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| 2019-08-26_10.12.51_FieldsOfSunflowers.jpg |
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Massive fields of sunflowers in North Dakota, not just corn and soybeans.
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| 2019-08-26_10.20.26_EmptyFloodedFields.jpg |
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All throughout South Dakota, North Dakota and Canada, we saw lots of fields
that were unplanted.
So much rain this spring that they were muddy and even flooded through the
entire planting season.
Couldn't drive tractors in them to plant.
This field is still flooded in August.
So, no crops this year -- Maybe next year!
Climate change is a HUGE problem for farmers.
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| 2019-08-26_11.59.27_EnteringCanadaAtUSBorder.jpg |
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| 2019-08-26_14.57.12_GravelRoadShortcutToTransCanadaHighway1.jpg |
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Weird routing today.
Google took us on a "shortcut" for 40-50 kilometers along a
gravel road at 90 km/hour (55 mph) -- exciting!
Also, very noisy, bumpy, and dusty!
Notice all the black pieces of shredded tire all over the place.
I had to swerve quite a bit to dodge them, which make it hard to stay in
the existing ruts, and not risk wiping out or scraping bottom on the ridge
of gravel down the middle of the lane.
Fortunately, we made it without a blowout or any serious tire damage.
Tomorrow's route has a similar "shortcut", getting off of the Trans-Canada Highway for about 100 miles and back on. Why???? Not another gravel road I hope! We'll just stay on the highway, thank you very much! |
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| 2019-08-26_14.57.16_GravelRoadShortcutToTransCanadaHighway2.jpg |
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You can just barely see the car in front of us, through the dust cloud.
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| 2019-08-26_18.39.10_DoubleRainbowOverRussellInn.jpg |
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Beautiful double rainbow over the Russell Inn in the town of Russell,
in Manitoba province, Canada.
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| 2019-08-27_14.20.55_BigCloudCountry.jpg |
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Saskatchewan is not just "big sky country" -- it's "big cloud country"!
Lots of cool cloud formations.
At first there was a massive lid on the whole earth, as though we were in
a cave with a ceiling.
Then it broke up into lots of pretty white clouds in a blue sky.
In the evening the colors came out for a nice sunset.
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| 2019-08-27_14.42.24_HayBalesHarvestedInMedianStrip.jpg |
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The median strip on the Trans-Canada Highway is so wide that they've
farmed it as a hay field.
Very sensible!
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| 2019-08-27_17.53.08_TrailerWithASidecarTwoLanesWide.jpg |
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Saw some MASSIVE oversized loads on trucks.
Mostly farm equipment like combines and entire slices of silos being
transported on trailers.
One was a trailer with a sidecar -- an attachment with its own wheels
like a motorcycle sidecar, carrying a massive tractor.
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| 2019-08-27_17.53.13_TrailerWithASidecarIsTowedByRegularPickupTruck.jpg |
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As we passed it, we noticed that the whole huge 2-lane-wide
contraption was being towed by a regular pickup truck!
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| 2019-08-27_17.54.20_MassiveFarmEquipmentOnExtraWideTrailer.jpg |
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More massive farm equipment.
Unfolded, this would have been at least 3 lanes wide.
Note how far apart the trailer wheels are -- much wider than the
truck.
Otherwise, it's so tall it might tip over.
The bridges have to be extra high too.
14 feet ain't gonna cut it.
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| 2019-08-27_18.11.17_ImportantIntersectionAhead.jpg |
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Even on the Trans-Canada Highway, one of the biggest roads in Canada,
going all the way across the entire country, there are very few
ramps and overpasses.
Mostly just "at-grade" intersections with stop signs for the cross
roads, and no stop sign or even yield sign, or flashing yellow
light, for the highway.
Every now and then, they warn you that an "important intersection"
is coming up, so you can slow down and watch for cross traffic if you
want to.
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| 2019-08-28_12.45.44_FirstGlimpseOfRockyMountains.jpg |
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Here's our first glimpse of the Rocky Mountains after driving 1000 miles
west through mostly-flat Canada.
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| 2019-08-28_13.16.58_HighestElevationOnYellowheadHighway.jpg |
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About 3/4 of a mile high, driving across Canada, as we approach the
Rocky Mountains.
The Trans-Canada Highway is also known as Yellowhead Highway, named for
a blond explorer in the early 1800's.
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| 2019-08-28_13.37.26_MountainsGettingCloser.jpg |
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| 2019-08-28_13.46.10_DrivingIntoMountains.jpg |
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| 2019-08-28_13.52.40_DrivingPastMountains1.jpg |
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| 2019-08-28_13.55.28_DrivingPastMountains2.jpg |
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| 2019-08-28_13.55.35_VerticalCliffAhead.jpg |
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