Day 23: On the Straight Road

Sleeping at the Nova Inn was definitely a winner. If I were passing through again I would definitely stay here. This morning I was packing up and ready to leave the beautiful city of Manning which had provided me with many a great trail and the chance to meet some wonderful people.

I pulled up my GPS and put in Green Timber Bed and Breakfast and was planning to just drive there directly, no hidden trail spots on the agenda, but I did see a couple of cool things along the way.

First though, I spent 5 long boring hours on a double-lane highway just trying to get through the miles. I was really trying to focus and not get distracted by any side trails, at least in the beginning so that I could get to my destination ASAP. After the 5-hour slog, I had knocked out 500 km of the route and only had 200 more kilometers to go on a smaller road. Having made good time I was optimistic for some hidden trails at this point in the journey.

The Ruler-Straight Road

I was driving when the road suddenly opened up ahead of me. I could see for miles as the road in front of me was ramrod straight, live driving on a ruler!

Even taking a photo and zooming in to 100x you could still see the perfectly straight road continuing in the distance, interrupted only by hills where it would run up and right back down both sides. It was an extremely green area, with heavy farming fields of wheat, canola and other crops growing on either side.

It was refreshing to have finally left the main highway after hours of monotony to get back to connecting with nature. While I didn't have any more chance encounters with any does, bears, or foxes, I did see some gorgeous horses roaming through the grasslands. I stopped at one point and tried to call out to them.

One horse started walking towards me slowly, but then decided it had better things to do and stopped to graze on the grass instead of continuing forward. Guess I'm not a horse whisperer...

Rock Lake

Finally, it was time for a nice stop in nature. I pulled up to Rock Lake and after a small 5km trail I found myself a nice piece of paradise to eat my PB&J lunch.

There were no flies, no mosquitos, just fresh air, an amazing lake view, birds chirping and the wind blowing through the trees. Just the way I like it. I sat there munching away on my sandwich taking in the view and enjoying being out of the car for a few minutes before it was back to the road.

Timber Green BnB

I got to the Timber Green Bead and Breakfast right on schedule and was instantly impressed with the home built by John and Louise. It felt like being in someone's mansion cabin! The architecture and design of the wooden beams within the interior were stunning.

Speaking to John and Louise about how the place was built, I learned that all the beams and support frames contain no nails!! They told me how conventional framing requires that the joining use nails or mechanical fasteners, however, timber framing uses the traditional mortise and tenon or more complex joints that are fastened using only wooden pegs.

John and Louise informed me that they will prepare breakfast for me in the morning. They promised me eggs, muffins, toast, hash browns and bacon. Sounds like a feast! They are both very accommodating and I'm looking forward to tomorrow morning.

After looking around the beautiful main areas with awe, I went to get settled into my room. It was also lovely, with a bathroom that contained a shower and a large tub, plus a nice big deck for me to work at.

Rocky Mountain House

Despite the name, Rocky Mountain House is not in fact a house, but a town in Alberta. I decided to go into town to get Steele another wash, and at long last he looks clean! Once he was sorted, I was off in search of some grub. I was looking to change things up from my usual sandwiches and so on John and Louise's recommendation, I had dinner at Bangs Bistro Sushi.

At the restaurant, I met Yubin, the younger brother. I didn't get a chance to meet his older brother, Hyeonbin, who is the owner, but I was in good hands.

Yubin was the chef and the food he prepared for me did not disappoint! I ordered the dumplings, Salmon Sushi, Avocado roll, and their special roll called Triple Parade, which I highly recommend!

Belly full of my favorite cuisine, I returned to the BnB. My next task was to make room in Steele for Ronit and her luggage since she would be joining us on the adventure soon. I took everything out to undergo inspection and ended up trashing about 3 cubic feet of "stuff". I then repacked Steele as tightly and efficiently as I could so that the front seat is perfectly clear and clean just for my lovely wife.

I left the remaining items I no longer needed with John and Louise to donate, keep or throw out as needed. I met them in the living room once I was all done packing up the car and John pulled out five amazing single malt scotches. My favorite being the Kavalan Single Malt Whisky, a Taiwanese single malt since 2005. It is aged in intense humidity and purified by the meltwaters of Snow Mountain in Yilan, Taiwan. Yum!

Calling it an early night. See you all tomorrow.

-Shlomo