then Manitoba

 

Friday, June 15

The Nickle Lake Regional Campground outside of Wayburn was adequate except that the air conditioner/heater on top of the RV next door woke Ute at 5am. We’d gone to bed around 10pm so it wasn’t as if we hadn’t gotten enough sleep. But what was she going to do at 5am … get up and make coffee?

It was a lovely warm, sunny morning. We sat around under the trees drinking coffee and reading and I took the opportunity to do some laundry. Ute thought the dish towel I had brought along was getting kind of smelly. (She was also shocked that I’d only brought ONE!) There were also some muddy duds from our time at Grasslands National Park.

Around noon we headed north towards Fort Qu’appelle where we’d made reservations (it being the weekend) at Echo Lake Provincial Park. We’d booked a spot in the Lakeview section of the campground. We were a bit surprised that we not only NOT ON the lake but there was not even much view. The whole south side of the lakeshore was mostly taken up with private cottages with a public beach at one end. The campground is set up the side of the valley above a public road.

As we’d driven north the sunny skies of Wayburn were replaced by thunder clouds and the odd bolt of lightning. Ute kept watch for funnel clouds in case we needed to prompt Helmut to outrun a tornado.

Overall the Qu’appelle Valley was a bit of a disappointment.

Saturday, June 16

Sadly, this was the day that Ute left us to return to Calgary. After breakfast we drove in to Regina Airport. As we drove up the terminal Ute was asking herself: “Am I flying Air Canada or WestJet? I still don’t know but I do know that she got home as she confirmed her arrival by text.

Now the dog and I were on our own to finish our journey to Nova Scotia.

I spent a bit of time in Regina exploring Wascana Park. It’s a huge park near downtown Regina and I came across some boys having a canoe lesson. (Practicing their rescue techniques.)

Paddling is clearly a popular sport in Regina and Wascana Lake is a great place to practice when it’s not frozen over.

And there are some very fine views of the Saskatchewan legislative buildings looking across the lake.

The day before Ute and I had had lunch at the Valley Bake and Coffee Shop on the main street of Fort Qu’appelle. It was clearly a popular local place and the food was delicious as were the butter tarts. After returning to Fort Qu’appelle, I dropped in again for another pair of tarts …. one really isn’t enough. The Valley Bake is the kind of place where the hash browns actually appear to be potatoes that someone boiled, peeled and cubed. Not those horrible machine created frozen things that are then deep fried in most places. Also interesting that the Valley Bake only takes cash!

Downtown Fort Qu’appelle still has its original Hudson’s Bay Store from 1897. These days it’s a real estate office. I was quite surprised at the prices of some of the homes in the area. But I suspect the area is prime holiday territory for the folks from Regina.

Mainstreet Fort Qu’appelle

Sunday, June 17

After clearing skies on Saturday, on Sunday overcast skies had returned. It began raining during the night and was raining lightly by morning. I’d decided the night before to have breakfast at the Valley Bake and Coffee Shop which opens at 7am on Sunday mornings.

I didn’t make it to breakfast at 7am but shortly before 9am. The food was as good as I remembered and by the time I was leaving at 9:30am the place was packed with locals. Clearly the place to go to see and catch up with your neighbours. Onward to Manitoba.

The roads in Saskatchewan are in terrible shape. (At least the ones I drove on.) There are huge potholes everywhere and in general it’s very rough riding. Granted driving a Westfalia is like driving a huge breadbox on wheels but I think the Saskatchewan government should give everyone a voucher for a wheel re-alignment when they leave the province. Unfortunately, the roads in Manitoba so far have only been a minor improvement. We travelled down Highway 16 (the Yellowhead Highway). At first we enjoyed a section that had been newly resurfaced but then it was back to the old bump, bump, bump, oh there’s a sign, must be a really big pothole.

We stopped for groceries in Minnedosa, Manitoba where I had a conversation with two cyclists (man and woman) who are cycling across Canada. They’re from Vancouver and that’s where they started. They’ve discovered that their tent is failing fast (i.e. leaking) so they’re going to stop at MEC in Winnipeg to get a new one. (They realize they should have gotten a new and lighter tent in Vancouver before they left.) I told them that I work part time at MEC in Victoria so there ensued a brief pro and con talk about some of the tents we sell. They are thinking they’ll get a Hubba Hubba by MSR which is a good choice for cyclists. It’s light and we rarely have one returned which suggests it’s pretty reliable.

Minnedosa is a lovely little town with an old CP diesel engine and caboose on display (of which I didn’t get a photo).

Now it’s Sunday evening. It rained all day and we’ve made it to Riding Mountain National Park where we’re camped at Moon Lake Campground. The only other campers are an RV a half dozen sites away. It’s wet and chilly and there are mosquitos.

Monday, June 18

I awoke at 3am this morning with a wet face. No, I wasn’t weeping in my sleep because Ute was no longer with us. No, the little skylight in the van roof was leaking. It had been raining really hard all night with wind so I guess the water was finding a way in. It was just the occasional drip but very annoying. I put down a towel with my Gortex jacket underneath and scrunched down further in the bed to avoid the wet. If Ute had still been with us with the upper bunk unfolded, she would have been the recipient of the early morning rain shower. Thank heaven for small mercies!

It was still raining and overcast when I finally awoke from my fitful sleep. I was feeling pretty cranky so I packed everything up and asked the GPS how long it would take to get to Kenora. Perhaps a change of would improve the weather forecast. The GPS said we could get there by 5pm. Well, with stops along the way for coffee and such we’ve made it almost to the Manitoba/Ontario border. We’re staying in a lovely provincial campground at Falcon Lake. Their camping rates are really reasonable. I paid under $20 for a site for the Westy and that includes a day pass for the park plus FREE SHOWERS. I’ve only had one since last Monday so I’m due.

Along the way I stopped to take this photo before we left Riding Mountain National Park.

And along the way, we took a little side track to see a house in Neepawa, Manitoba where author Margaret Lawrence lived for a time.

And finally the beach at Falcon Lake.

Onward to Ontario tomorrow.