On Monday, after posting our Lollapalooza preview piece, Bessie and I headed outta Chicago on our 2800 mile journey to Ashland, Oregon for the 4th annual Ice Cream Social. We made it to Madison, Wisconsin that night, hung out with my friend Ryan and talked about baseball, trademarks, and The Cheese Factory. The following morning I was hoping to stop back by The Cheese Factory for breakfast but they were closed on Tuesdays. Instead I pushed north and made it all the way to Fargo, North Dakota where I did some shopping at the local WalMart then got some rest in the parking lot.
The drive is only 222 miles north but with a border crossing involved, I barely made it in time to the Cape Factory, aka Gaspard and Sons. A while back I was ordained a minister and on August 25th Ill be marrying my friends Knife and Jackie in Corvallis, Oregon. The only problem was that I didnt have anything minister* like to wear. Through the clerical apparel link on Universal Life Churchs website I was directed to Artneedle Robe Company. When I called to order a nice purple Peace Chasuble I found out the factory where everything was made was in Winnipeg, Manitoba. It just so happened I was planning on taking a long cut on my trip to Oregon and was going to be passing through there. I asked if they had a showroom and capes in stock and they said yes, I just had to get there by 4:30 before they closed.
To clarify things real quick, Artneedle is the American counterpart of Gaspard and Sons in Canada. I called and spoke with Mary who gave me directions and kindly said shed stay open a little late for me if need be. I arrived about 4:15 and Mary walked me into the showroom that had one wall full of academic regalia, Church Vestements, and…..of course..capes. My original idea was to go for the purple “Peace” number but, after trying on a few different pieces, went for the tamer cream colored robe with blue piping. Eventually Ill be able to customize it though and add some layers to increase the flair factor. I tried on a nice green cape (generally referred to as copes around these parts) then, for the finale, tried on the gold cape. For a moment I think actually levitated off the ground in the gold cape but its hard to see in the pictures.
With new robe in hand I moved on from Winnipeg and started the long journey west to Vancouver. Right as I turned onto the Trans-Canada Highway I noticed a younger couple hitchhiking and decided to give them a lift. I asked them where they were heading and they said BC (aka British Columbia/all the way west). When they asked how far I was heading, I said, well see.
Charles, Christine, Bessie and I made some pretty good time last night and after some horrific Tim Horton coffee (I think it was the fake sweetener they called sugar that made it so bad) we got some rest at a travel center off the highway. This morning we got a good jump on the day and crossed into Saskatchewan. Outside of Regina I saw a store called Giant Tiger that looked interesting. The sign out front said Your All Canadian Family Discount Store which made it sound like theyd either have all products made in Canada or maybe Canadian themed goods. When we arrived in Moose Jaw we passed another Giant Tiger and decided to check it out. The best thing I could compare it to would be Big Lots or Pic N Save. All wasnt lost though. I did pick up some tube socks with the Canadian Flag and a few packs of gummy body parts…yum.
Ok, were gonna start making our way west again. The goal is to get to Medicine Hat, Alberta tonight then spend a bit of time in Calgary tomorrow. Ive still gotta type up the Lollapalooza review so maybe Ill get hyped up on coffee there and see what I can get through.
If youre going to be in the Southern Oregon area next weekend, stop by the 4th Annual Ice Cream Social
When:
Saturday Aug 18, 2007
at 3:00 PM
Where:
Garfield Park
corner of East Main St. and Garfield St.
Ashland, OR 97520
