Hitching Part 3

When we got to Regina we had time to kill so we headed to the mall for wifi and coffee. It was here that I first thought about life after the trip. Seaghan asked what I would be doing after and I had no answer. I knew I wanted to travel but was torn between New Zealand and Australia. Seaghan suggested we flip to decide. And so a coin toss decided the next year or two of my life. Australia. After the trip, I would work hard and save. Six months or so later I would leave for Aus.

Our host that evening was a friend from my days at Ocean Island Inn. She was the first person I ever served a mixed drink to and it was her birthday so we finally got to party a bit for the first time on our trip. Another friend from OI was there and we had a great little reunion with far to much Lucky Lager. Regina, the city that rhymes with fun!

The next morning we got a ride to the truck stop and were picked up in barely one minute. This was our last ride. He brought us all the way to Sudbury. It was a tight squeeze though. He had a big black lab and a guitar plus luggage. We each had a pack and I had my mandolin. Whoever sat in the back had to ride with the dog on their lap. Good thing he was well behaved!

That day we made it as far as Winnipeg. My home. It had been 8 months since I'd last been home. The prairies are so drastically different from the coast. Kilometre after kilometre of flat wheat and canola fields. The only trees are planted in thin rows to protect the crops from the wind. There's a lot of cows and the occasional grain elevator. A prairie girl at heart, it was nice to be back in Manitoba <3

We landed at the Forks where we were greeted by friends and family. The Forks is where the Red and Assiniboine meet and it has been a gathering place for thousands of years. The buildings that stand there now are left over from the sites days as a train yard. There are two markets, a museum and a hotel. There's also water buses that give tours and buskers throughout the site.

Our evening there included coffee from Espresso Junction, a long time favourite and a couple of bottles of wine from Fentons Wine Merchants. After dark, we headed down to the waterfront, cracked open our wine and visited. I played my mandolin for the first time on the trip and everyone sang. It was a perfect reunion.

Our time in Winnipeg was short and we were soon off withour new companions to the Trout Forest music festival in Northern Ontario. Ear Falls to be more specific. We had sent an inquiry email about volunteering for the festival but our e-mail was sent late and we hadn't heard anything back. We decided to chance it and go anyways. We arrived a few days early for setup and they were nice enough to take us on. They set us up with a place to camp and fed us whenever we were working. The other volunteers were so friendly and made us feel right at home.

The festival kicked off two days later and it was great! The music was mostly country but some had more rock influence, some folk. There was a nice variety and the performers were very talented. My favorite artist of the weekend was Brock Zeman. I loved his raspy bluesy voice and melodic guitar style. I bought a download card for his album “Welcome Home Ivy Jane”. There were so many talented artists that I wish I could have invested in. Other artists I liked included Petunia, the Travelling Steam Show, and the Weber Bros.

Kokom's Bannock Shack was another festival highlight. From bannock burgers to sugar coated bannock balls, if it tastes good with bannock, they made it! For those of you that don't know, bannock is a delicious fried bread that a lot of Aboriginal people here make. It tastes great and its aweful for you. Seaghan and I ate there three times.

The festival wasn't all sunshine and roses though. Our new companion picked us up in Regina and brought us all the way to Sudbury which I really appreciate. He seemed totally normal, until the first time he drank with us that is. He said a few creepy things but I ignored it. Then when we got to the festival he kept trying to get me alone. One night I went to the bathroom and he followed. He then insisted I come back to camp with him. When I asked why he said he wanted to have a smoke with me. We went back to camp and he forcefully tried to kiss me. I just pushed him away and told him I was in absolutely no way interested. I walked away but he wouldn't leave me alone. We got back to the stage and he tried again so I cuffed him and told him not to come anywhere near me. He avoided me like the plague the next day and didn't so much as put a hair out of line for the rest of the trip. Sometimes as a single female its easy to become intimidated but never let that get the better of you. If you're in a situation you're uncomfortable with, stand your ground or get out.

Towards the end of the festival, I started to come down from the crazy life I had been living in the last few months. I withdrew from other people and didn't do much but write. Our last two days were uneventful and the trip was over before I knew it. Its been three months now since I arrived in Sudbury. I got work as a flagger and labourer on the highway and am saving for my next adventure. When I started the trip, I had no direction and didn't know where I would land up. I took a leap of faith and it paid off. I've never been happier and I'm proud I made it this far. I'll never forget my experiences or the people that got me this far. Thank you to everyone who helped along the way <3