Day 11 - Maple Creek Saskatchewan

I should begin with last night.  After a nice dinner in town we are back at GhostownBlues B&B.  We are the only guests here tonight and we have the place to ourselves. 

A cute sign in town

Bernie builds a fire and we open a bottle of wine and we watch the night sky.  The sky is so beautiful.

We sleep so soundly and don’t wake until 8:30 am.  

Shower room is just a few feet away and it is a really nice bathroom.  There are three shower rooms on the property and many more toilets. 

Breakfast is included and Coralee has it all set up for us when we are ready.

We are back in the car around 10 am and our first stop is the Grotto Gardens for a coffee and to check out the cute store and the animals.  There are goats, donkeys and pigs.

We travel down highway 21 for 35 km to Centre Block Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park. 

We stop at the entrance to pay the fee but when we get there they say that there is no fee currently on weekdays, just weekends until high season.  Hey we lucked out!

We are given a map and shown where some trails are.  But this map is really hard to read and I am really good with maps.

We take the road around the lake first and try to find a trail that they recommended but we just could not find the beginning of it. 

Canoe

We travel around the lake and look -- we got to see some canoes!

This park has a ton of amenities!  Certainly, a great place to spend with your family.

We stop at the lookout at the bluff.

This lookout is 1275 m high and it is said to be the highest point between the Rockies and Labrador.

Thanks to Laurel B she told me what we saw yesterday was a pronghorn antelope and we were lucky to have seen one.  

Well guess what we saw another one today!  Here is a sign about it too.  

isn't this sky beautiful

as we were on the trail I spot this deer cooling off in the trees, amazing they let me take a picture, about 30 seconds later it went running off.

We hike a bit for around two hours.  

Back in the car heading to town.  

I really liked the park but do have to say that their map and signage is really lacking.

adorable benches

We walk the town - it is not large (around 2,500 people) but so adorable and the locals are very friendly.

A quick stop to the grocery store for some supplies for tonight.  We have decided to cook at the site tonight.

We are so lucky as the Ghostown Blues host concerts and there is one tonight.  Sean Pinchin who is a 2017 Juno Nominee for Blues album of the year. 

Well I am off to relax and enjoy the evening.  Thanks for following.

So here is our scavenger hunt list today:

• Moose
• Deer
• Hitchhiker
• Eagle/Hawk
• Licence plates from every Province in Canada - but you can not count the province you are in.  So if we see an Alberta plate in BC then it counts, but not if we are in Alberta.  British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, Yukon, and North West Territory
• Skunk - saw a dead one, does that count?
• Sheep
• Beaver
• Goslings
• Buffalo
• Goat
• Owl
• Bear
• Loon
• Crane
• Prairie Dog
• Fisherman fishing
• Canoe
• Hummingbird
• Antique car on the road
• Old VW Bug
• Car broken down on the side of the road
• Helicopter on the ground
• Airplane on the ground
• Speeding ticket- hopefully not our own
• Ambulance with sirens on
• Dump truck
• Line painting crew at work
• Mail delivery person walking their route
• Cruise Ship (from Janice and Jim)

If you have any items you think we should add to our scavenger hunt list, let us know.

So Today's Stats 
Driving distance today 110 km  
Total distance 1996 km

Day 10 - Saskatchewan and I Found Heaven

When we wake we feel rested but a little grumpy, sure I am going to say the bad as well as the good.  We both are feeling it.  We need breakfast and coffee.  And maybe not in that order!

The hotel worked out well.  I should note that when we came back from dinner last night the room was still unusually warm.  So we called to the front desk and they moved us to another room that you immediately could tell the air conditioner was working.  And it has been very warm here recently.

We left the hotel around 8;30 am and got an espresso.  No communicating till it kicks in!  

But about a half hour down the road we are listening to Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's Podcast - Murdered and Missing Season One.  It is like listening to a murder serial of older days.

Today we are heading to Maple Creek, Saskatchewan and to visit the National Historic Site of Fort Walsh.

It is not very far.

Saw this hotel sign in Medicine Hat, Alberta, thought it was funny.  The rancher is holding a rattle snake.

We see a ton of Prairie Dogs - they are on the side of the highway, perched on their hind legs but we are travelling too fast to get a picture.  Will get a picture tomorrow.

Crossing into Saskatchewan!  Now we have travelled two full provinces.

Saskatchewan spelled backwards!

Sure is big beautiful sky country!

We arrive at Fort Walsh around 11:30.  

Fort Walsh is the first Royal Canadian Mountain Police settlement in Saskatchewan.  They came to take control of the area.  It started with the Cree Cypress Hills Massacre and the need for some rule of order.  Then the bootlegging with the American needed some control too.  Although the fort was not in use for very long because when the rail road came in it was further North in Maple Creek and the Mounties moved up there.

Here are some pictures of the site.

After spending around an hour here we are back at the car and we take our food and have a picnic.  Some Naan bread, cheese, fruit, and a salad. Just perfect.

We leave and we right away spot a pronghorn antelope all on it's own.  We slow right down as we don't want to hit it.  He runs across the street and then watches us from the side until he trots off.  

Then we see a baby horse or weanling.  Parents are protective so we keep our distance but get some nice shots.

I found this place to stay before we left.  I ended up booking two nights here a few days ago with it all being a surprise for Bernie. 

The place is called Ghostown Blues B&B.  This is just a special place.  We arrive and we have a note saying to make ourselves comfortable they will be back soon.  Wow so nice... we go to our cabin that we booked.  We walk around, we meet the dogs and then we rest on the porch for a bit until Caralee arrives.

She shows us around explaining each building and the history of the place.  

the first video is too long so may not show up, I will need to edit and repost later.

Tonight we are heading into Maple Creek for Dinner.  We have the entire B&B to ourselves tonight.  I think we will sleep like babies.


So here is our scavenger hunt list today:

• Moose
• Deer
• Hitchhiker
• Eagle/Hawk
• Licence plates from every Province in Canada - but you can not count the province you are in.  So if we see an Alberta plate in BC then it counts, but not if we are in Alberta.  British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, Yukon, and North West Territory
• Skunk
• Sheep
• Beaver
• Goslings
• Buffalo
• Goat
• Owl
• Bear
• Loon
• Crane
• Prairie Dog
• Fisherman fishing
• Canoe
• Hummingbird
• Antique car on the road
• Old VW Bug
• Car broken down on the side of the road
• Helicopter on the ground
• Airplane on the ground
• Speeding ticket- hopefully not our own
• Ambulance with sirens on
• Dump truck
• Line painting crew at work
• Mail delivery person walking their route
• Cruise Ship (from Janice and Jim)

If you have any items you think we should add to our scavenger hunt list, let us know.

So Today's Stats 
Driving distance today 306 km  
Total distance 1886 km