October 8, 2004

October 8, 2004

The Pinery Provincial Park

DAY 113

 

Another amazingly warm day today. 25 degrees Celsius / 76 degrees Fahrenheit ! Joanne wore shorts all day until evening.

On our way to the main gate this morning to check if any sites had become available for Saturday and Sunday nights, we saw a female eagle swoop down onto the side of the road, and fly away with something clutched in her talons. She landed in a tree near the side of the road, so we stopped to watch. We had binoculars in the truck, so we had a great view of this marvellous bird. She dropped what was in her talons, then glared at us until we left. I guess we were interrupting her hunting, and she didn't look too happy about it. Mind you, I suppose an eagle rarely looks happy. Their appearance isn't exactly cheerful. Sort of a permanent scowl look.

We were able to secure a campsite for Saturday and Sunday nights, and only about half a dozen sites over from where we are now, so when we move tomorrow morning, we won't have to go far.

We went hiking on the Lookout Trail. The trail ascends the largest sand dune in the park, and from the top, you can see the Old Thedford Bog, the park, and surrounding farm lands. The addition of the leather wrist strap to my hiking stick really enhances its functionality. It should soon become Joanne's hiking stick, because I have asked her for a new one as a gift for my 50th birthday in 2 days.

I spent the afternoon doing fibreglass repair. It's the first time I've worked with fibreglass cloth and fibreglass resin. When the trailer wheel and tire flew off the broken hub, just outside Minneapolis about a month ago, the lower fibreglass skirt of the trailer sustained considerable damage. I've been procrastinating starting this job, largely because I've never done fibreglass work before, and really didn't have a clue. Also, I knew that the repair would take a few days or more, and I didn't want to tackle this job when we were travelling daily. I bought a fibreglass repair kit awhile ago, and today started the job. Much of the time was spent cleaning and preparing the damaged surfaces. When I was finally ready to start with the fibreglass cloth and fibreglass resin, I read the slightly inadequate instructions, and started in. The first attempt was a bit of a disaster, but also served as the lesson in how to do it. I scraped off attempt number one. The second attempt went better.

I think it will likely take 3 days for 3 layers of repair, then a couple more days for a couple of coats of paint, so maybe 5 days in total to complete this job. Wish me luck.

DSK