Sun 26th -
We continue our drive thru Utah, lots of mountains in the distance as we drive thru the valleys, then up & down mountains, 6160 ft elevation is the highest sign we see. Very beautiful scenery.
Thru Arizona corner & already seeing the red rock/adobe colors. Into Nevada, arriving in "Lost Wages" around 3:30. Timeshare is very easy to find, one block off the I-15 & the Strip. We get into our 1 bedroom apt, the bedroom is bigger than our motorhome!, near a heated pool & hot tub. Ahhh this is heaven for 5 nights! We get moved in & go out for a walk & nice dinner at Steakhouse 46 at the Flamingo, steak & chilean bass, great service. Gerry has not been here for 25 yrs, (remember, Danny & Joanne?) so there are lots of changes, even since I was here 4 yrs ago. We try out the poker table & the slots, with some good results. We start to adjust our time clocks to fit with the Sin City schedule & stay up a little later!

Mon - out for a long walk after breakfast all the way down the strip in one direction, up the other side, find a 1/2 price day of ticket place & purchase Second City Theatre tickets for tonight. Found a nice lunch place Red White & Blue at Mandalay Bay Casino, hop on their free monorail up to Excalibur Casino & walk to Bellagio to pick up our reserved tickets for Cirque du Soleil's "O" on Wed night. Back to the room & enjoyed the hot tub & pool. Cooked shrimp dinner & then out to Second City, which was very funny improv. - all original topics, lots of fun. A little more gambling after at the Flamingo. The poker table is taking our money, the slots are generously giving some back! A walk to explore the Paris Casino, imagine you are in France, awesome dessert crepes enjoyed at a Creperie! On our way home we found a great band playing at Bally's - Kass I - all motown music, Temptations, etc. This town never sleeps, so we try to stay up past midnight to see some of the sights!!!

Tues. - lovely sunny day, relaxed & enjoyed the pool side chairs, sun tanning, met a couple from Victoria. I had a great run down Flamingo Drive, G went for a long walk, shorts weather. Then out to hunt down a dinner at New York Casino. Found an excellent Italian - Il Fornaio Cucina, seafood soup, calamari & salads, so yummy! Then off to Coyote Ugly Bar & Dance Casino to see the dancing girls & shots from the stage into your mouth for females wanting to take the stage also. Stand up bar only & the drink prices confirmed that we are paying for those shots!! Music was great & that was an ....experience....! Walking thru the casinos is unbelievable, all have many gamblers, bars, restaurants, fun everywhere, what a fun place! After gambling for awhile (same results as last night), we sit down at a New York bar & watch the band "Michael Grimm", then take the monorail to Bally's & walk from there. Nights are cool & breezy.

Fri (24th) - sponge bath in hotel washroom, coffee in the lobby, we're off thru Montana. Rolling hills & valleys, lots of pasture land in the north. At Great Falls we are happy to see signs that say "south"!! On the I-15, four lanes, light traffic, soon we are in the Montana Rockies. Beautiful vistas, more deer, too many to drive in the dark, even at dusk or dawn. We put in a long day, watching the big Montana sky. Picked up our favorite picnic or travel meal, grocery store cooked chicken, & coleslaw. Also got a bag of broccoli - Steamfresh - just pop bag in micro for 5 min. & presto - yum. We savour the few leftover pyrogies from Bernie, also. Remember, it's all about the food! Camped in RV park at Butte, MO, no services, just electricity. We're in a different country, in Montana a "washroom" is a room to wash your CLOTHES!
Sat - sponge bath in gas station washroom, (feel homeless!) buy coffee & off at 7:10 - aren't you proud of us?
Today we make it thru the rest of Montana & all of Idaho. The mountains & valley towns are stunning! Pocatello, Idaho is beautiful, mountains all around. Lots of horses, all the deer that we see here are roadkill... Potatos are all harvested, many irrigation systems on fields, dykes, rivers. I drive thru Salt Lake City while G checks his emails & takes a break. We see the temple from the highway, but decide not to stop. We have a destination - we have reservations at our timeshare in Las Vegas on Sunday for 5 nights. We camp at an RV park that is all open, in Provo, Utah. Hurray it is warm enough to put water back in the motorhome, no more paper plates!
We take a walk to the state park nearby that is on the Salt Lake, nice marina. Dinner is
stirfried veggies, chicken & pasta. Many of these RV parks have wireless, very helpful.

Friday (17th) - back in MJ, dinner with bro Wade & Donna, that poor deer that is now sausage, mentioned earlier, with the traditional pyrogies, yum! Gaining weight, hell yes! Experienced a steam in Donna's portable/personal steam room, very relaxing! Parked ourselves at niece Penny & Dean's, lots of playtime with Alexis & Trista.
Saturday Wade fixed the furnace (fuse) for us, we had a cool bike ride to the sand dunes (yes, near MJ!), then took over the kitchen at bro Ryan & Pat's for a shrimp stir fry while Ryan cooked the beef at a dinner theatre for the Shriners.
Sunday we all congregated at the farm in Crane Valley at Uncle Lawrence & Gladys's for munchies, visit & a walk up Clay Butte to the big rock family monument (where S's parents' ashes are spread). Grey Cup was watched with lasagna at Penny & Dean's, burp...
Monday was prep for going south, lunch with family friend Aggie B & dinner at family friends' Martin & Bernie, also with Cal & Betty, Virginia & Penny. Great to catch up with all the news.
Tuesday (21st) we moved to Wade & Donna's, had an appt with travel medical clinic in Regina, flu shots & malaria prescription for further south prep. Then to Canadian Western Agribition, huge trade show & agriculture displays & entertainment. Family gathering at Wade & Donna's to reminisce, go thru pictures on 1st anniversary of Mom's death. Thanks to all those who thought of us on this day.
Wed - cleaned motorhome, laundry, haircuts, visit with cousin Delores & Ron, then off to the Can Western Rodeo Finals at Agribition in Regina. Joined Ryan with his friends in a viewing box above the arena. Fun, fun, very athletic cowboys & girls, excellent show, great western experience!
Thursday we visited family friend Vina Thiele in her new appt, then final goodbyes boo hoo! & off down the road south. Lots of deer along the roads, beautiful hilly views, great sunset. The border guard wanted to see G's cigars, no Cuban tobacco allowed, but he got them back. It is American Thanksgiving, so grocery stores closed, found a restaurant/motel open with RV park & wireless internet in Glasgow, Montana. Satellite internet doesn't work in these hills...

On the Edmonton leg of our now called Mooch-a-Thon/Hello Tour, we struck gold with a gourmet dinner with friend Ruth & son Aaron, yummy apricot stuffed pork & warm goat cheese salad, got those recipes! Hung out with Ruth on holiday Monday, she took us to the West Edmonton Mall for a look-see. Shopping, lunch & watching the seal show & beach bums.
Monday night we had dinner at S's cousin Maureen's, with kids Greg & Chrisine & Russell. Chicken kebabs & wild rice salad, I need that recipe!
Tuesday night was dinner with S's cousin Marv, Colleen & Chris at a great restaurant - Vicky's European, greek style delicious! We're having such variety....mmmmmmm.
Wed we headed north to St Albert for lunch, dinner, B & B with G's niece Natalie, Paul, Christian & Tyler. We're so glad to see Paul safely back from Afghanistan after 9 mths! After a long walk (military exercise?) thru the town, we enjoyed curried beef. Christian & Tyler got inspired to write a Rock Song & perform it with Uncle Gerry on the drums, now there are some pictures!
Thursday we started to head SOUTH & out of the snow, to Saskatoon & dinner with S's cousins Michael & Dianne; & Dave, Lorraine, Shawn & Sharla, & RaeLynne. Lasagne & B & B, we are so spoiled!
We have been witness on our travels to the largest Ukranian Easter Egg (see pic), the largest coffee pot, chain saw, snow plow, nickel, moose & there is a pyrogy on a fork, but we didn't get there!
Off to Moose Jaw & back to the motorhome to get ready for the warmer south, or at least as warm as it's been in PEI!!!

Continuing across the country on our Mooch-a-Thon, we had a great chicken stew with Jan & Les Wed. They are flying out tomorrow, trusting us alone in their house & looking after Zeke the cat! Thursday caught up on newspapers, walked to the mall for lunch food, back to enjoy the outdoor hot tub at -10, snow & icy walk on barefeet, ahhhh! Off to visit nephew Edward & Ruth, yummy home made spring rolls. Great appetizer before our amazing dinner at the Red Water Rustic Grill with G's former consulting colleague Gord & wife Gail.
Friday met up with Mark Dunlop (our Ottawa friends' son) for coffee, just moved here, what a sweetie! Got stuck in Fri aft traffic on our way to check into hotel before family gathering at nephew Steve & Jaime's. Pot luck at their designers' dream condo, with nieces Jeanette, Jamie & Kaden; Lisa, Bob, Sam & Jesse; Deneen, Ken & Keaghan; G's sister Estelle & Ian & Jaime's parents. Great planked salmon, Steve!
Hit the exercise room Sat am, then drove to Carstairs for lunch with S's cousin Mel & Annette. Homemade soup by the HomeEc teacher, yum!
Off to Red Deer for dinner, B & B at niece Deneen, Ken & Keaghan's. Barbecued steak & delicious fixins. After too much wine we decided a cowboy bar was a must see, so Ken took us to Billy Bob's (what else would a country bar be called?). What a hoot, great dancing, we need new lessons on the 2 step now!!
After hanging out Sat am, a walk at Bower Pond with Deneen & Keaghan & a tour of the Arts Centre where Ken works, its off to Edmonton for yet another meal with our friend Ruth.

Great driving thru the rest of Manitoba & into Sask. Arrived in Moose Jaw Sat afternoon. Parked motorhome at brother Ryan & Pat's to settle in for a few days. Great chinese dinner with them & niece Penny & blondies Alexis, Trista.
Caught up on the news & laundry on Sunday, ahhh, that feels good, life is simple! Delicious barbecued steak dinner with all & brother Wade. He & his buds shot 3 deer the next day, we can taste the sausage already!! Lots of semi's loading & unloading cattle bought & sold in the yard day & night, just a beehive of activity at Gibson Livestock.
Monday we drove to Regina to take Gerry's passport application to the Passport Office. Lineups but got it done. Rented a Ford 500 sedan for the next 2 weeks to visit around Alta & Sask., it'll be easier for driving around the cities & cheaper on gas than the guzzling Travelaire. Gas prices are about 30% more in Canada than in the US..!! Cleaned up motorhome & packed up for an early start Tuesday.
Love the local saying "you betcha!", used instead of sure, OK or 10-4!
Drove to Medicine Hat & met niece Samantha G for lunch, then a tour of her pad, sweet! The roads are flat, high quality & vast, 4 lane all the way from Brandon. There is so much space out here! Lots of windmills, oil derricks, more deer crossing the roads & nice rolling hills & valleys.
Stopped in a park in the city for a much needed walk, several large rabbits bouncing around.
Awesome garden spaghetti dinner with niece Lisa, Bob & Jesse, Samantha D had to go to work.
Wed morning got our exercise raking leaves & making Bob & Lisa's yard winter ready, gorgeous fall morning. These people make us work for our supper here, ha!
Had salmon lunch with sister Estelle & Ian, great apartment, great location. Now off to have dinner with S's school chum Jan & Les. Just hanging out at Chapters until they get off work, it is snowing outside, it's winter here!

Left Ottawa on Tuesday, drove thru North Bay, Sudbury & camped at Clear Lake campground near Iron Bridge, east of the Soo, right on a lake off of Lake Huron. Traffic light, roads good. Wed. we got thru the border into Michigan, travelling along the Upper Peninsula below Lake Superior. There are surprisingly beautiful beaches here, white sand too! Had a short hike for a break along a marsh trail. This route has a great road, no trucks & lots of small towns. Camped at a municipal park in Bruce Crossing, hot showers & bathrooms open. However, we didn't hear the weather forecast, a "lake effect snow storm". We woke up to several inches of snow & the water turned off! Snowed for several hours, plows out, but roads snow covered, went slow. We drove out of it, beautiful in Wisconsin & thru Minnisota. This is deer country, talk shows about culling the deer, hunters filling their ATV's with gas, trailers with coolers & gear, deer signs, deer food, deer hides buy & sell, & DEER - saw quite afew, most were alive & in the fields...
Got in touch with my Dad's 2nd cousin in Fargo, re my paternal Grandmothers' family & the research he has done. Diverted our route there to go & visit overnight. Dexter & I compared notes & we had dinner & breakfast with he & his wife.
Thursday we drove north thru N Dakota to Brandon. This brings back lots of memories of summer camping & visiting relatives, feels like Sask. Sugar beets have just been harvested for ethanol, lots of carrots & red beets for sale, rolling hills & flat land. The roads are straight & flat.
Had the best ever prime rib dinner at Albert's Restaurant in Brandon, with friends Brenda & Wes & young'uns Nelson & Alicia.
Congratulations Chantel for winning the Hallowe'en costume contest at work with "dress code violation" (all the items not allowed at work, ie flip flops, leggings, hoodies).!!
On our way to Moose Jaw then Alberta.