Bolers everywhere!!!!!

The town of Macklin fed us breakfast and in exchange we had the option of donating to the Macklin swimming pool fund. Today is an open house of sorts. People just going around looking at other Bolers. Tonight we have a pot-luck Kerry is making Macaroni salad. Tomorrow we will head off for Saskatoon. Shawn

Macklin Saskatchewan

Made it to the Prarie Egg Gathering in Macklin. Already met a few nice people this afternoon. It is still hot but should start cooling off soon.
Patrick made his flight and is now looking after things at home along with his sister. Bummer....I had to do all of the preventive maintenance checks and services.......but I am getting fed real well by Kerry......... amongst other things.
Went through Drumheller yesterday afternoon. We felt like prunes by the time we got to or campsite at Coronation Alberta. The cool thing about Coronation is the tea comes right out of the faucet or at least looks like it does. Didn't taste like tea though.
I will update on the egg gathering tomorrow.....Promise. Shawn

Miles Covered Through Montana to Calgary

It was 2645 miles to Glendive Montana......Then we traveled 1253 miles in Montana.......Then 230 from Coutts/Sweetgrass to Calgary. That doesn't include the run around miles.
The total comes to 4128 miles(6643km).

Kerry Makes Calgary

Well Kerry was fogged in on the coast of BC so she was late getting in to Calgary but we picked her up without a hitch and parking was free. Now tomorrow Patrick flies out early in the morning. He will take the shuttle from the motel and has arranged for a friend to pick him up in Halifax.
I cleaned the Boler after the morning rain shower. Patrick put some more goop on the Nemesis valve cover. We are optimistic that we have finally solved the problem. Everything is dusted and Flivver is ready for the second half of the trip.
Tomorrow we head off to Saskatchewan for the Prarie egg gathering.

Windmills and powerlines

Did you ever hear anyone argue that harnessing wind power with windmills is unsightly. Yet they seem to forget windmills seem to have more grace (old or new) than all of those damn power lines.





Or maybe it is all closer to art than we thought.

Shawn

Blunders

Seems most of the blunders on the trip have been mine.

The 1st day out I tried to tighten up the drivers mirror. I got to aggressive....the next thing I know I am purchasing a replacement for $20 at Canadian Tire. (should have waited to break it 'til I was in Montana where the same mirror cost $10 and no tax)

When we replaced the valve cover gasket (1st time) I was gentle for the first day, but I overtightened it the next day and created a bigger leak.

In Maine I nuked the little conversion box for trailer lights when I thought I could charge the Boler's battery on the same circuit as the converter battery was being charged on.

I wired up some fourway flashers at camp in the Belt mountains, but I crossed a wire and had 4-ways going everytime I turned the blinkers on. (Rusty Laughed his ass off after following me around town. Hey.... His son helped me!!!)

On the road yesterday the truck died suddenly. I coasted off the road and checked things over under the hood. I immediately saw the problem. A wire fell off the coil, I put it back on and we got down the road........for abou 1Km. I was sick immediately, knowing that I had put the wire on wrong. I immediately was sick as I though "oh no, I fried the coil" Patrick said don't you remember the last time this happened it was something in the module. He was right of course and we had an extra module for the electronic ignition, but not a coil. 20 minutes later we were back on the road.

I must add the Oil filter that I pinched cause I thought it was too close to the motor mount. Patrick asked if that was a good idea...guess not. It was just a pinhole leak so I swapped it out the next day.

Patrick has had a few goofs, but I only seem to remember mine. Shawn

PS.......Don't forget that stupid wrench that held on for about 700 miles before I removed it.

Taxi Panic

Patrick is snoozing and I am getting a load of laundry done. Once it quits raining I hope to get the bedding in the Boler cleaned. I have some dusting to do to. I opened the one drawer in the Boler and discovered about an inch of dust. Kerry won't be impressed with that.
Slipped Taxi out the window to go to the bathroom this morning, that was a mistake. It started to pour large drops and thunder immediately she headed off South. I called her, she came back and headed North. By this time Patrick was up and we both called her. To our relief she turned around and made a beeline for the window. Think we'll try that whole potty thing again when the rain lets up.

Catching Up

We are now in Calgary after spending the weekend in Billings.
We arrived in Billings around 11am after leaving early from our Cheadle Camp. Like everywhere else we have been, Ron and Pattie(uncle and aunt) took us in. (Despite my lackadaisical attempts at keeping in touch between visits.) We watched two movies Saturday afternoon, which meant I took two naps. and another after we went to the Outback for supper. (next time I'm buying) That meant another nap. We hid out in Ron's basement cause the heat outside was unbearable........and he has a real cool home theatre. (You don't even have to go upstairs for snacks cause he has a little kitchen right handy.)
Sunday I had a visit with an old friend from highschool. We talked about life and kids and stuff at a coffee shop for about 3.5 hrs. Val is the first person I have talked from Highschool for over 20 years. Kerry and I will stop and say hello to Val and Ted on our November visit.
Patrick hung out and watched movies in the cool basement then we went to Brian and Beth's for some good company and great Pizza in the evening.
Monday we left in the early hours for Great Falls and points beyond. We picked up oil changing stuff and a set of speakers. Then we went out to Vaughn to utilize Rusty's drive way to do some maintenance.
Changed the oil in Flivver, swapped speakers (hoping we can hear these speakers better over the wind), put in better valve cover gasket and Patrick did some reupolstering. After being fed by Joleen and Rusty and being entertained by Colby. We said goodbye to everyone in Vaughn and headed off toward the sweetgrass and the border.

We arrived at 1 in the morning just past Lethbridge then took off again for Calgary at 630. We checked in this afternoon and rested. Snuck Taxi through the window. Tomorrow Kerry flies in from Port Hardy and Thursday Patrick flies home to look after lawns and what not. Tomorrow I will catch everybody up a little more on the ups and downs of this incredible trip. Shawn

Drive-in and what not.

Went over the top of the Judith Mountains. First we picked some Montana Diamonds near the top of Judith Peak.(A diamond shaped crystal that only exists on this peak Then we traveled through Maiden Canyon to Gilt Edge. Near Highway 87 we found a place to Leave the Boler since it was to late to get out to Mom and Carl's and Back for the long awaited Drive-in experience. (If things work maybe we will be able to visit at Thanksgiving.) When we opened the door for the Boler the dust almost poured out. So we took everything out and shook it and dusted the whole inside down. Taxi watched a wild bunny Wabbit while we did the cleaning. Finally she tore off after it to no avail.


















After some grub at the DashInn and a quick Blog and Email check we arrived at the drive inn around dusk.

This was Patrick's first ever Drive-in Movie.



















Unfortunately I fell asleep during the first movie and we were to tired to stay for the Double feature.

It was only $10 to get in and Taxi was free.







This Balewagon was in the Cheadle Hall Yard when we returned to the Boler at 1 AM.









I used to run one of these that was the same size while I was in Highschool and a bit after my return from the Army. It was always a fun machine to operate and the older gas engine type had many more levers to learn. And most of all it beat the hell out of loading bales by hand.





Factoids

Facts taken from the internet about Gilt Edge.......................
Gilt Edge has several ruins, including a house of prostitution which still has some of the tattered silk wallpaper hanging. But the house is in very serious decay and dangerous to enter. Across the street from this house is an old jail, about the size of a small horse stall. It is alleged the notorious Martha Canary, aka Calamity Jane, spent a winter in Gilt Edge in the late 1890s. Many accounts tell of her presence there, and she was photographed with Teddy Blue Abbott, author of “We Pointed Them North,” in Gilt Edge itself.

Judith Peak is the highest (5,808 feet) peak in the Judith Mountains. Because of its lofty location, it offers outstanding views of the surrounding mountains and prairie landscapes. Visible from this point are the Snowy Mountains (30 miles south), Little Belts (70 miles southwest), North and South Moccasin Mountains (20 miles west), Highwood Mountains (70 miles west), Bear Paw Mountains (70 miles northwest), Little Rockies (70 miles northwest) and the Missouri River, entrenched in the Missouri River Breaks about 50 miles to the north.