Rain, Rain, Go AWAY!

Odometer: 65,380
Glacier National Park to Swift Current, Saskatchewan
Price of gas: $4.49 (Near Glacier on the eastside. Whoa!)

The wind started about 4:30 this morning. Stiff, I finally checked the time at 5:20. Forty minutes of lying still, uncomfortable, trying to convince myself to go back to sleep. John Denver’s, “On the Road” stuck in my head. The wind wasn't bad, and it wasn’t cold, but it’s no fun waiting for quiet hours to be over. Just after 6 I got up and started breaking camp as quietly as I could. I used the wind gusts for cover. As I was folding up the last part of my tent, rain drops started to fall.

It was only 6:30, but I went looking for breakfast. I decided to stop in at Many Glaciers – “little Switzerland” – and did find a hot breakfast. Talked to a couple Czechs working as wait staff. It was about 42 degrees and cloudy, still spitting rain. Right, enough of this. No weather for hiking. I had asked the camp host last night about what I might find north and east of Glacier (in Canada) and he suggested the “Head Smashed In” buffalo jump. Back in the day, in the fall, Indian tribes would band together and run a buffalo herd off a cliff… food to get you through winter. Some part of me finds it awful, but it’s not like you could go down to the supermarket and get food at the time. It’s actually very clever and goodness knows they used everything. I told myself I’d take other people’s advice, and it was something I would not otherwise have done.



That's the view from the jump, and was probably the best weather I saw all day... typical of the scenery, too. Head Smashed In, by the way, refers to an Indian who stood a bit too close to the falling herd one day - not to the buffaloes who went over the cliff.

As I headed east, it started raining in earnest… and rained, and rained, and rained. Man, I thought I left Washington behind. I stopped in Lethbridge at the visitor center and said, “I know this isn’t your normal request, but where can I get a haircut?” I might have asked about going to Mars. “Well, Lethbridge is quite a religious town, and today is Sunday…” Ultimately they directed me to a place, but it had a 3-hour wait. Moving on…



I got to Medicine Hat, Alberta, and asked them what there might be between Medicine Hat and Swift Current. (side note: I love town mottos. Medicine Hat is, “The Gas City”, while Swift Current is, “Where life makes sense.” Sure it does!) They had no real suggestions – well, they did, but the area was outdoors and it was raining, raining, raining. They did, however, have free wi-fi, so I hooked up and cleared my inbox. Yay! Of course, this also drags me back to reality a bit… but there were some things left unfinished, and so they need to be dealt with.

I motored on to Saskatchewan, stopped in another visitor center. Woman was most helpful and gave me some good ideas about what to do tomorrow; also hooked me up with an accommodations guide. I called ahead to the Comfort Inn in Swift Current. Tomorrow is Labour Day here in Canada as well… I think they must have copied us, but neither the gal at the visitor center nor I knew who started it first.

Made it to Swift Current about 6 p.m. So grateful to have a shower and cell phone reception. Talked to mom and to Aunt Kathy. Went out to get dinner, and of course, the rain has stopped. Tomorrow is supposed to be somewhat nicer, but another slog day en route to International Falls, MN. On the upside, I can stop in Moose Jaw, Regina, and Brandon, MB, prior to going through Winnipeg on … umm… whatever day of the week the day after tomorrow is.