Thursday June 27th

Started out the day at the fabulous coffee shop and bookstore just south of the park with a great coffee, a warm welcome, and wifi. Determined that I would stay in the Qu’Appelle Valley at the provincial park.

When I returned to the truck to set the GPS with my destination I discovered that the highway construction I’d encountered had left me a gift – a cracked windshield. I had heard something hit – but assumed it was my paint job, and thought that Brian Hoffman would probably rather work on a nice new truck that my poor old Subaru which had been parked under a black walnut for too long. But then I saw the crack, growing from the side of the window behind the GPS for about 5 inches and then turning up towards to top for another 3 inches. It was currently about 1 cm above a squashed bug, so I thought I’d keep track of its progress, if any. Later in the day after a particularly bumpy road I congratulated myself that it was still 1 cm above a squashed bug, but then realized it was a different bug and my crack had grown to 9 inches in length. There are about 9 inches to go until it reaches to top of the windshield. Does anyone want to start a lottery on when it will reach the top?

LONG drive – GPS calculates time of driving but does not tell you about time zone changes. I did cross a time zone on a secondary road – there was no notification. Half my electronic devices changed automatically, and the other half didn’t. Since I had to contact people on both sides of the continent when I stopped, it really hurt my head to figure it out I’m sad to say. Should be simple, I know, but it has always caused me grief. Anyway, I’m an hour earlier than the coast and 2 hours later from home. I think.

I arrived at Echo Lake PP and BACKED the trailer in and LEVELED IT like a pro. 

And of course, there was no one watching. Sigh. Went for a 3km walk to check out the flora and fauna. No fauna. The ‘valley’ is not much of a depression as you can see in the photos, but it feels like a lot after all that flatness. I laughed out loud when I saw the skill hill – shorter and less steep than the telemark hill on Cypress I used to ski. The same reaction I had to Glen Eden in Ontario – I declared in front of native Ontarions – Oh look – a cross country hill! They were not amused.

But the lakes are pretty and the park is very nice – gearing up for the big long weekend. Wild roses everywhere and these white flowers – not sure what they are, but they look very familiar. Bloodroot?

 

Turned in early (I think – don’t really know what time it is yet). My leg decided to entertain me for a couple of hours – not sure why, but we got a rain storm in the night so perhaps I’m becoming like the old folks who feel the rain in their bones. Sigh.

Then the neighbours entertained me by arriving late and having a very young baby and a disagreement (don’t those things always go together?). Anyway, I did end up sleeping and now I’m up and getting ready to contact the insurance company about the windscreen and heading out through Regina to my weekend at Buffalo Pound PP.

PS. As I pulled out of the valley this morning I felt a rise in my spirits - I think I've fallen in love with the huge prairie sky.

Tuesday and Wednesday June 25 and 26

Travelled from Lake Winnipeg to Riding Mountain National Park which is west and slightly south. Along the straight roads I was struck that I had never seen a cyclist, even though the roads are flat, and there is a paved side which is Mennonite-wide! It is perfect cycling. With one exception perhaps – there is nowhere to go. The small towns seldom have Inns or B & B’s. People could camp of course, and I recall the cyclists making their way from Kenora to the Soo – a grueling trip! But here, nothing. Until, that is, I arrived at Riding Mountain which is more of a large hill. It’s old, and rounded like the mountains in the east. The road bisects the National Park which is wild and beautiful. There were several people cycling this road. While I’ll be heading to the campsites for trailers, there is a large portion of this park which is only accessible by walking in. I’d have loved it years ago.

The camping facilities are at the south end of the huge park. I scored a campsite with electricity surrounded by poplars (I think) and featuring wild roses. Tuesday afternoon I walked into town and toured the waterfront. There is a cairn on the beach of Clear Lake commemorating the dedication of the land as a national park. No mention of the Indigenous people who would have ‘owned’ the land in the first place. There is, however, in the town, an Anishinaabe lodge, so there is some kind of presence, but it was closed. The town is a typical tourist haven, but pretty, and a young man at the park headquarters gave me some good information about kayaking, bears, and camp life in general.

I drove to the coffee shop and book store he suggested where I updated my blog and enjoyed a cup of Manitoba Wilderness tea. I think I’ll stop here Thursday morning and do the same.

Wednesday morning, after my breakfast of oatmeal, I proceeded to the boat launch. The park officials determined that my kayak would have to be decontaminated since I had been in Lake Winnipeg, and worse yet, in Ontario. They are trying to keep Zebra mussels from entering the lake system. I followed a young woman to a compound 10 minutes away. All of the belongings (ropes, seat, life jacket) which had been in contact with the water were put into a cooler and steamed in hot water for 20 minutes. While that was going on, the kayak was washed with hot water in every crevice. The whole process took about 30 minutes, but then I received a seal of approval and was on my way. They were very nice and friendly. I think they were glad I wasn’t one of the grumpy ones. Apparently people get quite annoyed with them – people are interesting.

I paddled from the boat launch on Clear Lake through a narrow isthmus to South Lake. It was so beautiful. The weather was sunny with huge, white, flat bottomed clouds. The sky is so huge here! The lake is fairly shallow where I was paddling and I followed the shore line towards an orange marker which I assumed marked the entrance to South Lake. It was only when I got really close that I saw the orange marker was actually a pair of red lawn chairs! They have a sign attached inviting people to take their picture in the chair and post it to Facebook – advertising for the park I suppose.

South Lake was even more amazing. I passed two paddlers almost immediately on entering who declared the lake ‘full of weeds’ and ‘smelly’. It was in fact, delightful. The ‘weeds’ were full of birds – the most remarkable of which was brown/black with a yellow head and white wing badges when they flew. They were protecting nests in the reed beds and were none too happy with me being there. There were also many swift-like birds. Could they have been purple martins? There were also loons, although I did not see them, and what looked like an active beaver house. I returned to Clear Lake, ate my lunch on the beach, and paddled back to the boat launch. My arms felt like noodles – the trip was 3 hours with quite a bit of wind – but I felt so lucky to be able to do this. The images will stay with me for a long time. Such peace and well-being.

A woman on the beach offered to help me put the kayak on the car – I always seem to have an offer of help, which is lovely. She retired to the area 10 years ago, and lives here full time. She was rigging a Hobiecat sailboat and sailed off into the lake – there was an excellent breeze for sailing.

She mentioned that there were very few bugs because they’ve had dry summers for two years. Normally, we would have been dealing with bugs down at the beach. Since I left Ontario, there have been very few bugs. In a way I feel lucky. But it is also worrying.

I’d like to try and identify the birds I saw today and will post when I figure it out. I’ve also seen magpies (crows with managers), and there is a white throated sparrow who has been assigned to my campsite to make sure no one gets too bored. He starts at about 430 AM and continues throughout the day. I’m not sure how he finds time to eat. John, he’d give your wrens a run for their money! Ravens, crows, gulls, terns make up the rest of the birds I’ve seen here.

As for flowers, the campsites have wild roses, a shrub which looks a lot like salal but isn’t, and yesterday I saw a yellow lady’s slipper which was just finished blooming.

Laying low this afternoon. Working on my tapestry. Reading. I started to feel guilty about spending the afternoon sleeping and hanging out at my campsite, and then I decided that since I’m retired I can do what I like! I wake every morning promptly at 530, but then realize that I don’t have to get up. It’s a nice feeling. I sleep about 9 hours each night and nap in the afternoon. It’s bliss. And my sleep is full of dreams, which it never was before. I have only the haziest notion of them the next morning, but I think it’s a healthy sign.

Tomorrow I leave Manitoba and head to eastern Saskatchewan where I’ll find somewhere to spend the night and then arrive at Buffalo Pound PP on Friday for the long weekend. I’ll have to shop for groceries – things are getting a bit sparse. I still have not had any fresh strawberries – they aren’t ready here yet! Asparagus is just coming on. None of the small grocery stores have local produce and when I asked someone about that they said it’s because there isn’t any ready yet.  Perhaps as I move south, things will improve. Not that I’m suffering. Apparently Hawkins Cheesies are widely available!

Tuesday June 25th

Happily ensconced at Riding Mountain National Park. I opted for electricity this time and good thing - the sites are almost all in shade.

Driving here was interesting - I went through the Interlakes District - a road that runs between two branches of Lake Manitoba. It is stunning countryside, and very little development. If this were Southern Ontario, there would have been a house or resort on every square inch.

After leaving that area I started to see what I first thought was cloud - but it turned out to be a mountain - or a large hill really. Riding Mountain apparently. Quite wild and wonderful. Lots of hiking trails which I plan to take advantage of tomorrow morning and a large lake to kayak on in the afternoon. Apparently the bears are the shy kind (i.e. black bears) so I was assured that solo hiking is fine. I'll have all my protections with me - bear bell, air horn, bear spray, and attitude. Not sure how much effect that latter has on bears, but it makes the hike more fun!

The star of the day was the sky. So huge - and I realized I could see 360 degrees. White fluffy clouds - then dark - then rain - then sun again. It was an ever changing spectacle.

Now sitting in a bookstore/cafe drinking the best tea I've ever had! Called Manitoba Wilderness it contains peppermint, nettle, yarrow, red clover, rosehips, ginger and cayenne! It's spicy and wonderful! I think I'll need to take some with me.

Over and out now for a couple of days. I'll be staying in a small spot somewhere in Western Saskatchewan on Thursday night. I may blog from there.

Monday June 24th

Hnausa PP was a bit overcast this morning, but it soon cleared. I had a quick breakfast and then took my kayak off the top of the truck and got everything ready for a paddle. The lake was calm and the high cloud was clearing. I paddled to the Hnausa dock and then back and all the way around the bay to the public beach on the other side. It took about 2 ½ hours all told. So peaceful and beautiful. I saw a bald eagle catch a fish and lots pelicans near a fishing boat. There is a commercial fishery here – I learned later that they were fishing for pickerel (the season is just ending) and whitefish using a net system with two markers.

The pelican are huge – they are at least as big as the white swans you see at Stratford, if not a bit larger. When they fly, they look just like fighter jets – flying in formation – and with a sense of power. They also sometimes fly in line, one after the other, and I’m sure that they flap or dip right after the bird in front – it looks a bit like a linear game copycat. I keep trying to get a picture, but can’t get a close enough shot to look like anything.

There are many beautiful cabins, cottages, and homes along the lake front – but older, not modern.

After my paddle I sat in the shade by the edge of the lake with my lunch. I had too much sun so felt a bit done in. Spent the afternoon sleeping and housecleaning my little home. It did very well without any hookups. The solar panel worked a treat to charge the battery and the propane did everything else, including providing me with a shower.

Finished a book today – Mind of the Raven by Bernd Heinrich. I’d been keen to read this. Ravens are beautiful birds, and seem to be so intelligent. I kept trying to like the book, but did not warm to the techniques the author used in his research. It’s true that this is not a journal article, but he did not present findings in a manner which would make them credible, and I didn’t like the way he treated living things. For a biologist, he was pretty cavalier about the well being of the animals he used in his experiments. In one case he added a wild caught raven to a group of 4 or 5 which had been living in captivity for quite some time. Then he suddenly realized he had to go away for a while! When he returned, the wild raven had been killed by the others. The author put it forward as an interesting observation rather than the unnecessary tragedy it was. I have to wonder if the Animal Care Committees of the universities he was associated with knew anything about his work! I’m glad to be done this one, and can’t recommend it.

I’ve moved on to Lee Maracle’s I Am Woman. Not an easy book either. It certainly fits with my experiences on Saturday at the Human Rights Museum. Here’s a quote: “Until all of us are free, the few who think they are remain tainted with enslavement”. A very Buddhist sentiment.