We are now on the final leg of our Epic Journey. Although it has been a great trip, we are seeing signs of fatigue from each one in the family. Even the extraverts in the family are getting a bit tired from all the people interaction. But just when we think, “we’ve seen and met all the coolest people.” God surprises us with more.
A few days ago, we were driving from Alberta to Saskatchewan through the “fastest route” according to our gps. This put us on a string of “Range Roads” (these are country roads, that are sometime not even paved). On one of these, we almost tipped over when pot holes, that were created by 18 wheeler trucks, suddenly appeared while we were going over 110 km (yes, some of these roads have this as their speed limits or none at all, which makes people go faster). With the roof rack on top, it was a miracle for us to not fall into one of those! Then we came to a section of the road where the road crew was tarring up the road with heavy machinery to re-pave it. We were stuck there for about 15 minutes for them to come through a section of the road that was about 1/2 km long. The man holding the “yield/stop” sign came over and chatted it up with us (we were the only car on that road at that time). He gave us the lay of the land going forward to Saskatoon. He told us that most people don’t come through that particular road. He was also able to tell us that there was a gas station about 5 kms away, and that we should probably get gas there. When I looked down to the gas gauge, and saw that we had a 1/4 tank left. We took his advice and filled up. After several hours of drive it dawned on me that if we didn’t go through that road and meet that man we would have passed that little gas station and ended up on a “Range Road” with an empty gas tank.
Our trip to Saskatoon also brought amazing fun. Our friends that we were meeting took us to a farm that specialized in Saskatoon berries. Our family got a thorough education in Saskatoon berries and picked and ate three different varieties!
Then last night, we came to Moose Jaw and checked into a hotel early enough to go to the pool. Unfortunately, the pool was closed for maintenance. We were very tired and discouraged. The person at the counter, when we checked in, saved the day! She told us that, if we wanted, we could go to a water park or a mineral spa near by and just bring them the receipt. One of the things that we were told about Moose Jaw was that it was famous for mineral baths. So, our family got to go to an amazing mineral spa – for free!
Some times I have to wonder, “Are these things simply coincidences or God’s blessing?” 🙂
James
AKorDian 