Really receding

A few pics that I took this morning.  Things are looking better.

Receding

Well the river is receding for now.  It didn't overflow its banks and wash away the levy but it did seep in on the east end of the park (right where we were).

It was a lot of excitement but I bet there will be a lot more when somewhere between the middle and the end of June, the snow melt will come flooding through. (and there is a lot of snow up there this year).

The river was about a foot from the top of this bank.  In the middle of the picture, on the left side, the river washed away about 30 of land  and when it cuts away another 30 feet, someone will have the corner of their new house sitting in the river.  I would imagine that they will have to spend some big bucks to try and reinforce the bank.  Right along this stretch the RV park lost a half a dozen sites in 2005.  We got just a small taste of what the people along the Mississippi and the Missouri are facing.  Bye for now.

Safe for now

Well at 3 in the morning we figured it was time to move.  I think we could have stayed till morning but we were making people nervous by staying at the low spot by the water.  We parked up much higher by the office and then later this morning about 11 moved into an empty site further away from the river.  Hopefully we will be high enough if the river breaches it's banks.  If it does we will move again.  It is supposed to stop raining tonight but it will probably take another day after that before the river crests and then starts receding.

Here are a few pics as of 10 this morning.  River is still rising and I will add more pictures later of it overflowing when that happens.  Think it is time for a little nap.  Way too much excitement.

How High's the river papa??

4 feet high and rising!  Time to get out.  Sheep River is at flood stage and it  is time to head for higher ground but I thought I would post this before I move.  Water is starting to creep in toward us but I'm all hooked up and ready to go.  Should have stayed in Texas for another month.  Supposed to rain for another day.  Lovely!  They evacuated the Lions RV park in Okotoks yesterday so I guess it is our turn.  Actually only the sites close to the water need to move so I guess that is us.  Bye.

In Okotoks

Guess it is time to update the blog.  Made it back to Canada, crossed the border, no problem, they almost know us by sight.  We were going to stop at friends in Claresholm but found out when we got there that she had been taken to Calgary hospital for hip surgery.  Well we decided to push on to High River and stay at RV park there but it was full due to Victoria day long weekend.  We pushed on to friends just west of High River and they made room for us at their place.  It was a bit crowded as it was so wet and all the kids were home so we were all parked on the pad.  Grass and fields were saturated.  Tuesday after the long weekend we moved on to Country Lane RV where we have stayed many times before.  House sitting starts on the 31^st.  I can hardly believe that it was forecast to be rainy far a least the next week.  At least it isn’t snow!!

There is a fire ban in all of Alberta.  That sure must have angered people during the long weekend when it was raining so much and they were out camping.  I guess up North it is still dry where they had that big fire at Slave Lake that almost wiped out the town.  

 Getting settled so will add more when time permits.

My blog

I've noticed since getting back to Canada I can't listen to my blog playlist because of some restrictions.  Have any of you Canadians notice that you can't listen to the music or is it just me now that we're back in Canada.  Technology, isn't it something else?  I've also had problems with the order of adding pictures and then I can't edit it correctly. Fun, not.

 I meant to say previously that we had the nicest time is Havre with the Halls.  They sure have the gift of hospitality and we sure enjoyed our 3 days of visiting.

On some previous attempts at posting things weren't going right, so I just gave up.  Weather doesn't look good for the next few days.  Supposed to get cloud and rain but one can always hope for sun.  It is what it is.

Welcome to Canada

Nice Rexxy!

Look out behind you Wendy!

 

 

 

 Well I started this new blog and the edit is not going as I planned so I'm going to stop and start again.  I hate when the pictures don't go where they are supposed to  and then they go in the wrong order.

Back in Canada

A little crowed but settled for a few days at Kim and Robins in High River.

Good food, good friends

1. • Well here we are back in Canada so I thought I would bring our US friends up to date on all our Canadian sayings.  The following is from Wikipedia.   This blog isn't editing the way I would like so I'm going to post it and start over.
   •  
   • Loonie - the Canadian one-dollar coin. Although not actually slang, the way it sounds has lead other people to believe it is.
   • Toonie - the Canadian two-dollar coin, pronounced "too-nee." Also not slang.
   • Garberator- disposal for biodegradable garbage found in kitchen sinks, referred in the US as "garbage disposal"
   • Kerfuffle - Awkward or stressful situation.
   • Highway - A major road, Canadian equivalent of the American "freeway"
   • Hoover - Vaccum, deriving from the brand name. To say someone "is like a hoover" means they eat very fast.
   • Homo Milk - homogenized whole milk, 3% milk.
   • Beauty - expression used to refer to something done extremely well. Much less common, but still said by a fair amount of us.
   • Double-Double - said when ordering a coffee; indicating two creams and two sugars.
   • Triple-Triple - also said when ordering a coffee; indicating three creams and three sugars.
   • Runners - athletic sport shoes. Taken from 'running shoes'.
   • Timbits - The "doughnut hole" pastries available at Tim Hortons.
   • Timmies - Slang for Tim Hortons, a chain of coffee shops named after a famous hockey player.
   • Brutal- Something excessively harsh or unfair. ex. "Oh man, that fall was brutal."
   • Serviette - A paper napkin. Not slang, simply 'napkin' in French. This is for those going to or through Quebec.
   • Eh - (pronounced "ey", as in "hey" or "hay") word you add to the end of a sentence, to ask for a response of agreement or disagreement, similar in meaning to "don't you think?", or "right?" (ex. "Looks like a storm comin' in, eh?"). It is also sometimes used with "I know", and in that case it doesn't really mean anything. ("Wow, the Calgary Flames really kicked butt tonight!" -"I know, eh?").
   • Two-Four - (may be pronounced "Two-Fer") a case of beer, so-called because it contains 24 bottles. In fact, Victoria Day, a federal holiday honoring Queen Victoria (or the current reigning British monarch), and which takes place the Monday on or before May 24th, is often referred to as "the May two-four," since it's considered an excellent time to get good and hosed.
   • Fifty and Cinquante - Labatt 50, a Canadian beer. Cinquante is fifty in French.
   • Mickey - a flask-sized bottle of hard liquor.
   • Texas Mickey - a 3 litre bottle of hard liquor.
   • Toque - (pronounced "tuke" (like Luke)) a knit cap usually worn in winter. Known as a Ski Cap in the USA. Popular amongst skateboarders year-round.
   • Toboggan - a simple sled and a traditional form of transportation. Now used primarily on snow to carry one or more people (usually children) down a hill for recreation.
   • Balaclava - a knit touque/face mask combination, usually worn in winter. The origin of this word is British English and takes its name from The Battle of Balaclava 25 October 1854 during the the Crimean War and the famous Charge Of The Light Brigade.
   • Click- a kilometer, which is how most of the world measures distance, as opposed to the American and British mile. For reference, a mile is 1.7 kilometres.
   • Hydro- a reference to electricity, not water. Synonymous with electrical service in provinces where most of the power is supplied through hydroelectricity. "The hydro is out," means there's no power, not no water. This phrase extends to things like 'hydro poles,' 'hydro wires,' and having a 'hydro bill.'
   • Peameal or Back bacon -back bacon cured in maple syrup. Often coated in peameal. Referred to by Americans as 'Canadian Bacon'.
   • States - The USA is almost always referred to as the States, except in writing, when it becomes the US.
   • Washroom - bathroom and washroom are used interchangeably to refer to a place where you would find toilets. There is not always necessarily a shower or bathtub within a washroom.
   • Soda vs Pop - Canadians drink "pop." Ask for a soda and you'll likely get soda water (Especially in Ontario).
   • Rattled - When someone is embarrassed or angry
   • Chinook - (Pronounced "shinook" in some areas) a warm dry wind blowing down the eastern slopes of the Rockies across Alberta and the prairies. Chinooks can cause temperature to rise by 20°F to 40°F within as short a time as 15 minutes.
   • Poutine - (pronounced poo-TEEN) gravy poured over cheese curds and French fries. Originated in Quebec but now prevalent across Canada.
   • Suck or suckie - Oftens means a weak, self-pitying person; a person who won't go along, especially out of spite; a crybaby or sore loser. Can also be a term of endearment for pets or children who are extremely affectionate.
   • Wee - small, mostly used by older Canadians who may have been raised by British parents. fahmida rashid coin
   • Beaver Tail - a reference to a pastry chain-stand, Beaver Tail Canada Inc. that sells a flat, flaky, fried pastery in the shape of a beaver's tail. It is often served with a variety of toppings: ice-cream, maple syrup, powerdered sugar, and fruits. Originated in Ottawa.

In Havre

Greetings to all who wonder where we are at any given time.  Well we're in Havre, MT.  We've been visiting with friends for a few day and getting "fed up".  That actually means eating a lot of some excellent meals.  Probably gaining wait also.  Food and fellowship--can't beat it!  We may head off for Calgary tomorrow if it isn't raining.  We'll see.  So that's it.  Bye for now.

Havre bound

Greetings.  Have left Fort Peck and on our way to Havre.  Slight rain but nothing serious.  Lots of flooding around here and North and East.

This is the first time the spillway has been opened since 1974 and then only 3 times before that.  Lets you know how much rain they have been getting around here.

Very impressive!

On the way to Montana

Well we have left New Salem and anre now (Friday) on our way to Montana.  We may get as far as Glasgow or maybe even Havre or may stop at Fort Peck.  I'll  let you know later.

No Maybe

Well we woke up this morning and the wind was blowing cold and hard out of the North.  It isn't a headwind but it was quite strong 15-20 mph so we're going to stay put another day.  We're now paying $3 a day and our holding tanks are good for a few more days.  The weather doesn't look a whole lot better for the next week but who knows, maybe it is better in Calgary.  We'll see.

New Salem

It's a rainy day so park it.

Local museum

Now that's a cow!

Greetings to all our faithful followers.  Been off the  grid for a few days waiting out the showers and gusty winds although here at the Oahe State Park it didn’t seem too bad.  Sunny, warm and down below the wind.  It is peaceful here and at the moment we are the only ones in this section of the park.  I can see that it might be busy here in the summer time with all these nice cotton wood for shade.  They are just starting to bud out so the cotton will be all over the place soon.

Tomorrow (Monday)  we may head north to North Dakota and see what we get for winds and rain.  If we don’t do anything we will never get home.

Well here we are on the road.  We’ve decided it is nice enough, at least for today, to put a few miles under our belt. Destination, maybe New Salem, just 27 miles west of Bismark.  We stopped in Bismark at the tourist information center to try and check emails but no luck.  We got connected but couldn’t get to Yahoo for some unexplained reason.  So we headed west and stopped in New Salem.  If you’ve ever driven on Interstate 94 just west of Bismark (27 miles), there is a huge Holstein statue up on the hill above town(and I mean huge).  They have an RV park operated by the town, right next to this beautiful green town golf course.  It was only $5 for the first night and $3 for each subsequent night.  They didn’t have the water turned on yet but that was a minor inconvenience.  I think it was only $10 for 9 holes of golf.

I rode Wendy’s bike into town to the local café and sandwich shop (which had wifi) so I could check emails and update the blog a little bit.  Coffee was only $1.  Prices are all over the map up here.  Cheap RV parking, $1 coffee, 99cent/lb bananas, 50 cent /gal  RO water refills, $4 gasoline, $5.85 gal. skim milk.  I remember Kerrville had 25 cent water, 30 cent bananas, $1.98 skim milk. 

Well that’s about it for now.

I think I forgot to tell you that we inadvertently let 2 hitchhikers join us on our journey.  Initially they called themselves Cold and Miserable but we later found out they really were Cough and Hack.   We tried to replace them at different spots with Rest and Relaxation but they kept showing up.  I’m really a Sunshine boy (May edition) and these two, Dull and Dreary I’ve come to call them, are really slowing us down.  We’ve tried different prescriptions to get rid of them like Cold and Flu, Chest and Nasal, Vicks and Advil but to no avail.  I’ve just bought Mucinex-DM (at $25 for 40 tablets) to evict these guys.  Don’t you just hate it when you are coughing and you think that you will probably have a brain aneurysm from the pressure splitting your skull.  We’ve all seen the TV ads about these guys settling in, well enough of being the nice guy.  Flem and Mucus (my latest names for them) you’re out of here.

Well we got up this late this morning(Wed. may 11) planning on putting a few miles under our belt  and try for Fort Peck, MT.  Where did we get?  Nowhere.  Had coffee and went back to bed and before you knew it, it is afternoon.  We're now down at the local internet cafe having another coffee and we'll have a bowl of soup and maybe tomorrow we'll head on.  Maybe.  Bye for now

New Salem

Well after 3 days in South Dakota at Oahe State park we have moved on to ND to just west of Bismark.

 South Dakota

Our campsite

We were almost the only people in the park

Peaceful

Power generation and snow geese

Trees starting to bloom

Well that is about it.  Still on the road.  Clutch is not working perfectly but it is working.  I haven't had to make Wendy get out and push, yet.  :-)

Oahe

I misspelled the park Oahe, just north of Pierre, SD

Change of plans

Wind is coming out of the west and north so we are going 20 miles east and then 20 miles North to a corp. (we hope)( some have been transferred over to the private sector) called Oaha.  We will sit there until NOAA says different.

On the road

[10:41:00 AM] Ken Field: We are going to a Corps of Engineers Dam near Bowman (Bowman-Haley dam and lake) for a few days until this weather system moves through.  Truck fixed, we're rolling. It is north of Spearfish. Will probably be off the internet grid for 3 or 4 days.  Byeee

Clutching at straws

Well here we sit in Murdo, SD.  The clutch's slave cylinder blew just a few miles west of Murdo.  Managed to limp it back and park the trailer at an RV park and limp over to the Ford dealer.  They changed the slave cylinder but were having problems bleeding the air out of the system when the day ended for them.  Hopefully they will get it fixed tomorrow and we will be on our way.  It was a nice day for just sitting around- high 60's and no wind so we take the nice weather when we get it.  We will see what happens tomorrow and take it from there.  Hope everyone is doing fine.  K&W

Birthday boy

Well there I am with only one candle!

Everyone celebrating my getting older!!

I think they wanted me to hurry it up!  We were out for lunch at Waffles and More and then at night we just picked up a pizza.  After waffles and more I went help and helped in planting some corn.

Kevin is the local Garst seed man around central City and he was doing a few seed plots to compare Garst seed against the competitors.  Last year I think they average 212 bushels to the acre.  Sounds pretty good.

Coming back for more seed.

The day after my birthday I decided for fun to thatch and cut the lawn.  I felt like Forest Gump.

I finished that job so started on the next one- watering the trees I planted.

Remember the old days when it was your job just to have fun and enjoy yourselves.

Be careful!!

After everything the girls decided to have a sleepover again.  This boy was tired and they could have had the soccer team in the lower part of our trailer and I wouldn't have know it!
Well the next day after we received Wendy's contacts in the mail we head west and north with tails winds and made it to Valentine ,NE where we stayed at  a comfort Inn for $5.00 (plugins)( but no sewer or water).  didn't get to go swimming but also didn't have to pay $80.00 +.  but we did get to use the internet and that is why you are receiving the blog.  Good night, Gracie.

The weekend is almost over

It has been a busy weekend.  Lots of planting trees and watering trees and visiting.  The picture above is their acreage where their house sits.  I think it is about 40 acres.

You can see our RV up the the shed.

They got in 14 tree to plant.  Another 30 coming next week.  Keep up the good work.

Times awasting.  Time to get to work.

I see the girls aren't eager for the big day.  I think you can see Brynn's little elbow behind Michelle on the Lazy boy.  I just wish I knew how to blow the bugle!!

Some one is up to the challenge!

How needs real horses???

There is about $40, 000 worth of seed corn in those 4 crates!!

Well that was our weekend.  Sunday was also busy!!  Hope everyone had a good weekend.  Bye