add to our scavenger hunt list, let us know.

So Today's Stats 
Driving distance today 380 km  
Total distance 4000 km