So, last  night Anne and I walked across the CP tracks to the Shell convenience store so I could buy myself some gum for the next days drive. Anne says to me , I wonder how often these tracks get used. LOL the next morning she was able to tell me. Yes there are some advantages to being hearing impaired. She said, nice campground except for the trains in the night. I understand there were at least 4.
Anyway we got on the road again about 9:30a.m. It started out to be a tame day drive with a little wind behind us. We got to Chaplan Sask and stopped for lunch. They dredge salt from a lake here or something so it looks like big piles of snow around. We could have stayed in the local campground there aka baseball event parking for $10 a night no electrical or $15 with. They had a little metal box for cheques with a note on it saying "we appreciate your honesty", true small town thinking. So you see if you really wanted to save money and there were no Walmarts around you still have options.
As I was saying it started out to be a tame drive day. We no sooner pulled onto the highway and I said to Anne I think the wind has changed directions. Yes sir , turns out for the next 2 hours I am bucking a strong almost cross wind again. This combined with Saskatchewan`s rutted highways from the big semis is not a relaxing way to drive. We made it to Maple Creek around 5pm and my left shoulder was not feeling great. We get settled in and I  check the weather on my HTC to find out there is a severe thunder storm warning for Maple Creek. We take Cash for his evening stroll and he has his tail between his legs and is shaking. He can sense the storm and hear the distant rumble of thunder. Back to the Hippyhome and batten down the hatches. Turns out we got the edge. Just some rain but all the electrical and thunder passed us on the west heading towards the extreme southeastern border of Sask. Met some interesting people there. One couple in an old well kept Ford travel van that had been to the Regina folk festival. They should have had our Hippymotor decals on their van , they looked more the part. Another older couple from east of Winnipeg travelling to Cypress hills to meet up with their kids from Calgary to take in the star gaze this weekend in the park and another senior couple in their Diesel Pleasureway van( they said they get 26/28 mpg, ah but we got the space) just touring the Cypress Hills area.
That is one of the best parts of rv`ing or tenting, is the people you meet.
On the road again for the last day of travel. Around 10:30 a.m. we crossed back into Alberta.
We got to Medicine Hat and filled up for our final km`s. Sure was nice to see $1.14/litre on the pump. Before we left Calgary I thought that was a lot until we were paying $1.34 /litre in Ontario.
Back in the 80`s when I worked in sales for Nestle my territory included Calgary, Brooks and Medicine Hat and I got so used to that drive you don`t notice things anymore. Well I noticed this time that especially from Medicine Hat to Calgary you are constantly climbing. Also between Red Cliff( outskirts of Med Hat) to Brooks I would have to say it is more barren landscape than what most people joke about Saskatchewan.
As we got closer to Calgary we once again realized how big the city is and bigger all the time. Makes you appreciate small towns like Indian Head, where you go into the local bakery for coffee and goodies and the locals talk to you. Speaking of Indian Head , I think I failed to mention in my last post and I also did not know that it was the location set for Little Mosque on the Prairie.
Well we got to our house about 4:30pm and that brought that brought this first episode of our Hippyhome Adventures to an end. When I checked the mileage we had travelled 8577km since June 27.
Friends and family have already asked if it is good to be home. Well yes, but home is where the heart is and truth be known if money were no object I would still be behind the wheel discovering new places and meeting new faces. Next summer we plan to go west to BC.

Thanks again for travelling with us. I am planning to have a slide show of some of our pix at my next drum circle.

Stayed tuned for my newest blog, "The Wheels on the bus....."

Richard & Anne