Breadbasket Travels

Not atypical anywhere in Canda, really, but certainly rating 'typical' along the drive from the Ontario-Manitoba border to, well, almost Prince George and beyond.


Me sitting along the trans-canada near the Alberta border with the rolling hills beyond and the wheat and fields in the foreground. Yet another glorious day along the way...



Praries....simply the praries. It is a beautiful place, plagued with endless monotony of fields but bettered by the endless view of geological intrigue. Yes, flat land can set a geologists heart ablaze with contemplation. that is our car, with our bikes (pre-rim death) on the back. The rest is all Praries.


Many of these around (whenever you cross a watershed boundary of such grandiose importance) but interesting nonetheless. This does demarcate the geographical apex of two watersheds, whereas a drop of water, under influence of Chaos and prevailing winds will randomly choose a path towards the Arctic Ocean or the Atlantic Ocean. It does not, does NOT demarcate any boundary between moose and polar bears - just to make that apparent because signs can be confusing (look for the mostconfusing sign ever seen to appear shortly - apparently sign clarity is not a construct that many hold dear!). Bears and moose are cognitively free from the roaming force of Chaos, water, as it were, is not. Well, sort of.

To be honest, I believe this picture was actually taken in BC. But, its my show here so it stays. :)


The longitudinal middle of Canada. Not the geographic mid point, but the long. mid point. It took us a while to get here, and humbling to see that the mid point was just upon us as we considered our progress to be a bit more than 1/2 way. Well, not exaclty half way for us...


AND NOW SOME THOUGHTS FROM A RANDOM PLACE...

These are some of the pictures we took between Ontario and random stops in Alberta pre-mountain physiographical border. I tried to keep them in order, but it is a formidable feat to remembe exact locations and such. However, most of these are in order, although next post I will post one or two from Manitoba so there goes my challenge of chronologically posting pictures to 'drive you through Canada'. I think at this point I was very pleased and impressed with the Praries. So many voices have perorated to me about the mental challenge of makig it 'through' the Praries; so few have made mention of the glory of the breadbasket of Canada. It was a pleasing experience, and were I to do it again I would look forward to being there again. I would bring my own bread though - the worst bread ever exists apparently in the Praries. Imagine a context where the farming nation of Canada expunged reliance on export driven incomes and Draconian levels of control on thier product and way of life from (to be unnamed) companies, and created a niche market, akin to that of countless other nations (nations or Nations) - Belgium (Chocolate), Okanagan (wine), Germany (Beer), France (Cheese), Quebec (Maple Syrup) ... . They could create their own bread culture, their own bread-food culture where the country over, then Country over, then world over would recognize an identity of Prarie nation with bread. The worlds best bread (we would have to compete well with german bread, perhaps, but we could support each other...hypothetical, folks, hypothetical thinking here...). Imagine coining a homogeneity with praries and baked products. Travel to the praries to get 'real' bread...they live, work, evolve, subside in the breadiest place in the Country yet they have the least bread-resembling prosucts to eat. Why this disparity? Why rely on a global market and defy local interests? If the Prarie Provinces (which I onsider Prarie nation here....sorry for explaining this so late)could coalesce their efforts and within Canada, self-sufficing their needs, I believe that the image and prosperity of Prarie nation could emerge beyond 'the flat part of canada' to most minds, and environmental and economic interests, to that of a specialty market that took a step forward, made integrity a goal, and obliterated the mega-corporate effluent grain market. Why grow the best Canada has to offer, and give it all away? Now, I am not condemmign sharing resources and satiating supply/demand needs of Countries worldwide, but what I am considering is that this nation could take an active, proactive, role among economic self-sufficiency and relegating corporate control of family farms, towns and livlihoods to that of the distant and soon to be forgotten past.
Hmm...these are some thoughts that formed in my head as I ate stale bread, stale white bread, and could find nothing other to eat while in the Praries. All I eagerly awaited was a bag of "Prarie Breadbasket Bread: Organically and Family Grown in the Heartland of Canada" ... and then some french cheese and Okanagan wine to go with it as I watched the sun set on the prosperous land, waiting to crawl to and hunker down in my cozy tent for the night.

All told, this idea coalesced within beginning and ending my Prarie lunch....and this is the first time I elucidated them with written words. So, it may not make total sense, and it may seem arcane to imagine a structure like this, but I feel an opportunity arising. Why choose terminator seeds nd grain control contracts over community development and family industry as strong as that of already mentioned niche markets.

Kudos to you for reading all of that. I mean it. Thank you. Any thoughts? Click on that little pencil and write me your thoughts.