The Pub with No Beer

22nd June
Weyburn - Carlyle
I had a long day's ride ahead of me so I was on the road early. In the end I decided to stay the night in a small town called Carlyle 116km from Weyburn. There was no camp site so I had to book into the only Motel. Big flashing signs outside announced Restaurant, Bars, Coffee Room, Cold Beers. I booked in and fancied a cold beer. "Don't sell alcohol on a Sunday" announced the face without expression behind the counter. "Is the restaurant serving now " I asked "I am quite hungry and tired" "We don't open the restaurant on a Sunday". "You'll need to go down town if you want food or drink". Well I couldn't believe what she was saying. All the flashing signs and everything shuts down on a Sunday. So I parked my gear and walked to the town a couple of kms away. There was a saloon bar called The Office and there I met Melissa - bar assistant extraordinaire!! She was a most attractive young girl, wore a cloth checked skip cap on her head, a black dress just covering boobs and bum and sporting a large tattoo on her left thigh. I sat outside with my beer. She came to join me for her coffee and fag break. She told me she had been brought up in the small town I had passed through earlier. She told me she was a country girl at heart and and big cities were not her scene. I asked If I could have a carry out cold salad to take back to the Motel. I said I would have liked something hot but it would be cold by the time I got back. "If you want a hot meal then that's no problem as my friend will drive you back." With a snap of her fingers, her friend was by my side. She was another lovely 20 year old who had brought her tupperware type catalogue along with her. I apologised for not buying but explained it would be difficult with the bike. She called to a ranchman across the bar "Perhaps you would like to buy something for your mum" she said "Well that would be difficult cos she died 3 years ago!!" Oh dear. Soon I was in among a group of youngsters. I asked about the oil and I'll let Kory Williamson tell you all about that. "There are many different ways to bring oil out of the ground, the most common way being the use of a Pumpjock. Different companies make different styles of Pumpjocks and that is why there are trade mark colours. Oil has been produced in Sascatchewan for 50+ years but only recently has the boom begun with the discovery of new oil formations. These formations guarantee at least 10-15 more years of available oil. It is brought to the surface from as deep as 3000meters underground. Drilling rigs are brought in to drill the hole where the oil is thought to be. Following up is the service rig and their job is to bring the oil from the ground. It's changing the whole econmy out here. What a lovely bunch of interesting youngsters who took time to talk to an old granny like me. Thank you all for a great night.