Raymond Stampede

1st Stampede in Canada

July 1902

Ray Knight suggested that the cowboys of the surrounding ranches ought to compete against each other and, if they agreed to do so, he would provide the stock. In July of 1902, only two events were held - steer roping and bronc riding. Several cowboys and several hundred spectators showed up for the big event. They surrounded a bleak and barren patch of prairie where Dr. Tom Witbeck now lives, the north-east corner of 200 south and 100 East, with their carriages and democrats to view the spectacle. And, they were not disappointed. Ray Knight won the steer roping and Ed Corless, from the McCarty ranch, rode his bucking bronc to a standstill.

Destination Raymond

Our New Continent



Our New Province




Our New Town


Our New House


History of Raymond

"God made the country, and man made the town." - Wm. Cowper"Roundup" - Raymond History Book 1902 - 1967 pages 19 - 27

Twenty miles south of Lethbridge is Raymond, known as the Sugar City is the town sugar built. At the beginning of the Twentieth Century it was a vast open prairie with arms outstretched waiting for someone to take advantage of its rich virgin soil, sunshine and water. Although Magrath and Stirling had been colonized in 1899, the land in between had not been settled.

Early in 1901 Jesse Knight, a Utah Industrialist and humanitarian, sent his two sons, Oscar Raymond and Jesse William to Alberta to investigate this land. The result was they purchased a block of 30,000 acres and set to work to stock it.

Later in the spring their father met them at Stirling. The weather was ideal, and the country beautiful and green. It looked like a real paradise to him. He was here only a few days before he had a clear idea of what he wanted to do. He would build a sugar factory that would give employment to settlers and others who would come where they might secure land on easy terms and build their homes.

On July 10, 1901 he entered into a contract with the Canadian Northwest Irrigation Company and the Alberta Railway and Irrigation Company to purchase an additional 226,000 acres, and build a beet sugar factory, to have the same ready for operations to handle the beet crop of 1903, and keep it in operation for twelve years. The agreement was guaranteed with a pledge of $50,000. Following the signing of the contract a townsite was located and named "Raymond" after Mr. Knight's oldest son Raymond.

Well thats our new home, a small township with a real mid west atmosphere, a population of 3500 souls, a pump house, about a dozen shops, just a smattering of restaurants, a police station and a handful of churches.

The Raymond Stampede was the first of its kind in canada, its a lovely little township and we cant wait to move there.

Motorway Advertising

I can remember about 7 or 8 years a go i was working as a furniture salesman for DFS in Bristol. We got into a little bit of trouble with the council because we put some advertising up that faced the motorway, we were told it was a distraction and we had to move it. Its amazing how things have changed in such a short time, it looks as though farmers up and down the country have found a new crop for their fields.

Once you get out of the towns and cities, practically all the motorways are sided by fields. Farmers are buying up old trucks and trailers and using them as poster boards, the advertising themes are nearly all the same, loans and used cars, its a shame really because its just another example of british people making britain look crap, shame on them all.

Resignation Day

Both Jan and I resigned from our jobs today so we both finish work on 26th July, thats another job done and a step closer. Started packing away the house in earnest today, most of the stuff we are selling has already gone, this is the rest of the crap thats going down the tip, its all boxed up now and ready to dump.

Today was also the day i cancelled all the utilities all though they will all switch off on 1st August, thats it now for tonight, im off to get some sleep ready for tonights shift.

Canadian Utility bills

Last night i was setting up the utilities for when we move over to Canada, what a nightmare but it was also a big learning experience. I think most of the problems was with our weird address but its all sorted now apart from the Electric, apparently the company needs 2 forms of canadian id so i cant do that till we get over there and i get the work permit. If anyone needs any advice on this,drop me a line and i'll share my very limited knowlege.

Sunday Floody Sunday

It has been raining since the weekend and a lot of roads up North are flooded and closed, luckily i was up the western side of the country today and missed most of it, there were a lot of fields under water though. Had a bit of a nap in the services on the way up and saw this red thing when i woke up, im not sure but i think it belongs to International Rescue although i couldnt find the Thunderbird Number.

Welsh Squirrels drink OJ.

I couldnt believe what i was seeing, i was sat on the bay waiting to be loaded and this little squirrel hopped out of a tree, over the road and straight to an O.J. concentrate bin. Notice the tap at the bottom of the box, he has got his head right in the tap to get at the syrup.

This is what i love about Canada

Ice road Truckers

Angry Kid

Dinner Party

Last night was a good night, we had a lot of family round for a bite to eat and a wee drinky or two. Yes i know fajitas, ribs and pakoras dont normally go together but who cares. Now its Saturday morning, everyone has gone i have got a bit of a head ache, im gong to have a look in the fridge in a minute and see if there are any ribs or pakoras left for breakfast, i know there are some nachos left somewhere.

Gizmo was on form last night, i left numerous dishes round the house last night to use as bone dishes and guess who managed to get his little black snout in there. A few times i had to chase him round the back yard to get them off him, much to peoples amusement. Bless him but he's not allowed pork bones, he didnt miss out though, he managed to get through his own body weight in gravy bones and dog chews, and i know for a fact he had about half a dozen tortillas.

The Pastie Experiment

Spot the pastie


One pastie wrapped in foil


When i was in the Army we used to wrap food up in tin foil, place in, on, under, or between certain parts of the engine and when you stopped your vehicle you had a nice hot meal. Well i hadnt tried this since until yesterday, trouble is these new fangled trucks are just to efficient, there is practically no heat loss. Fantastic if you are designing a truck to cater for the needs of an industry that is constantly striving to be greener, leaner and more efficient. Not so good if you are trying to warm up a pastie.

I needed a place that got hot and had a safe place to wedge my lunch (no double entendre intended) that was easily accessible and relatively safe. After wedging my fingers into various orifices, nooks and crannies i found a place that suitably burnt. I never was that technical when it comes to experiments, if you want to know if something is hot then touch it.

As you can see i found a spot between the air cleaner and the exhaust. I carefully stuffed my pastie in as you can see from the above pic and drove from Chepstow to Llantrissant, approximately 30 miles (50 km)

I pulled into a lay-by, eagerly awaiting a nice hot lunch.........

And guess what, it was still bloody cold, so much for technology.

How do you get 2 Wales in a car?

This is the Merc Axor i was driving today.

The Royal Mint at Llantrissant.

The town is affectionatly known as the "Hole" with a mint.

me sticking my back end (of the truck) into a doorway.

Serious about food, serious about safety

Serious Food Company at Llantrissant

Sign post to prove i was in Wales

Yesterday was a nice easy day, went into Tesco Chepstow then into Llantrissant to collect fruit juice. I was out of Chepstow by 04:30 and didn't have to be in Llantrissant till 09:30 so that was a nice 3 hour sleep, why can't every day be like that.

Today I went back down to Chepstow then on to Highbridge for a collection. For those who don't know where that is, its near Weston-Super-Mare, or Wet & Slippy Mud as we know it.
Had a new truck again today, a Mercedes Axor with a stick box. I don't like Mercs anyway so I wasn't too pleased, never mind its the end of the week.

Phoned up the solicitors last night, everything is moving on faster than planned which is good news, hopefully next week l will be in a position where I can set the date for going back over to Canada and get the flights booked.

I sent off Gizmo's shipping paperwork the other day so his flight is already half sorted. We are going to drop him off the day before we fly out, he will stay in kennels for 2 weeks then fly out to Calgary. That should give us time to get the house sorted and chance to buy the car so we can get back up to the airport and collect him. We are using a company called Par-Air, we have used them before when we came back from Germany with our last dog so we know they are pretty good. We have got him booked in for his kennel cough vaccination tomorrow then he is good to go.

Long runs again

Sunday i got Asda & Morissons in Wakefield = 15 hours

Monday i got Morissons Wakefield then Tesco Doncaster = 15hours

Today i went to Asda & Morissons in Wakefield again =13 hours

Monday i got to drive a different truck still a DAF but a different shape and different colour and i'm only telling you this because nothing else has happened, boring week so far.

The Witches of Northwich

I would like to dedicate this post to the ladies of the Goods In department at the Morissons regional depot at Northwich.

A message to your whole sad department

Your slow, lethargic approach to your job is only surpassed by your arrogance, ignorance and bad manners. After keeping me waiting for 4 hours for my paperwork it was a pleasure to stand on the other side of that opaque glass for 10 minutes while you chatted to that other useless idiot that sits opposite you about your latest boyfriend and where you are going tonight.

..............and yes i did read the hand written notice on my side of the glass which reads

"Please Knock and Wait"

It should actually read "Please Knock and Wait and Wait and Wait and Wait". I am sure you hear us thru that glass because we can hear you. The last time i was there some spotty retard joked "Come in" when i tapped on the glass and about half a dozen girls giggled. That time i waited about 5 mins then went back to my cab, climbed on the bunk and went to sleep. Unfortunatly my truck was sat on your bay and held up production for a little while, sorry about that, oh yes and sorry to who ever had to come out 30 mins later with my keys and asked me to move my truck.

Well i think that may be the solution, i can stay in my cab and you can come to me, you never know i might just wind my window down after 10 minutes or so, and ask you what you want.

Ha Ha, i almost forgot, when you finally apened the opaque glass and that girl asked what i wanted;

"Could i have the paperwork for the Dr Oetker delivery please" I replied

"Doctor Who? she asked

"No not Doctor Who, Dr Oetker, he makes yoghurt you know, i bought you some about 4 hours ago and i would like the paperwork so i can leave" said I

After a couple of seconds and a grinding of cogs, the fogginess in her eyes cleared and she replied, "Its not done yet, she's just doing it now"........Then the opaque screen closed.

I went back to my truck and read my book till someone bought it over to me.

Morissons are the worsed depots to deliver to, you are slow, rude and for the most part useless. I do realise that Billy "boy" Morisson (your boss) is trying to keep operating costs down by employing pond life at minimum wage but it really is a false economy. If he employed propper people then his "Outfit" would be more competitive against proffesional companies like, Tesco, Sainsburys and Asda Walmart.

Just my humble opinion !!!

Wednesday & Thursday

Wednesday was a great day, i started at 00:30 as usual and took a unit down to Pullmans which is about 10 km and got a lift back. Got another unit, checked there wasnt a job for me yet then climbed on the bunk and went to sleep. Woke up at 05:30 as the night heater had switched off and it was freezing. Took a little walk over to the office to see if they had forgotten about me and guess what? They told me to go home, what a result, a full days pay for a 15 minute drive and a 3 hour sleep, nice work if you can get it.

Thursday was a good day too, booked on, got a unit and climbed on the bunk for a 30 min nap. Got a phone call t send me up to Morissons in Northwich. I backed onto my trailer, grabbed my paperwork and off i went. More about Northwich in the next post.

Multi-dropping in London

Wouldnt like to live here

Almost in the Centre

London Dome in the distance

My wheels for the day

Had a shock last night when i went in to work, i was handed the keys to a rigid (a truck that doesnt bend n the middle) and told i was going multi-dropping in London, that was not good news.

Now let me explain what multi-dropping is, your load goes to loads of different destinations and London is the worst place to do it, small narrow roads, impossible to find destinations, traffic jams every which way you turn and London drivers.

The best way to describe a London driver is to say they are like a normal driver with all the patience, manners, concideration and road sense removed. The void that is left is filled with an almost death wish type need to place their vehicle in the place you want to be and to get there first.

I could give examples of this today but no explanation would do it justice, you had to be there.

Anyway some of the drops were right in the centre of the city, oh and how i laughed!!!

Heres some pics of what i drove and what i saw on this fun filled mystery tour.

The week so far

Sunday i volunteered for a long shift as one of my mates had to be back early, ended up going to Asda Europort and Morissons in Wakefield then off to Princes in Bradford for a back load of fizzy pop.

Yesterday was a interesting shift, Tesco Snodland (Kent) then under the Thames and into CO-OP West Thurrock.

Last night the people who are buying our house came round to measure up and take a few photos and we have the surveyors coming round on Friday, things are definitely moving on now and we are hoping to be in Lethbridge by early August.

Couple of Canadian funnies

Found another buyer for the house

Well this is the only thing holding us back in UK and weve found a buyer and they need to complete as soon as possible. Tuesday morning went ballistic on the house sale, not sure what happened over the weekend but we have had loads of interest, we had 4 open offers at one point, its in the hands of the soliciors and estate agents now so hopefully we can be in canada by early August, fingers crossed!!!

We got Lukes passport updated too as he only had eighteen months left on it, this weekend i am looking into Gozmo's shipping and we are getting our eyes tested and specs sorted out as it seems to be slightly cheaper over here, and Spec Saver have got a deal on with free reactions lenses, i know can be such a tight arse some times but remember ever £1 is 2 bucks.

We also got the cars sorted this week, my dad is having mine off me and we are handing Jan's back to the PCP company, that works great for us as it means we can keep both cars right up until the last minute.

Got let down by the person who was having our sofas but never mind, if anyone's inerested we have a 3 & 2 seater leather suites in pale green leather going for £200, there is also a large pouffe or poofer or what ever the damn thing is called (foot stool) that comes with it, if you want it speak up coz im advertising it about 3 weeks.

Smell that bread

This bread factory is in Northwich and faces the main road, that bid window you can see is a huge oven an you can actually see the bread baking. There is a fantastic baking smell as you drive past, its one time you actually want to get stuck at the lights

Where I've been again

Sunday - Tesco Doncaster & Princes' Bradford
Monday - Tesco Doncaster & Morriss' Leeds
Tuesday - Tesco Doncaster & Morriss' Leeds
Wednesday - CO-OP Swynerton, Nisa Stoke & Cuddington
Thursday - CO-OP Oxford, Tesco Didcot & Morrissons Northampton

That Morriss' in Leeds was a nightmare to find, its just off junction 45 of the M1, unfortunatley that particular junction isnt due to open till next year and because it looked so easy i didnt bother printing off a map.

I just pointed the noisy end of the truck towards the city centre and hoped for the best, i obviously wasnt hoping hard enough because every road i tried to take had a weight limit. I discovered later that the only road in was from the South West and i was coming in from the North East, oh how i laughed!!!

When i got back to the depot i told them i didnt want to go back there again, so guess where i got sent the next day. This time it wasnt bad though as i knew the way in this time and it was quite an enjoyable day.

Nasty Wreck

Little sports car had a tangle with a truck, the driver got air ambulanced away so he must have been in bad condition.

Think on, next time you are stuck in a traffic jam.

"Its better to be stuck in it than the cause of it"

Back to work

Fabulous weather



Clear roads for as far as the eye can see



Nice clean motorway service areas


Its so good to be back to work in UK, it makes you realised what you missed, heres a couple of pics to show what UK has to offer.

Sunday - Tesco Doncaster & Princes Bradford.
Monday - Tesco & CO-OP Peterborough & Morissons Rushden
Tuesday - Tesco Chepstow & Sun JuiceLlantrissant (Wales)
Wednesday - Asda Bristol, CO-OP Bristol then Besana Nuts
Thursday - CO-OP Oxford, Tesco Didcot & Morissons Northampton.

Nicely thrown back into the deep end for my first day back, not to worry though as Sunday and Monday were both on double time