What’s up, everybody? Reader here, winding down on a Sunday evening after a busy couple of weeks, that included a road trip yesterday!

On Friday, my parents came into town, and crashed out at my place, before we set out on a roadie Saturday morning.

You see, earlier in the week, I was chatting with Mom and Dad, and they wondered if I’d be up for a road trip deep into the heart of Manitoba, to pick up a used skidsteer.

I said “Heck, Yeah,” and so on Friday night, they drove as far as Yorkton, and crashed at my place, so we could hit the road early the next morning.

The skidsteer they were buying was just outside of Arborg, about a four-and-a-half hour trip pretty much straight east of Yorkton, and was actually the halfway point for Mom and Dad, as they’d already driven about the same distance from our farm at Conquest, just shy of an hour southwest of Saskatoon, just to get to Yorkton.

So, after loading up some bags with sandwiches, snacks and drinks, we hit the road around 7:35 a.m. on Saturday, heading due east on Highway 10.

It had been a while since I’d been in that direction, and my parents had never been, so it was nice to see some new country.

I had never been further east than Dauphin, so it was cool to pass through some new (to me) communities, such as Ste. Rose du Lac, Eriksdale and Poplarfield.

It was nice to get another look at the Manitoba Escarpment, to the south, as we skirted by Riding Mountain National Park.

One really cool spot to see was the Lake Manitoba Narrows!

There was still a lot of ice on the lake. We didn’t realize how huge Lake Manitoba was, and it was really neat to see it go on for as far as the eye could see!

Eventually, we reached our destination, just a few kilometres shy of Arborg, where we met the very nice family that were selling the skid steer. (And I got to pet a super-nice dog, to!)

First, we had a look at the machine, and then after a quick tutorial, Dad jumped in and fired it up to test it out!

Once he had a handle on it, and all the paperwork was done, it was time to load up!

All told, after the lengthy trip to get there, we were actually only there not quite an hour, and then it was time to hit the road again!

The trip back took a little longer, as you’d expect, as with a big ol’ skidsteer on the back, we had to take it a little slower.

Eventually, we made it back to Yorkton around 6:30 last night, and after a quick goodbye, they dropped me off, before hitting the road again, as they still had another four-and-a-half hours or so to go! But they made it safe and sound!

I’m looking forward to getting home to the farm to jump in myself and give that mighty machine a try (and try to not break it). I know Dad’s already planning to clean corrals and clear trees with it, among other jobs!

It was great to jump in with Mom and Dad to go on a little adventure with them and see some new country. I will take some hang time with the fam anytime I can get it, and a road trip is a great way to do it!