Tom's trip from Sault St. Marie to Toke Ak SITREP#8 (10)

This morning we left Russell, Manitoba and the temp was a minus 27 degrees. I haven't been so cold since our hike in the Yellowstone in 1980. We now have to have our truck hooked up to an electrical cord for starting again.

Right now we are in Preeceville, Sask. the day did not go well with the sledders. one crashed and hurt his knee. another had his mirrors cleaned off by hitting another sledder. Dick Emery's snowmobile lost his bogey wheels and I had to drive another 50-60 miles to Lintlaw, Sask to get it fixed. He will join the race tomorrow.

Our next destination is Nipiwin, Sask for tomorrow - a ride of about 170 miles (short for out schhedule).

When we talked to local Canadians, I could have been talking to Marie. They have the same accent and way with words as does Mariel. It's fun to listen to the people we met who exhibeted such cheer.

The drive from Russell was again breathtaking. the endless prairie with little or no trees. The "vastness" is much more so that in the States - would be a tough place to face a snow blizzard. Some farms in Manitoba are as much as 15,000 acres - hugh enterprises as compared to North Dakota farmers. I am amazed at the large tandem trucks driving the roads at 60-80 mph (although Canadians measure in Kilometers).

We have gone through very small towns. One town which was listed with a sign on the highway consisted of five houses.

All Canadiens that we met are still smarting about their Olympic hockey loss to the US. Perhaps they will get another shot by getting ahead of Germany.

The trip is starting to get to the sledders. One dropped out today (in addition to the above mentioned troubles above) whith engine problems. The drill is to load the sled in one of the support trucks and press on to dealer mechanics. The problem is that the primary dealers (Artic Cat, Yamaha, Polaris and Skiddoo, Bombardier) work on only their machines. That means that we have to drive hundreds of miles to find the right one with the right parts - just like the auto dealerships. Usually, there is only one dealer in a particular region.

We had a big supper and I am stuffed. Usually, I just have soup for evening meals.

In closing, the Canadians that we have met are unusually friendly and amazed at the trip that we a doing (Mich to Alaska). The locals usually use snowmobiles for 1-2 hundred mile affairs and for utilitarian means. It is not the level of sport as exists in the States.

Another amazing observation is that one can travel anywhere in the north (where there is snow) on the shadow "snow highways". Canada, just as in the States grooms the trails for snowborders.

Well, that's it for tonight. I'm looking forward to morning with a project temp of
-27degrees. The snow "crunches" when we walk and one can feel the cold on one's back - even under 5 layers of clothing, sweaters and coats.

Tom