June 23, 2019

The sky is overcast today but it promises to be a sunnier day today.  We had made arrangements to meet with Bob and Eleanor today.  We had met up with them earlier last month in Pincher Creek, but Saskatoon is their hometown and we wanted to meet up again.

Debbie was not feeling well today and felt that she should stay home and rest.  Bob and Eleanor came to the house to pick me up for a brunch. It was nice to see them again.

We drove out to Berry Barn, a Saskatoon berry farm/nursery and market, south of the city.  They have a quaint restaurant on the grounds, featuring meals and desserts using the unique Saskatoon berry.

The Saskatoon berry grows on large shrubs and the farm harvests the berries.  The berry is similar to a blue berry however, is sweeter with a slight almond taste.  I enjoyed a Saskatoon berry scone and yogurt – delicious.  

The farm not only grows and harvests Saskatoon berries, but is also a wedding destination site, and has several large greenhouses selling flowers and beautiful hanging baskets.  The farm is situated on the banks of the South Saskatchewan River and we enjoyed walking around the grounds after breakfast.

Bob and Eleanor dropped me off at the house and I said goodbye to good friends.   Danny had returned from Waskesiu and wanted to show me the weir on the South Saskatchewan River. The weir is part of the water control on the river to keep water flowing in the river during the dry spells.  We drove downtown and climbed the high steel stairs to the lookout attached to the railroad bridge crossing the river. While we were on the lookout, a very long freight train pulling tank cars rumbled by, a few feet beside us, as it crossed the river.  

The South Saskatchewan River flows from the foothills of the Rockies, meets the North Saskatchewan and empties into Lake Winnipeg.  It is the main source of irrigation to the farms of the southern Alberta area.   The Gardiner dam that supplies hydro electricity, dams the river, about 150 miles south of Saskatoon. This dam holds back the water that is now Diefenbaker Lake. The South Saskatchewan River has been labeled as an endangered river and a lot of effort and attention is put into the river to keep it as a vibrant source of water and recreation.

We enjoyed the rest of the afternoon, lounged in the hot tub, told stories, and enjoyed a Chinese take out meal. 

Tomorrow, if Debbie is feeling better, we will be exploring the historic sites of Batoche and Duck Lake.       

June 22, 2019

Raining again!!  This time it was really heavy with waves of heavy rain followed by light drizzles and then downpours.  It was a good day for us to stay inside and catch up on cleaning our gear, updating the blog, and editing some photos.  

Debbie had dug her nose into a good book so that took her attention for the remainder of the day.  

We had made arrangements to meet with her Aunt Verna and her clan at a restaurant in the late afternoon and we are looking forward to seeing them.  Debbie had not seen her cousin Brenda since she was a young girl.

We met them at Manos and I met Greg and Brenda and it was nice to see Verna, who I had not seen for many years.  The two and a half hours flew by as we talked about so many diverse subjects and caught up on the news from the Bains’ family.

After a wonderful supper, we returned to the house, watched another movie and then went to bed, hoping for a drier day tomorrow.

June 21, 2019

Raining again today and we are starting to feel that we are responsible for bringing it with us from the west coast!

Danny left to go back to Waskesiu this morning so Debbie and I have the house for the next few days.  I took our SUV back to the dealership to complete the wheel alignment. We then made plans to explore the city.

Our first stop was the Western Development Museum, one of four museums in Saskatchewan that feature the cultural and economic development of the Province of Saskatchewan.  The WDM of Saskatoon features the economic development.  

The building is huge and contains a village of historic buildings, railroad siding and displays of the many aspects of the growth of the province.   Museum displays consisted of aspects of the indigenous people who lived on the land, to homesteaders, the drought of the 1930, and the depression and onto the growth of the farmlands, oil and resource industry and the establishment of the Universities.

There is a terrific display of the huge steel tractors that were shipped from the east coast by rail to the farmers of Saskatchewan to assist in breaking the prairie grasses into fertile farmlands.

We left the museum at closing time and decided to go into the city core to have supper.  The last time we had been in Saskatoon in April, we had enjoyed an Italian meal at Traverna and we decided to return.  It did not disappoint.  

There was a Jazz festival in town for the week so we thought we would have a look at it, in the event we wanted to enjoy it tonight.  A slight drizzle had started.  The venue for the festival was on the grounds between the Marriot Bessborough Hotel, a classic landmark, and the river.  We walked to the gates, and made the decision not to go in because the rain was starting to get stronger and the admission fee was $75.00 per person.  

The City of Saskatoon has developed a beautiful park along the banks of the river.   We walked the length of the park, listening to the music, and admiring the various statues and the historic cathedrals along the way.

By the time we had returned to our starting point the rain was quite heavy and we retreated to the comfort of the vehicle and drove back to the house.  We watched a movie and then off to bed.

June 20, 2019

Rain, heavy rain, clattered outside and filled the streets with puddles.  I had made arrangements to bring the SUV into the Hyundai dealership for an oil change and warranty check. 

The South Saskatoon Hyundai dealership is an impressive new facility and took the truck in right away.  Unfortunately, they found the wheels were out of alignment.  We took the truck back to Danny’s house and unloaded the kayaks and all of the many things in the rear.  We will take the truck back to the dealership tomorrow to complete the alignment.  The Saskatchewan potholes had caught up to us.  We have travelled 5788 kms so far in our journey!!

We took advantage of the day to do the laundry and catch up on the blog.  Many of blog followers have been messaging us and telling me that I have fallen behind!! Okay, Okay, I’ll catch up!

The rain had stopped for a while, so Danny took us for a tour of the City of Saskatoon.  We were impressed with the campus of the University of Saskatchewan.  Danny showed us the building that housed the Saskatchewan Accelerator Laboratory. This facility was originally built to house an electron accelerator in the early 1960’s in the research for sub-atomic physics research in the treatment of cancer.  This is the first such facility in Canada.  The building now houses the Canadian Light Source laboratory. The building is the size of a football stadium and is used by researchers from around the world.  He also took us to the gravesite of former Prime Minister John Diefenbaker and his wife Olive, overlooking the campus and the South Saskatchewan River. 

We cruised through the city, looking at the various historic and interesting buildings and sites.  Saskatoon has an estimated population of 350,000 residents and is a busy bustling city.  It is known as the City of Bridges, as it has nine crossing the river.  It has developed a highway system that circles the city allowing the ever – increasing traffic to travel into the city from many access points.

We returned to the house and turned on the barbeque and enjoyed a few beers and hamburgers.  Tomorrow Debbie and I are to explore the city a little more.

June 19, 2019

Today was packing up day, as we are heading south to Saskatoon. We had made arrangements to bring our vehicle into the Hyundai dealership in Saskatoon for a warranty checkup and oil/filter change.  D+J offered up their driveway to park the trailer and allowed us to squat at their home so that we could take in some of the sights of Saskatoon.  Debbie wanted to do some laundry and plan/reserve some campsites for our next leg pf our journey. We also wanted to connect with some friends and relatives in Saskatoon.

We had lunch with Judy at the cabin, (Danny had left for Saskatoon earlier in the day), and then said farewell and took to the open road.

The drive to Prince Albert seemed shorter than going up. We stopped in Prince Albert and visited the home of the former Prime Minister John Diefenbaker.  We took a tour through the home and enjoyed the artifacts and back stories of the former politician and prime minister.  

We also learned that three former Prime Ministers, Wilfred Laurier, Mackenzie King and John Diefenbaker called Prince Albert home!! Not bad for a community that presently has a population of 35,000. 

We stopped in for a coffee and short visit with our nephew Jason and his wife Melissa, and the boys Graham and Noah.  Jason, a teacher, and Melissa, a registered nurse, have a dynamic family, and are well established in the community.  Graham showed us his pet black bearded lizard and Chloe the Saint Bernard, Labrador cross, made sure that we acknowledged her. Jason, the coach and Noah the catcher, had to leave for their baseball game.  We had a tour of their newly built home.  It was now time for us to move on and we said goodbye and headed south.  We had a short but enjoyable visit.

As we approached Saskatoon, the western sky was darkening and rain fell in sporadic times throughout the drive.  The weather was changing and the forecast was for rain tomorrow.  

We finally arrived at Danny and Judy’s home at 8:30 and parked the rig in the driveway.  This was to be our home base for the next few days.

June 18, 2019

It is not often that you can wake up and find a herd of elk lying around your campsite, but that is what happened this morning.  Five elk; four young adults and a larger female laying in the shade, their big ears flapping at the horseflies and mosquitoes. One young elk, had an itchy back so it went over to the hitch of a fifth wheel trailer and rubbed its spine on the hitch.  I spoke to the man inside later, and he said he could feel the trailer swaying back and forth as it scratched its back. 

Today’s plan is to go kayaking on a series of lakes called Hanging Hearts lakes.  The lakes are a favorite for anglers as they are stocked with pickerel and jack fish. The sun was shining and we wanted to leave early as the weather report predicted that the winds would be increasing in the afternoon.  

We were in the water by 9:30, and the lake was calm and clear. Several boaters sped by us to their favorite fishing hole.   The paddle was perfect, as we explored the shoreline.  Canada Geese and ducks with their brood of goslings and ducklings paddled through the reeds.

We were fortunate to meet a pelican fishing near the shoreline. We drifted in as closely as it would let us for a photo opportunity.  Loons stood sentry near by, periodically calling out our location.

Early afternoon wind was building around 2:30 so it was time to head back.  We watched a bald eagle carry a large fish onto shore.  The crows took the opportunity to harass it but the eagle stood its ground.  As we approached, it took to the sky, carrying its treasure with it as the crows looked on.

It was a steady tough slug to get back to the put in site and we felt relieved to finally make it back.  We had arranged to host supper for D+J at our campsite so we had to hustle to get back.  Along the way we stopped to watch a brown bear foraging on the side of the road. We stopped at Birch Bay camp to take a quick swim in Waskesiu lake.  The “dip” was a quick dip because Waskesiu is a cold but clean and “refreshing” lake. 

We enjoyed a great supper, barbequed chicken, roast potatoes and salads.  Danny and Judy shared several post cards that they had produced of the Waskesiu area. They have a small business making postcards and bookmarks of favorite scenes of Saskatchewan and many of their creations are sold at the various information and gift stores throughout Saskatchewan.  Of course, Danny ever the historian and jokester, told us the story of Grey Owl.

Grey Owl whose real name was Archibald Belaney was a long term resident of the Waskesiu area.  He was a British immigrant who was a writer, conservationist who lived “off the grid” in the early 1900’s in a cabin on Ajawaan Lake.  After his death it was learned that he was not indigenous. His cabin remains at Ajawaan lake and is still maintained.   

Danny brought some “props” along to supplement his stories and during the stories we christened Debbie as “Deb Owl”.

The evening continued, as did the beer and wine, and soon it was time to see our visitors off on their bicycles to head back to their cabin.

The evening ended with elk trotting through the campsite as we were cleaning up.  Prince Albert National Park, I recommend this park for anyone looking to see Northern Saskatchewan.  It is a well kept secret. 

June 17, 2019

Today we planned to do some kayaking, and some exploring of the Waskesiu region of the park.  We had planned to meet up with Danny and Judy later in the day.

We drove to the Waskesiu Lake marina and put in there. The winds were gusting so we decided to stay in the lee of the shoreline and explore the river estuary and the large water fowl habitat along the river banks.  We hoped to see some wildlife but that was not to happen today.  We did get yelled at by a heron as we interrupted its fishing.  Several large broods of Canada geese and gosling paddled away from us into the reeds and mallard ducks and ducklings scooted through the reeds as we floated by. Red winged blackbirds announced our arrival.  Several large crows hopped through hummocks of marsh reeds searching for nests that they could raid.

As we neared the Waskesiu River Bridge, Danny and Judy met us and we made plans to have a wiener roast after we finished paddling.   As we returned to the marina, the wind was picking up so we worked hard to get back and off the water.  

Danny and Judy had brought the wieners, buns, salad, fixings, and refreshments.  We headed off to the Birch Bay day camp about 5 kms, past the marina.

Danny built a roaring fire, and we sat around the fire, telling stories, making jokes and just having a lot of laughs, all the while, roasting wieners and marshmallows.   It was soon time to return to camp.

We then walked around the village of Waskesiu and admired the cabins and cottages, enjoyed an ice cream cone as we watched the sun set over the lake.  We phoned the family back home and afar and then walked back to the trailer.  It was another wonderful day in northern Saskatchewan.       

June 16, 2019

Father’s day and I was greeted by a phone call and a text from our daughters, Myra and Rina.  We had agreed to call Rina every Sunday afternoon so we could talk to our grand daughters.

After breakfast, it was time for me to catch up on the blog as I was a week behind and Danny and Judy had graciously offered up their wifi password.  I spent the next two hours working on the blog while Debbie spent that time repairing the hole in the net tent that I had melted in Cold Lake.  We had purchased some netting in Prince Albert and Debbie was determined to keep those pesky mosquitoes out.  She did a pretty good job considering the material she had to work with and hand sewing using a needle and thread!

We headed over to Danny and Judy’s cabin, had a light lunch while I posted some blogs and then it was time for a tour of Waskesiu.  

Danny drove us though the village and showed us the various cabins and historic buildings in the village of Waskesiu.  The Park was established in 1927 and opened by Mackenzie King who was the Prime Minister at the time.  His cabin is still in the park and it is rumored that he only spent one night in the cabin.   The Prince Albert National Park is the largest park in Saskatchewan and surrounds three large lakes and many smaller lakes.  The park has a large pelican roosting area, as well as the largest free roaming buffalo herd.  The many lakes are very popular sport fishing destinations.  The park is the home for many species of wildlife, elk, moose, bear, wolves and fox.  

There are approximately 450 leased cabins inside Waskesiu that have been grandfathered and are only occupied in the summer months. The water and facilities are shut off in October and turned on again in April.  Waskesiu has developed into a summer playground with beaches, tennis courts, family picnic areas, a marina, several small hotels and lodges, and two world renown golf courses. 

Danny wrangled two electric golf carts and we toured the Lopstick Golf and Country Club course, showing us some of the splendid fairways and sights of the course. Gordie Howe, the legendary hockey player, worked as a greens keeper at this golf course during the summer months.  Danny is an avid golfer and has 50 tee off times lined up this summer.  

After a wonderful tour of the area, looking at the lake and beaches, admiring the local elk herd that wanders in the town, we returned to the cabin, enjoyed a few beers and laughs on the deck with finally some sun! We then went out and enjoyed a Father’s Day steak dinner at the Country Club.  We then returned to the campsite, called the granddaughters and then went to bed after watching a movie in the trailer.  

June 15, 2019

The sun was trying to peek through the clouds this morning but the big grey one was still there and fighting back.  Forecast called for rain all day.   

Debbie whipped up breakfast and then went for a shower and I broke camp.  We were on the road by 9:30 and heading for Prince Albert National Park.  

We retraced our steps for about 30 kms and then turned east towards Prince Albert.   The roads in Saskatchewan are pretty straight and Hwy # 3 is no different, cutting through large fields of freshly planted grain some as far as the eye can see. The rain fell in patches and but seemed to get heavier as we got nearer to Prince Albert. 

We arrived in Prince Albert and Debbie navigated us to the Canadian Superstore for groceries.  There was a street festival on main street and people were enjoying themselves despite the rain.  We will be visiting Prince Albert a little longer after we leave the park later this week.

Prince Albert National Park is approximately 90 kms north of Prince Albert and our friends Danny and Judy own a cabin in the park. We had made plans to see them and to enjoy the park.  Judy was born in Prince Albert and basically grew up in the park as her family owned a cabin in the park.   Danny is a retired school principal and a self made Saskatchewan historian and has a vast knowledge of Saskatchewan and its history.  He has entertained me with many stories of the places and people of this province.  I couldn’t wait to hear what he had to tell us about this place.

We pulled in front of their cabin by 4:30 and were greeted warmly.   We apologized for bringing the rain with us and they forgave us.  We toasted a bottle of Proseco to arriving in Saskatchewan enjoyed a tasty chicken dinner.  Danny had already made some plans for spending the next three days here and we were looking forward to them.  

He had some suggestions about alternative camp sites and so he took us to the reservation kiosk and spoke to Sabrina and introduced us to her.  Sabrina checked us in and then gave us a list of other sites that were available and suggested that we drive around and pick out one that we would like.  The original site we had chosen was nice but was not a full hook up site, which we kind of wanted for the duration that we would be here. We found one close to the shower building and drove back to the kiosk.  Sabrina patiently filled out our reservation forms and checked us in.  She truly is an ambassador for this park.

We settled into the camp site, enjoyed a shower and went to bed looking forward to our time here.

June 14, 2019

We awoke to the sounds of fighter jets thundering overhead. Debbie exclaimed that this was the familiar sounds that she heard every day in her childhood.  

It was a bright sunny day and the lake was calm so we decided that we would go for a couple of hours of paddling after breakfast and before we pack up.  I made a filling pancake breakfast and we were soon on the lake. 

Cold Lake is the seventh largest lake in Alberta.  The fighter jets roar northeast overhead to the training airspace that straddles the Alberta, Saskatchewan border.   A large combat helicopter flew over the lake less than 100 feet off of the water. Very impressive!  The paddle along the shoreline was pleasant and interesting. Several large waterfront homes line parts of the lake and it is obvious that this lake is not only a great fishing lake but also popular for waterskiing and many other boating activities. Cold Lake has a very active sailing club.  

We returned to the campsite and started our duties to dismantle the camp.  Before we dismantled, Debbie tried out the outdoor shower on the trailer.  It worked perfectly and she enjoyed it very much. It will be used again later in our journey.

Our next destination was the Battleford Provincial Park in Saskatchewan, but before we left we decided to visit the Cold Lake Museum. Debbie wanted to check out what memorabilia there may be at the museum.  The museum houses many exhibits not only airforce related but also exhibits from the oil industry.  We spent about an hour looking at the airforce exhibits.  The history of the base is well documented and they had many interesting stories.  We were slightly disappointed that there were not more exhibits relating to the CF104 program that was so important during the Cold War and spearheaded in Cold Lake.

It was time to leave Alberta and we drove out of Cold Lake at 12:30.  The trip into Saskatchewan on Hwy 55 is quiet with light traffic.  A pair of Apache Helicopters flew over us on their way to Cold Lake.  The scenery is much the same, rolling hills, large fields and aspen forests.  We headed south onto Hwy 4 after Meadow Lake to get to The Battlefords Provincial Park. 

We were again impressed with this Provincial Park.  We chose a campsite overlooking the lake and set up camp.  We did not unhitch, as we were only staying overnight and leaving first thing in the morning for the Prince Albert National Park.  After supper I enjoyed a great shower before bed.  No Toonies needed and unlimited water!