Headed West Again!

Winkler to Home
16th to 20th June, 2016

Winkler to Home 19hrs and 1900kms

We were now headed home after the warranty work was completed in Winkler by Leisure Travel Vans. The trip home was uneventful and the weather held for us providing good driving conditions for Jan.

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Picking up the LTV

We drove from Edmonton to Winkler, returned the rental car to Enterprise our favourite rental agency, picked up the keys from LTV Service Department, stayed over night in our LTV and then headed out the first thing next morning!

Our motorhome was parked and plugged in
at the LTV Complimentary Overnight Parking

Our upholstery was re-stretched to look like new!

LTV's in for service
The silver Unity is not ours, they were from the USA
and were converting their Murphy Bed from electric to manual!

Jan admiring the new "Flex or FX"
Unity FX

Nice Floor Plan on the FX

For those of you who watch the LTV Videos
You will recognize Dean, who we saw at LTV

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Headed West - Home!

We departed Winkler and headed west under clear skies
There is a nice rest stop on Highway 1 as you enter Saskatchewan

We overnighted at Moose Jaw, SK
Home of the Canadian Air Force
Air Demonstration Squadron
The Snow Birds 

We stayed at the Prairie Oasis Tourist Complex
This is a nice place to stop along Highway 1

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Chaplin Lake Mineral Deposits

Chaplin Lake, SK
is situated on a huge bed of salt, producing a saline lake.

Production Plant
Chaplin Lake, SK

There is a huge mineral production facility at Chaplin Lake which is run by the Saskatchewan Government.

There is an interesting article at Saskatchewan News Story 

Excerpt from article:  Alkali, the stuff which prairie pioneers, cursed for years; today is proving to be the salvation of the Chaplin community, 104 miles west of Regina.

The 18-mile-long-Lake Chaplin is the source of one of the richest and purest sodium sulphate deposits in the world and the product is providing a livelihood for many residents of the community who formally were totally dependent on their grain crops or ca ttle sales for their livelihood.

The soil in the Chaplin area is poor and seldom do farmers get bumper crops, but crop or no crop many of these farmers don't need to worry any longer.

Since the Saskatchewan government sodium sulphate plant opened in 1948 there has been a steady improvement in the financial position of many of Chaplin's residents.

LTV Kozad leading the Canadian Military Convoy!
Not!!!

Tourist Information at Medicine Hat, AB

We overnighted at Kannanaskis Alberta

This was a last minute stop and we were lucky to get a site
But Wow!  Did we ever get the best site in the park!

Camp fire Time!

Our campsite was right on the river with majestic Rocky Mountain Views!

Another view from our site!

Burl Tree

Alpine Flowers

Home!

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Family Commitments!

Memorial Visit!
9th to 16th June, 2016

Winkler to Edmonton Return
13hrs & 1346kms each way!

As our LTV was in for service, we set off in our rental car for a quick return trip to Edmonton, Alberta.   

You might ask... Why?

Well, while Craig was in hospital having back surgery in April his Father passed away unexpectedly at his care home in St. Albert.  We had to wait until Craig could recover from his surgery and could travel for the memorial service.  So, we decided to combine the trip with our visit to Winkler. 

This was a quick trip from Winkler, with an overnight in Saskatoon on the way to Edmonton and then another overnight in Regina on the way back to Winkler.   

Jan bears the brunt of the driving which is virtually 100% of the time as I have been in the passenger seat now for many, many, many years!  Craig the Navigator, Jan the Pilot!

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Off to Edmonton!

On the way we stopped at Chamberlain SK
Why you might ask?

Jan needed an ice cream fix at Twisted Sisters

Here we are at Dad's Memorial

Ashes were placed in the Scattering Gardens

Craig, Trudy, Lynn & Guy

This is where Dad rests - behind the bench where the yellow flower is

Babba Tomash - Dad's Mom is also at this cemetery

As is Guido Tomash - Dad's Father

Beechmount Cemetery

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Return To Winkler

Our luck would have it that accommodations were scarce!  When we tried to get a room in Saskatoon, the town was sold out as Garth Brooke's Concert was in town.  Then when we were returning there was another sold out situation in Regina, as there was a huge farming Agricom convention in town! 

Jan playing in the mud puddles!

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Back in Winkler to pick up the LTV!

On To Winkler!

Off To See LTV!
5th to 10th June, 2016

Vernon to Yorkton
15hrs & 1500kms

Our LTV Unity was up for the final warranty work from Triple E/LTV in Winkler MB. So we thought an incorporated road trip would be the way to go.  

We would stop along the way to visit family and friends, first in Calgary AB, then Yorkton SK, and finally Gladstone MB, then dropping off the LTV in Winkler MB. We would then rent a car and drive back tracking to Edmonton, AB while our Unity was being worked on.  Going to Edmonton was so we could attend a small family memorial gathering for Craig's Father who passed away in April.

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From Home to Calgary, to Yorkton and to Winkler!

We stopped in Calgary to visit family!
Our LTV Unity is easy to maneuver and can park just about anywhere!

Parking at friend's in Yorkton!
Even fits on the small driveway.

This is the old homestead outside of Yorkton that we love to visit!

On our way to the homestead we came across these trees
No, it was not fall, but rather the trees stripped by caterpillars!

These are the culprits!
All over the place, squished on the roads by passing cars.

Even on the old homestead house!

We stopped to check on Dave's horses
They heard his voice and came running to him!

True Love!

Then it was on our way to visit Zoe's folks outside of Gladstone, MB.

Found them!

Country Living!

We had to visit the cows out in the fields!
Did we mentioned Jan loves cows :)

Visiting Zoe's Family
We were fed an amazing lunch and had an awesome visit!

An Amazing Lunch
Courtesy of Zoe's Brother James, Mom Cathy & Dad Garry 

We went on to Winkler, overnighted at their service department's courtesy RV parking.  Then dropped off the keys, jumped in our rental car and headed west to Edmonton!

LTV Kozad in for service

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And then we were off to Alberta again!

Off to Edmonton for Dad's memorial Service.