finished third leg

"You will ride eternal, shiny and chrome."

Today was last day of driving for a bit. Of continuous driving. We were destined for Merritt Reservoir State Recreation Area where we'd pause for a couple of days. I was ready for a break from hauling.

It rained all night, non-stop. Interesting note on the roof of the RV trailer. A lot of rain. No wonder they have huge storm drains built into the curbs in the nearby towns. It was cool and windy. Grey. Horizon to horizon clouds. Rain now, I thought; get it out of your system...

6:49 AM CDT. Heard Ian leave the trailer.

We had a quick breakfast. Then we headed into the store to do the group grocery shopping.

8:44 AM. Over the PA system in the store, I heard Carly Simon...

You're so vain
You probably think this song is about you
You're so vain, you're so vain
I'll bet you think this song is about you
Don't you? 
Don't you?

Well I hear you went to Saratoga
And your horse, naturally, won
Then you flew your Learjet up to Nova Scotia
To see the total eclipse of the sun
Well, you're where you should be all the time
And when you're not, you're with some underworld spy
Or the wife of a close friend, 
Wife of a close friend, and

You're so vain
You probably think this song is about you
You're so vain, you're so vain
I'll bet you think this song is about you
Don't you?
Don't you?

There were two eclipses visible from Nova Scotia in the early '70s: 7 March 1970 and 10 July 1972.

I found pine nuts! That made me very happy.

9:27. We checked out of WalMart. We stuffed the food into the trailer fridge and freezer and the three coolers in the truck.

10:28. Did a quick booze run at the Hy-Vee wine and spirits store. Got stuff for Tony and Grace and myself.

We left Norfolk via highway 275.

11:57. The road was starting to dry. It remained around 19°C.

1:03. We lunched in Bassett in a little park at the side of the road. It resumed raining.

Ian and I saw an old rail line bed, converted. We learned it was the longest in country. Formerly, the Chicago & North Western railway. Now it served as the Nebraska Cowboy Trail. Lots of old telegraph poles...

Nasty cross winds. I found it unsettling as I drove. I had to not overcompensate for the trailer being tossed around.

2:31. We arrived Valentine. Completed my stint...Fuelled.

Spotted some blue sky. The rain was ending.

Took Hwy 97, south-west. 25 km to go.

There were grass covered dunes everywhere. The north-west winds had deposited the sand over eons.

We crossed into another time zone.

Photo shot with iPhone. Copyright © 2007 Ian Wheelband.

We arrived Merritt Reservoir. It was good, really good, to get here. It was satisfying to know we'd be in a spot for a few days. We got water for the trailer. Ian showed me how to fill the tank. We spotted park host on the way into Cedar Bay. We set up trailer. Then I unpacked my gear.

Could not find my extension cord despite it being on my packing list. I wasn't sure if I had left it in my car... Not critical; I could still charge things at or in the trailer.

We had drinks by the lake. The Hiram's Bones Porter was fair; not as intense as I had anticipated. But they had a cool and colourful label with stars and a full Moon.

We messaged friends and family back home.

Ian and I set up dining tent. He helped me set up my sleeping tent. I remembered the poles this time...

We had dinner.

Ian reported not feeling well. Cold symptoms. Oh oh.

We had drinks at sunset overlooking the reservoir. We tried to spot Mercury unsuccessfully. Birds peeped, boats drifted, fish jumped, bats circled, toads hopped, and ripples echoed.

We packed it in, both tired. Too exhausted to observe.

The comfort station was OK, fairly clean. Reminded me of provincial parks. There did not seem to be any hot water at the sink. The interior lights defaulted to off; triggered on by motion.

9:31. In bed. Which seemed early, at the moment. But it was 11:30 EDT...