Day 8 to 10: Manitoba to Alberta via Saskatchewan

We drive through Manitoba, surrounded by rolling fields and encountering Ukrainian orthodox churches every town we pass. Then we enter eastern Saskatchewan where the silos are the kings of the countryside overlooking their cultivated fields that extend over the horizon. And parallel to the road the long double stacked container trains of Canadian National inch straight across the landscape.

 From Yorkton to Regina, the land is a gigantic plateau that has carved out valleys. We drive through the downtown of Regina, Saskatchewan's capital city, stopping at the Bushwakker brewery for some beers and a Saskatchewan hot plate (featuring sausages, pierogies, sauerkraut, and buttered beer bread). After Regina, we drive another hour to reach Moose Jaw where we feel almost at home due to the fact that one of the city's nicknames is “Little Chicago”. It seems that our local Al Capone did some shady business in the tunnels of this city. We also feel at home because of our hosts, Len and Marj and their good friends the DuMonts. We enjoy some homemade pie and interesting talks that go late into the evening. The talks continue in the morning with some waffles and homemade jam. They send us off just as warmly as they welcomed us with fresh cucumbers, potatoes, and cookies.

 

And so we drive west again through western Saskatchewan, The “Land of Living Skies”. The land gets more desolate and the hills are grassier. The hay bails are rolling all around us. The ranches and their cows are increasing in number, and metallic birds are mechanically pumping oil out of the soil. The RV is being shaked a bit too much on the road, which can have some unfortunate consequences. While opening a cabinet on a short stop, the barley and roasted sesame seeds spill out all over the ground which requires a good 15 minutes of cleaning.

We finally reach the province of Alberta where the rugged landscape gets even more desolate. After passing Medicine Hat, the sunniest city in Canada, we are surrounded by irrigated fields and vast plains. We also pass through Bow Island, the “Bean Capital”, and Burdett, who claims to have made the first irrigation pivot in Canada. We end up in Coaldale, Mennoniting our way to Elizabeth and Henry's place. They have prepared a feast for us which ends with the fireworks of a gooseberry-saskatoon berry-raspberry pie. This is accompanied by a great conversation of course.

After sleeping in lovely room, we have a big delicious breakfast with amazing homemade cinnamon rolls. After packing and getting ready, we are sent off with some Premium Sausage from Seven Persons, Alberta and the leftover cinnamon rolls. And off we go.