Day 2

2:20am: Just woke up, and Ashley told me that we had been stuck in snow for 20 minutes- wheels spinning aimlessly, women screaming etc. (well maybe I made the last bit up). Wish I was awake for it, a bit of action in the tedium.

11:27pm: Just leaving Winnipeg. Dave and I had been joined by a delightful drunken bloke at the bus stop. Needless to say we were happy to get the hell out of there.

10:28pm: Arrived in Winnipeg. On the way in, one of the passengers tells a lovely story of how someone chased him with a knife not too long ago in this city. I had thought about staying here for a night, but I am quickly put off it.

At the bus station, Dave and I had a walk around, out onto the street next to the bus station. Within seconds, a woman (who appears to be a crack addict) tells us how "she needs to see her son in Thunder Bay, and her bank card doesn't work at the moment". Spin that yarn somewhere else, lady.

Minutes later, another man's "car has broken down", do we have any spare change? It's like Montreal all over again.

Sadly, worked out that as we pass the Rockies, it will be the dead of night.

9:37pm: Nothing to report. Insane boredom ensues. The book is saving me. I'm well past halfway, at p259. Water is down to 60%.

8:16pm: The overhead lights have not been activated by the driver, so some idiot decides to use his lighter to help him read his (flammable) book. Thankfully the driver turns the lights on before I have to start casting disapproving glances.

8:08pm: Starting to darken now. We passed a quaint village, with fairy lights decorating a small quay. It reminds me a bit of Centre Parks with the spherical street lights. I am clocking up a lot of views of Canada already!

7:51pm: Had to get myself a hot chocolate (NOT chocolat chaud!) from Tim Horton's when we stopped for ten minutes.

6:36pm: A woman across from me (who, of course, got on at Sudbury), is putting ridiculous makeup on. She is a coloured woman, wearing bright white eye-liner, lipstick and eyebrow pencil. Clinton and Stacey would not approve (not that I watch TLC or anything)!

6:31pm: Superbad ends. A good 2 hours odd have been killed. Water update: 65%

5:30pm: Papa Burger from A&W. Yum.

3:50pm: Whilst watching Superbad, I notice the place we stopped at for just a couple of minutes had wireless internet, so I got on the case, and managed to check emails and facebook before we got back underway!

3:39pm: Begin watching Superbad

3:22pm: Two more granola bars down. Water= 70%. It's warm, and I'm bored. Book- p191

2:54pm: No, I haven't travelled in time. We cross into Manitoba and switch to Central time, because Dave's map says so.

3:29pm: Stopped in some place, where I brushed my teeth with my finger and some toothpaste generously offered by Dave. We're into the long, flat, boring prairies now. Sign says 106km to Ignace.

12:35pm: Lunch special says: "plus fries and salad with all specials". I order a cheeseburger and he tries to charge me for fries. I am not happy, so I downgrade to just a cheeseburger. Misleading menu board, if you ask me. Bought some new water, ridiculously overpriced.

12:20pm:Arrive in Thunder Bay. p143 in Sword Song.

11:33am: I am listening to my iPod, and have decided on the official Montreal-Vancouver Trip Song, 'Go Out and Get It' by John Martyn.

10:33am: Circling Lake Superior:

10:00am: Schreiber. It is a hut for a coffee shop. There are a couple of drink fridges, a crisp rack, which is fine. On the walls there is severe flaked paint, and to get to the toilet you need to hurdle empty oil canisters and unused shelves amongst the dust.

9:50am: Dave gives me a tangerine which I gladly accept.

9:32am: Amazing views of Lake Superior.

8:25am: Parallel to the Canadian Pacific railroad, where a neverending trail of freight cars whizzes past us.

8:22am: See 'Mind out for Moose' signs!

7:00am: Slept quite well. We were awoken for our breakfast stop at an A&W in White River, which is where Winney the Pooh was created! Here I meet my nemesis- a homeless person from Montreal (see http://grahamreid.blogspot.com/, Dec 2007)! She (voluntarily) tells Dave and I her heartbreaking story of how she hitchhiked across Canada from Alberta to Quebec, where she has been on the streets for a year. She is returning to Alberta, where she will speak to her Dad for the first time in four years. All this info with no provocation. I just ate my sauage and egg bun and kept quiet.