Saturday, June 23, 2007

Our last full day in Moose Jaw, we awoke at 5:15 a.m. to the sound of thunder and wind in the surrounding trees. Knowing that freak summer storms can occur with heavy rain, hail, and possibly damaging winds (a neighbor had had their awning ripped off, metal and all), I got up and closed all windows and vents and ran in the slides. Went back to bed and finally arose at 9:00. It had rained, there were dark clouds to the north and frequent lightning, but no local storm.

We had originally planned a long excursion north from here to some large lakes, but after yesterday’s long drive, we elected to lay low with a short jaunt to the Buffalo Pound. According to our sources it is where the Indian tribes used to drive buffalo to corral and kill them – pre-horses. Modern man has dammed the river and created a long lake and a provincial park for campers and hikers to enjoy.

We expected to find details of the Indian’s exploits and history, but no, there was only green grass, hills, and lots of campers. Pretty, but not what we expected. We did see lots of gulls, most hunkered down against the wind, and what we thought was a swan on the lake. It turned out to be a white pelican. It was a lush, green valley thick with trees. No other wildlife however. Because of the heavy lightning, we elected to stay in the car and drive beside the lake. No one was out on the lake because of the danger.

On the way back to town we found the St. Columbia Anglican Church, built in 1898 by early settlers, and cemetery in the middle of the prairie. We could have stayed there all day taking photos as the light changed. The photo will give you a sense of the location. We tried to go inside. It wasn’t locked, but the door was secured so we decided not to enter. Looking in the windows, it was obvious that this is a functioning church with a carved wooden organ, clean painted floor, aisle runner, and wooden pews. The roof had wooden shingles painted a fading red. The grass had been mowed and the steps swept clean, probably for service tomorrow.

One of the things we’ve noticed over and over is the absence of out-of-province auto license plates. While driving through heavy traffic in Regina (a large town), I realized I hadn’t seen any license plates except those from Saskatchewan. Not just none from the USA, but precious few from any other province. Naturally, our Florida Gator plates gets a lot of stares – usually occurring when drivers would roar up on our rear bumper to find out where we were from, then passing to stare in at the “foreigners”!

Tomorrow (Sunday) we head down the road towards Calgary. Not sure where we’ll spend tomorrow night – we’ll find out when we get there! M. Perhaps at Swift Current or a campground west of it about an hour. At Swift Current there is café that serves “the best coffee” and Saskatchewan berry pie. I have no idea what that is, but I am willing to find out.

The reason for stopping in this area is found at Eastend, the T-Rex Discovery Centre. I can’t wait to see it. The building itself is completely buried in the hillside with only the curved, mirrored wall visible. In 1991 a large vertebra was found here. Named Scotty, it is Canada’s most complete T-rex.