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**saralou** · #1 12 Sep 2018

We are still on a mission to get to visit Dan’s aunts in Saskatoon and Calgary after the death of his uncle. Again we used the McD wifi to check out the options and settled on the Comfort Inn right next door. Conveniently there was a diner across the road as we again had not eaten all day.

The 650 is making a wailing noise at idle and is running loudly. There is also a loud clacking of the chain in low gears. Dan tightened the chain, but what the whaling noise is we are not sure. It is otherwise running perfectly.

IMG_3438 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

We have decided to go to Winnipeg tomorrow in 351 km as there is a BMW certified service centre (for whatever that is worth) there. It is the holiday weekend and so we booked 2 nights near BMW.

Screen Shot 2018-09-03 at 19.41.12 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

We finally woke to sunshine and even better when we started the 650 it sounded completely normal! The oil level good and the chain clack is better. We will still go to Winnipeg and see how the day goes. The ride today was warm at 24 degrees and this is the first day without the hand warmers on for the 5 days across Ontario.

FILE2888 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

FILE2893 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

FILE2898 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

**saralou** · #2 12 Sep 2018

Just after the “border” to Manitoba we came across the marker for the longitudinal centre of Canada. This drive is so straight it can be mind numbingly boring on the transCanada. We arrived to the city and to the hotel near to BMW in late afternoon and finally had lunch there after 3. We tucked in for a relaxing evening.

FILE2932 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

Canada-20 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

Canada-23 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

**saralou** · #3 14 Sep 2018

It is sunny out again today, but when we stepped outside in shorts and t shirt and were battered by a freezing wind we retreated to put on jeans and get warmly dressed up. There is not much to do here in “Winterpeg”, but we did take the bus down to the Forks. This is the meeting of the Red and Assinaboine rivers and is a National Historic site. We then walked along the Red river into the Exchange district.

Canada-24 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

Canada-25 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

This is an area of old Winnipeg known for its intact early 20th century collection of warehouses, financial institutions, and early terra cotta clad skyscrapers. There is a maze of interconnecting tunnels below ground so people do not have to go outside in winter when it is minus 40.

Canada-26 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

**saralou** · #4 14 Sep 2018

Setting out this morning it was another gusty windy cold day. It started out at 12 degrees and was only 14 by noon. We had to wear our rain suits to cut the wind and so wished we had our heated gear with us. We headed west again the 16/#1 and planed to make it to Yorkton in 454 km, but only made it 351 km to Russell.

Screen Shot 2018-09-08 at 18.26.37 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

FILE2961 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

FILE2964 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

FILE2970 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

We made it 188 km and gassed up and then met Butch a local who bought us a coffee at Tim’s. He is a super friendly guy who has ridden various bikes in all the USA and Mexican states.

Canada-27 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

Canada-28 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

FILE2974 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

Canada-30 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

FILE2989 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

FILE2997 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

It is getting even more windy today and in fact at 3 when we stopped for lunch in Russel we had had enough of the buffeting and the noise. The Motel here was clean and reasonable. We settled in for a quiet night.

FILE2998 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

FILE3006 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

**saralou** · #5 14 Sep 2018

We are not going direct to Calgary as we are taking a slight detour to visit Dan’s aunt and uncle north of Muenster. Waking up today we put on some long under wear, but it was already 14 at 9 am. In fact it was 21 by 11 and we had to strip off some layers.

Screen Shot 2018-09-13 at 23.39.22 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

Canada-32 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

FILE3018 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

FILE3022 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

Canada-31 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

FILE3025 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

**saralou** · #6 15 Sep 2018

There are a lot of signs in many towns that proudly advertise the Olympic Gold medal winners NHL players from these small Manitoba and Saskatchewan towns. 17 km after Russell we hit the next provincial border.

FILE3033 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

We stopped in Yorkton for gas and to pick up some

s. You never know in the small Canadian towns along the rural highways if there will be a liquor outlet or not.

FILE3041 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

The road is straight, but a bit more scenic today with the farms and lakes. There are the iconic grain silos prominently situated along the way. We stopped in Foam Lake at the Husky (so Canadiana) for lunch, and then at Lake Lenore for gas and after pushed onto Rick and Mariette’s.

FILE3057 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

You have to love that there are often not real addresses in rural Sask. Our instructions were “take the highway to Muenster, turn north on the 368 , and then ride 40 miles. We are on the west side of the road with two rows of spruce trees and there are hay bales across the road.” And there they were ( we did have to call from the Coop 2 km up the road actually

.

**saralou** · #7 15 Sep 2018

We were happy to have the time to visit with these guys who have really followed our journey. Rick is a gourmet cook and we had home made smoked white fish and salmon fish, Fish and Chips made from their own potatoes and White fish he caught. We also enjoyed quite a bit of his red wine.

Canada-33 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

This morning it is a bit chilly and windy, but it settled down by noon and we hitched up the boat and made for the lake nearby. Dan and Sara both had a pike on the line with the first casts, but after this we just had a few nibbles. We had a lovely afternoon out on the water.

Canada-34 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

Canada-35 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

Canada-36 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

Canada-37 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
Rick cooked us up some huge prime rib steaks for dinner tonight.

Canada-38 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

Canada-39 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

Canada-40 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr