Wasagaming and Bison!!

July 3, 2019

Wasagaming Campground is situated on the edge of Clear Lake, a large natural lake which is fed by underground springs, which makes its water very clear.  The small village of Wasagaming was established in the early 1930 as was the National Park.  Many of the buildings in the Park are of the same vintage and architecture as those in Prince Albert National Park.  In fact, the infamous Grey Owl actually lived here before he moved to Saskatchewan.  

There are several small resorts, and boutique hotels, restaurants, gift shops and Park administration buildings.  The sandy beach is bordered by a well kept park and tennis courts and a marina complete this beautiful summer destination.  There is also an extensive cottage community consisting of about 250 cottages, that are leased from the National Parks and are only occupied from late May until the end of September. 

We had a slow start in the morning, and it was too windy for kayaking.  We decided to explore the community.  We found the cottage that our friends, Bill and Carol, owned until last year.  It is a beautiful setting right on the shores of the lake.  

We enjoyed a great lunch at the local restaurant called Wigwam.  The park information officer at the administration office told us that the Park is home for a herd of bison and there is good chance that we could view them in their natural state.  We drove the 45 minutes to the bison range near Lake Audy.  On our way there we stopped and watched a black bear sow and her two small cubs foraging in the grasses alongside the road.  The cubs were still very young and they probably weighed less than 10 pounds.  

At the bison-viewing stand we could see two large bulls lying in the grass some distance away.  We then took a drive through the range, and as we turned the corner we were met with a herd of about 10 bison and four calves standing in the middle of the road. We shut off the car and just sat and watched them.  The officer had told us that they are not afraid of vehicles and will not harm you as long as you sit quiet and let them do their thing.  They slowly grazed and sauntered around our car, snorting and swishing away flies with their tails.  It was a magical moment that lasted for almost a half hour.  They grazed past our car so we drove on.  When we returned the same way about a half hour, they were nowhere to be seen.  That completed our afternoon!  We were elated to have been so “up lose and personal” with these majestic animals. 

We returned to the trailer to wash up and change.  Earlier in the day we had booked a supper cruise on the “Martese”, a dinner cruise boat.  The Martese is a sightseeing/ dinner cruise boat.  During the day it takes folks around the perimeter of the lake, then has a supper cruise, and then a sunset cruise.  It was a wonderful way to end the day, with a four course meal on a supper cruise. Kelsey, the captain, gave a running commentary of the history of the lake, the park and other specifics that make this National Park another proud jewel of Canada.

The sun sets late here in Manitoba, so Debbie challenged me to a game of lawn checkers.  Of course she won.  We returned to the trailer and hoped that tomorrow we could do some kayaking.