This morning I woke up to a frozen lake. Today the odometer showed 57,026 miles. All the tires look okay. I'm nervous about waking up to a flat tire each morning now. Just walked along the lake and then went over to the restroom at the tourist information center in Wakieu Lake and cleaned up. Today I have to head west because the roads north don't go anywhere except nort. Right now, I'll probably be heading out around noon (Central time).
I stopped in city of Canwood to fill up because there was really nothing for a long time. This was the kind of area where services become less and less, and there are signs which will state when the next service is available.
As I drove northward, there wasn't any clear sunlight for hundreds of miles. It was raining when I entered the town of Meadow Lakes, Alberta. I stopped at the northern end of town and got some breakfast at the Pidrock Cafe. While dining, the Lebonese owners, a man and his wife, came near me and started chatting with me. The couple had 3 children: the oldest daughter was married, the oldest son was in college, and the youngest son was at home. They lived in Edmonton for 2 years, but moved to a small town where they have been for the past 8 year, and they said there was less competition and less taxes in this town and province. The reason they came to Canada is because the wife had 2 brothers already residing in the country.
The man was very political. Loved to talk about politics. He initiated conversations about Vietnam, Iraq, White Water, etc. We did share some same opinions on how beauracratic the justice system in the United States and Canada were. And he mentioned how he was afraid of crime in America due mainly to guns, and I agreed. He said he didn't have an education, but he likes to keep up with politics and history. So if anyone is ever up this way and want a political converstaion, stop at the Pidrock Cafe and scream "Cold War" or something. I was the only customer in the restaurant at the time.
After 225 miles of driving, there was finally a break in the clouds, and sunlight fell through.
Then I drove through Amber Valley, which was once an African-Canadian community. This community was originally made up of African-Americans who migrated here from Oklahoma to escape racial discrimnation if not prosecution. But the area is not much of an African-Canadian community anymore. I drove by the community center where they were having a special dinner, but I didn't see many African-Canadian people.
I stopped in a park in the town of Athabaska, Alberta to make a phone call and then decided to camp out in the park. There was another camper who had been there for 3 days. The park had the washrooms closed and electricity turned off at this time of year, but it seemed camping was still allowed. So I put on my backpack and walked around the town center to get something to eat before heading back to the park and going to bed for the evening. I wasn't afraid to camp here because the town center was right across the street; the only thing I had to worry about was vandals who get drunk on a Saturday night.
