Going To Saskatoon

I wanna go to Saskatoon. No, that is not some insane, crazed whine from a prairie deprived emigrant living along the BC coast. I've met lots of those people. They generally don't want to go to Saskatoon, they have to go to Saskatoon. In fact some of the very people in Saskatoon this weekend will be travel enforced, heading to the flat country for a very important event.

My friend Murray, another ex-pat from Abbotsford, lives in Saskatoon these days. More importantly, he is getting married on Saturday. Yes, in Saskatoon, where he lives. Since he grew up in Abbotsford, his Dad and step-Mom, his sister, and other family members will be making the long trek from the warmth of the BC coast to the chill of the open prairie. And I would like to be there.

Thanks to some help from friends, I have the money for the hotel. Thanks to some good advice from the collection lady at Mastercard, I have cashed in my points for gas cards, so I can afford the gas. Based on the nature of my eating habits and the timing of events, I suspect I will eat out only once or twice over the weekend, something I think I can afford. So I have the money, and I have the time.

What I don't have is a traveling companion. Katherine is in Ontario for the month. Given our relationship status, I suspect she would have declined regardless. I have asked family and friends but have been completely unable to beg or guilt or co-opt someone into making the road trip with me. That creates a challenge.

Saskatoon is about a 6 hour drive. On the way you move from Mountain Time to Central Time, so you lose an hour going there and gain an hour coming back. Even with my late departure needs, both arrivals would be around dinner time, perhaps a bit later on the trip out. I can do that solo with no difficulty. The difficulty for me arises on the other end, when I get there. I can do the hotel on my own. I can arrange the commode chair on my own. I can likely get in and out of bed on my own. The real problem comes when I am on my own and something goes wrong. What then?

I can still travel solo, and if needed that is what I will do on Friday. I will head out to Saskatoon in my truck. I will just have to be extra careful, making sure that risks are minimized and, if possible, making sure nothing goes wrong. The one thing I have on my side is the supportive nature of people in general. If anything does go wrong, I can always call 911, or ask a stranger for help.

But I wish I had someone going with me. It would just be safer that way.