Most people driving across Canada don't spend much time in Saskatchewan. The province is overlooked because the Trans Canada highway crosses in an area where there is not much to see. And instead of getting off the main highway to see some sights, people simply carry on and only see the worst the province has to offer.
But this is our fifth summer in Saskatchewan, and we've learned that if you get off the main highway, there is in fact a lot to see.
Saskatchewan.
Saskatchewan is a fairly large province. But there are only 1.2 million people living in the entire province! The two main cities are Regina (pop 225,000), and Saskatoon (pop 250,000).
The southern half of the province is prairies. But the northern half is part of the Canadian Shield, a geographical term used to describe the rocky forested area that extends through northern Saskatchewan and into Manitoba, Ontario, and Quebec.
Prince Albert National Park is in that part of northern Saskatchewan....
In Prince Albert National Park, Saskatchewan.
Hiking in Prince Albert National Park, Saskatchewan.
And, Saskatchewan has sand dunes. In fact, they're located not far from our park here in Cabri. Less than an hour northwest of here is a huge protected ecological reserve area. 1900 sq kms of sand dunes!
Kevin, at the Great Sandhills.
Ruth, hiking near the Great Sandhills.
And Saskatchewan's motto - Land of the Living Skies... it's obvious to see why this is the provincial motto. We have certainly seen a lot of fantastic sky landscapes during our time here...
Next up... Manitoba!
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I see I need to venture more often into Canada's magnificent spaces. Good thing I have the wheels to do it! :c)
ReplyDeleteWe think you need to as well, so when can we expect you? ;-)
DeleteI have driven through Saskatchewan twice and stayed in both of its big cities. Regina is quite nice in the town centre. But I guess it is time to venture a bit farther north... Beautiful pictures!
ReplyDeleteThere are so many interesting places in Saskatchewan and each year we are here we try to check out something new. Did you know Saskatchewan has almost 100,00 lakes?
DeleteSo many wonderful places to explore when you get off the beaten path. Thanks for the pictures.
ReplyDeleteYep, and we find that not enough people get off the beaten path, which is too bad because they are missing so many wonderful places.
DeleteThis province looks to be our cup of tea. Love the photos!
ReplyDeleteConnie, you and Barry would love it here. So when are you going to head out this way?
DeleteAhhh, that's sweet! We are at our summer place. You know our story - fish in the summer - hunt in the winter - lol!
DeleteHow gorgeous! I love your sky photos.
ReplyDeleteThank you Emily! We have to admit we never get tired of looking at the sky here, it really is stunning at times.
DeleteOur state of wyoming is often known as the state one drives through to get to Yellowstone! So I empathize. lol
ReplyDeleteIt is very frustrating isn't it?! Especially when you know that there is so much to see but people don't take the time to stop and explore some of the beautiful hidden away places.
DeleteGreat-looking hikes, and beautiful skies. I am SOOOOO ready to go!
ReplyDeleteWe look forward to doing more hikes in this province, we just need to find the time to do it! It won't be long and you will be on the road north and to a the beautiful province of British Columbia.
DeleteEnjoying reading through your blog. We are north of Kingston ON and are just in the process of moving into our pusher. We winter in Quartzsite AZ and come back here for the summer. My wife has work here in the summers. My son lives in Saskatoon. We have not yet figured out a way to get out to visit him. Too cold on both ends of the season. I will be interested to read further and see what you guys do in the winter.The bit I picked up sounded like MX and we are also thinking about venturing into Baja this winter. Hopefully with friends. I hope your summer is going well.
ReplyDeleteCarl
Yep, no easy or cheap way to get to Saskatoon from Kingston. Have you ever thought about just flying there to see him before or after the summer?
DeleteUsually we go to Mexico for the winter but last year we didn't, we went to Europe instead. We will be back in Mexico this winter though leading a caravan of 10 units down to the Yucatan and back for 3 months. We call Baja "Mexico lite", it is a great way to ease yourself into Mexico. We did the Baja our very first winter, if you go back in our archives you can read about it. The archives are on the righthand side of our blog. Go to December 2007 or you can just start reading from this post on www.travelwithkevinandruth.com/2007/12/finally-back-together.html. We were in the Baja for about 2 months. We enjoyed it but like mainland Mexico better.