So long Saskatchewan, Hello Manitoba

Today's travel was short compared to yesterday's driving marathon, which gave us the opportunity to make a few stops at some of the small towns between Regina and Winnipeg. The scenery is still very interesting to us. It is so unlike what we see in BC. The wide open spaces dotted with weathered old barns and grain elevators next to modern structures. Silos, feed pellet manufacturing plants, fertilizer terminals, fields of yellow canola (not mustard as I mistakenly had thought). Solitary farmhouses miles away from their nearest neighbour. You can see how, for the farmers, the trip into town was for more than just getting supplies. Prairie life is very community driven. My grandmother was a teacher in a one-room school in Bridgeford, Sask. It was at a church social that she met my grandfather, a young farmer, newly arrived from England with his two brothers to farm.
We listened to the local radio stations, hearing the latest farm reports, research on developing a leaner pork, and a public service announcement directed to those who may be suffering added stress and anxiety caused by the flooding to their farms. They were being counseled to talk to someone about their feelings and try not to resort to alcohol or drugs. Farming is hard work and the the weather this year has not been good. It was a late planting season, with a very narrow window, and if they haven't planted yet, it is too late for this year. The latest weather conditions are just another of the hardships they have to face.
My main challenge during this trip was not what you may think, being with Ed 24/7 (or vice versa), but how to maintain a healthful eating and daily fitness routine.
Before the journey I was worried that spending 9 hours on my bum might bother my back and hips (and make them wider). I bought a wedge cushion to sit on and that has helped. And I have developed a series of low back and ab exercises I do when I am in the passenger seat. Little does Ed know that while he is driving, I am exercising my ass off! I also brought along a flexband. I try not be be too distracting as I do my upper body workout and then a few pilates bend & stretch leg presses. Ed says he doesn't mind the exercises, it's the smell of the flexband that gets to him. During our rest stops, I do my body-break routine: picnic table push-ups, jumping jacks, squats, leg circles and add a few sun salutations. I try to be as discreet as possible as I call out, "take a shot me doing this exercise Ed".
It is actually pretty easy to maintain a healthy diet on the road. There are lots of places to buy fresh fruit, veggies, whole grain sandwiches - or fixings for sandwiches. Breakfast is usually homemade granola and yogurt. Going ethnic for dinner gives you lots of choices for "clean" eating. Steamed veggies and seafood & veggie combos. But let's not forget, this is a holiday and when traveling you have to sample some of the food indigenous to the area. In the town of Grenfell we stopped at the R & T Bakery where we enjoyed freshly baked cinnamon buns and bought a couple of prairie classics - butter tarts, to have for our afternoon snack. I have had to give up my old buddy Starbucks for this part of the journey but I have picked up another fellow to travel with, Tim Horton. On the road this afternoon, we pulled into a Tim Horton's just outside of Brandon. We were surprised to see that also getting their double, doubles were 3 army tanks carrying soldiers from a nearby CFB. On the back of each tank was a sign, Student Driver. You don't see that very often at the Shelbourne Street Tim Horton's in Victoria.
Tonight we are staying with Kate and James in Winnipeg. Even though they are undergoing major home renovations, they have opened their home to us. Ed has set the tent up on the back deck, but I have chosen to try to steer clear of the mosquitoes and have my cot set up in the living room. I will spend the night with George, their tabby cat. They had already had their dinner by the time we had arrived. They told us about Italian restaurant within walking distance. What better way to see a new town than to walk through the neighbourhood. Dinner tonight was a fire roasted pizza topped with basil, wilted arugula, buffalo mozzarella and goat cheese. For starters, I had the roasted beet salad topped with walnuts & goat cheese and Ed had a vary interesting version of a caesar salad. Accompanying all of this was a delicious cold Italian beer.