10 May - Swift Current to Brandon - Day 6 of TCE

Swift Current, despite the small town that it is, is a popular stopover point for people in transit between the west and east. And, that would be the reason for so many hotels and motels in the town. Most seemed to be doing good business too, with the season yet to turn the corner. For instance, even the Caravel Motel had become pretty much full by 9 pm last evening. As I drove out of Caravel Motel this morning I came across the Living Sky Casino within a short distance of the motel. When I saw that I rued the fact that I did not take the time out the last evening to stroll around the casino. It is considered to be a premier entertainment center with games, entertainment and food. Next to it is the Holiday Inn. Going by how busy the parking lots of the two buildings were, I gathered that the weekend had started a day earlier for those folks!

It was not a clear day as I began the day’s drive. It was grey and overcast with just a hint of clearing in the horizon. Soon it started to drizzle and in some places became heavy too. The road conditions were great, as it has been thus far, with maximum speed permitted consistently at 110 kph. In less than three hours I got to the city of Moose Jaw and turned into a fuel station to fill up. The arrangement in fuel stations in Canada is that you prepay for the quantity or amount and then fuel. This has a disadvantage in that one doesn’t know how much fuel it takes to fill the tank. Not surprisingly a Punjabi girl was at the counter. I told her that I would like to fill the tank and in departure from custom she told me to put the fuel in and then pay. Moose Jaw is an important railway junction for loading of agricultural produce. It is rumoured that Al Capone had some connection with the city during his salad days.

Regina is the capital of Saskatchewan. The TCH bypasses the city and goes on towards the border of Manitoba. 5 km short of the landmark the border of the province was signposted. I turned in to the niche area where a group of four travelling in a beated down camper van was having a whale of a time with a few cans of beer and a video session. My arrival there seemed to upset their plans and they left in a short while. That gave me the opportunity to take a few photos and read up about ‘Canada’s Heart Beats’, the slogan for attracting tourism into the province. One of its cities, Churchill, is supposed to the world’s capital for beluga whale and polar bear watchers. Manitoba is tops in wheat production which gives it the name Canada’s Wheat Country. Sunflower seed and dry beans production is another important economic activity in the region. Farms were getting tilled and ready for the next sowing season. Manito is one of the three prairie regions of Canada, with Alberta and Saskatchewan being the other two. Prairies are were shrubs and grasslands dominate instead of trees.

I took one more stop before the final destination of Brandon. It was at a small town called Moosomin for a cup of coffee at a Tim Hortons outlet. It is Canada’s favourite fast food chain specialising in coffee and donuts. Reportedly they have nearly 5000 outlets in 14 countries. When I reached the counter I became hungry, magically. I ordered a Ceasar Salad, potato wedges and a large cup of Hot Chocolate. I carried most of the Hot Chocolate into the car to leisurely sip it on the rest of the drive to Brandon.

I had booked a room in the Midway Motel, a short detour from the TCH. When I turned into the drive I noticed that the motel had prominently advertised that they had renovated rooms with free Wi-Fi and complimentary continental breakfast. The facility is run by a Chinese Christian family. I was shown into a very large room with ample facilities and en suite toilet and bath. Breakfast, they said, would start from 4 am! The room was indeed recently renovated and some of the rooms were still getting a face-lift.

Manitoba is in a different time zone from Saskatchewan. It is -5 GMT in Manitoba against -6 GMT in Alberta and Saskatchewan and -7 GMT in British Columbia. That put me at an hour’s disadvantage in the city. By the time I reached the Discovery Centre I was told that it would be closing in three minutes, as it was that close to 5 pm. I chose to amble along the park by the waterfront, which was a good place to watch the Canadian geese and ducks. Nearing time to roost there was quite a gaggle from a flock of geese still in the water. One of the points that interested me were the roosting points built for Purple Martins. Not only did they have a room with a view, the birds could perch on a balcony of their own to chat with their neighbours. In a short while it was obvious to me that the perches and nests had permanent occupants; temporary fly by night operators were not welcome at all.

Ready to eat noodles with spam after a couple of cans of Captain Morgan spiked Root Beer was all that was necessary to turn in for a good night’s sleep. I had another day of 600 plus km ahead of me.