When I got up the day was cloudy but no rain. I was hopeful there would be no more rain. I filled up with gas and found three quarts of Shell Rotella 15w–40 sitting on the shelf at the gas station. I was extremely happy about this. I have been looking for it for days. I asked a guy filling his truck with diesel fuel if he knew of a garage that would allow me to change my oil. He recommended Marvin’s Mufflers and More, and provided the directions to get there. I drove to the garage and found Marvin at work. I inquired about changing my oil and told him I’m presently riding around the world. I asked if it would be possible to change my oil. He said yes, showed me where I could work and provided a drain pan. I offered to pay him for the convenience of letting me change my oil, and he said "no thanks". I told him I had all the tools, oil and oil filter to complete the job. All I need was a spot to work and a tank to empty my waste oil into. This doesn’t sound like a big deal but when you are presented a bill from a motorcycle dealership for changing oil, it costs you $100 dollars plus. Changing oil becomes a big deal. As I was wrapping up my oil changing, I helped Marvin and his men push a Jeep Cherokee into his garage and up on to a hoist. Damn, that thing pushed hard. By time it was up on the hoist everyone was huffing and puffing with their tongues hanging out. I don’t think we pushed it more than 30 yards/30 meters. I cleaned up my mess, dumped my drain oil, gave Marvin my blog address, took a picture of his business and himself for my blog and departed. He told me that during the summer months he does a lot of RV work. For those people driving RVs to Alaska and other northern parts of Canada, Dawson Creek British Columbia might be a good midpoint to stop to have your vehicle serviced. I departed for Edmonton, Alberta. It was cloudy all day and no rain. I took a few pictures by the Alberta boundary sign and was greeted by a friendly hound/dog. He got a few free pets and then I left. I arrived in Edmonton about 7:00 p.m. I was going to pick up Hwy 2 South according to AAA maps. The Hwy 2 I was looking for never appeared and before I knew it I was on the East side of Edmonton. I’m sure the road number changed so I stopped at a truck stop to get gas and to sort out where I was. Even Matilda couldn’t find it. While I was looking at my map a German-Canadian guy Emil walked over to talk to me. He was 71 years old. He told me if I wanted a good touring motorcycle I should buy a BMW. You know the boxer type with two cylinders. I told him I had a BMW 650cc and decided not to ride around the world with it because it was too high tech. I told him I preferred a low tech motorcycle I could work on if it required maintenance and that’s why I chose a 2007 Kawasaki. After I explained that to him, he wasn’t quite as outspoken about my choice of motorcycles. Especially since I rode it trouble-free for 18,000 miles/29032 Kilometers. He was generally amazed that I rode my Kawasaki around the world. We talked until 11:30 p.m. about Canada, the U.S., his perceived faults the U.S. has, which diesel engine is the best and WWII. He said it took 53 countries to subdue Germany and said Adolf Hitler made a huge mistake by pushing into Russia just prior to winter. The repercussions of that decision are still being felt today. Somewhere in the discussion he told me he and his son operate a gravel truck business, hence the reason he knows so much about diesel engines. They haul rocks from Montana to Edmonton because of their color. Apparently colored rocks are a highly sought after commodity in the Edmonton area. It’s a very lucrative business. You know I kind of liked this guy. He wasn’t afraid to walk up to a complete stranger in the dark and just start talking. He was kind of like the gravel trucks he and his son operated; rough and tumble on the outside but if you keep the windows closed, a pretty decent person on the inside. His swearing was a little off the mark but you still knew what he meant and how he felt about the subject. When he left to go home he drove back over by me with his new Dodge dually pickup. He rolled down the window and asked me to listen to the best Polka music ever. He told me the name of the band but I have long since forgotten it. He was right about the music. It was clear and crisp with the familiar Polka beat. I almost asked him if I could have the CD. It would have been a great souvenir from Edmonton. He left the truck stop for home with the familiar clatter of diesel engines around him. When he dies I hope there’s a gravel truck in heaven with a CAT or CUMMIN diesel engine in it waiting for him. He was very proud of his German heritage. Well, for whatever it was worth I didn’t know anymore where I was now as when I drove into the truck stop. I looked at my map and told Matilda to get me out of here. I typed “Leduc” into Matilda and she led me all the way to Leduc. I left the truck stop and arrived in Leduc 30 miles south of Edmonton, about 11:30 p.m. I stopped at the bottom of the exit ramp and checked Matilda’s list of available hotels and motels. I picked the nearest and cheapest hotel for the night. I found the hotel ok and while unpacking the motorcycle another guy came over and started talking. I didn’t get to bed till 1:00 a.m. Another day I didn’t get any work done on my blog.
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