Summer Tour got all cherried up on the weekend, mouth-watering details later today on this blog. Also, more about the interesting All Citzens Shop in Bruno. 

http://bit.ly/v4Mlp

/Les

Free Stuff!

Hi everybody (especially those in the Saskatoon area),

SaskSecrets Summer Tour 2009 is passing through the beautiful city of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada today. I'll be by the little clock tower on the north side of the front of the Delta Bessborough Hotel at 7:00 p.m., (Monday, July 27) - see picture.

Meet me there between 7:00 and 7:30 - I'll hand out free "Saskatchewan: Hard to Spell, Easy to Draw" t-shirts to the first five folks who drop by.

Having a blast on the Tour, hope you can drop by to say hi,

Thanks,

/Les

Play Ball!

Batoche rained out today; Humboldt, Seager Wheeler Farm and world
championship ball game instead. Details later this week. /Les

Thanks,
/Les

Forting Around

Details, more pictures and videos to come, but paid my first-ever visit to Fort Carleton today. Amazing place, beautiful scenery, and very friendly and knowledgeable staff. Have any questions about the history of Fort Carleton or Saskatchewan wildflowers? Alan at Ft. C is your man.

Back to Batoche Days is a way bigger festival than I thought. I wish I could have stayed longer and taken in some of the weekend stuff - next year for sure. Off to Bruno tomorrow for the Cherry Festival.

I see pie in my future.

/Les

Lake Diefenbaker: Wicked Sideburns, Great Boating

Henry Youle Hind not only had awesome sideburns, he was so far ahead of his time the Tragically Hip wrote a song that likely wasn’t but surely should have been about him.

The prolific geologist recommended, in 1858, that a dam be built at the “elbow” of the South Saskatchewan River, near the site of what would later become the un-ironically-named town of Elbow. Government bureaucracy being what it is, construction on the Gardiner Dam began a scant one hundred years later, in 1958. By 1967, the largest earth-filled dam in Canada, the Gardiner, and its counterpart the Qu’Appelle, were in place, and the creation of massive Lake Diefenbaker was underway.

Today, Lake Diefenbaker provides much-needed irrigation in the area, as well as drinking water and hydroelectricity. Covering over 135,000 square kilometres, and with 800 km of shoreline, this lake is perfect for all sorts of water-based recreation: speed boating, sailing, tubing, fishing, and more.

First Time for Everything

I am a born and raised Saskatchewan guy, but like so many of us Saskatchewanians, there is a lot of this province I’ve never seen, including Saskatchewan Landing Provincial Park. I turned off the Trans-Canada #1 Highway and took the #4 highway (which is in great shape, by the way) north for less than half an hour. The descent into the valley was amazing, with really cool hillside scenery along the lake’s north shore (video to come). Checked out Goodwin House and its historical significance, then moved along into the park. Uncrowded beaches, lots of room for boating fun, nice golf course and marina side by side. The camping areas are perfect for families seeking a quiet, peaceful place for a summer getaway; Saskatchewan Landing Provincial Park is exactly that.

Had to make Saskatoon the follow day, so I hightailed it to the Riverhurst ferry. It turned out to be a case of hurry up and wait, as the eastbound sailing goes on the half-hour, but I just relaxed and took in the scenery while I waited to experience another first: my first Saskatchewan ferry ride. Spent the night just a few minutes away from the east side ferry dock, at the Mainstay Inn Resort; no reservation, but thankfully they had a room (and some super-yummy chicken wings) for me. Mental note: must find out what is going on in the town of Kyle with the whole wooly mammoth thing.

Encountering the Elbonians

Inhabitants of the fine harbour town of Elbow are nothing like how they are portrayed in Dilbert cartoons. Friendly folk greeted me at every stop: the marina office, on the docks, and downtown at lunchtime. I have never given sailing much of a thought, but after spending a couple of hours around the harbour and shoreline near Elbow, I think I get it now. I am especially interested – okay, obsessed – with the idea of sleeping in a boat. Is it awesomely relaxing and soothing? Is it rocky and nausea-inducing? What kind of dreams does a boat-sleeper have? Where do you take a whiz? So many questions. Perhaps next tour I’ll get me into one of those sweet boats, preferably one that hasn’t sunk at least twice.

Elbow, like so many Saskatchewan towns, embraces and celebrates its past. It is also home to the Back Home Bakery and Deli, purveyors of fresh bread products and an excellent clubhouse sandwich. The place seems to be more famous for its burgers, but I was already burgered out so I had to take a pass. I saw one go past my table, though, and boy it looked good. Also, a great private campground is just outside of town, Tuft's Bay.

Douglas and Danielson Provincial Parks

Elbow is a leisurely canoe ride from both Douglas and Danielson Provincial Parks. The weather was perfect when I visited, and staff at both parks advised me that business was brisk to the point of capacity on the weekends. Overflow sites were available mid-week, but disappointed campers were turned away on the weekend. Traveller tip: reserve a site!

Going Dief

Had a blast going from one end to the other of this amazing lake, which I almost forgot to mention, is where the Konrad brothers set a world record by pulling in a 43 pound rainbow trout in 2007. If you are not into boating, spend some time in the parks and beaches around this lake and with the people enjoying life on the water, and you will totally start to understand the attraction. If you are into boating, you have already been to Dief; you have your spot at the marina; you already know.

Food of the Day: The above-mentioned clubhouse, Back Home Bakery and Deli, Outlook

Cleanest bathroom: Mainstay Inn, just outside Riverhurst

Oversized Undersized Things Spotted: What is up with that wooly mammoth?

Traveller Tip o’ the Day: When in a restaurant, pull out a notepad and make some notes, and pull out a camera and take pictures of your food. The staff may conclude that you are a food critic, and boy will you get good service and the best food.

Near-Injury of the Day: On the hillside leading into Saskatchewan Landing Provincial Park, my sandals lost a battle with a sturdy thistle. No feet were harmed in the filing of this report, though.Obsession of the Day: Boats you can sleep in.

"Land of Living Skies" moment: outside Riverhurst

NEXT UP: Batoche and Fort Carleton

Footwear Failure

Tough Tour! Blew a sandal today, not sure how. Even though (to my dismay) they spell their name with two t's, I got myself all Teva'd up at Outter Limits here in Saskatoon. Good folks, good sandals, one too many t's.  

Eating supper at Freehouse, will post Lake Diefenbaker report after that, later this evening. Report will touch upon my new obsession about sleeping in boats. I have never done. I wonder: best sleep ever or worst sleep ever?

http://bit.ly/v4Mlp 

/Les

Going Dief

Went from one end of Lake Diefenbaker to the other today and yesterday, and crossed in the middle in my first ever ride on a Saskatchewan ferry. And, yes, we do have ferries in Saskatchewan, smart guy!

Talked to some boat people, took some snaps, ate an excellent clubhouse sandwich made with fresh homemade bread, visited three provincial parks and finally understand why people like boating so much.

Many more details, as well as photos and video, coming tomorrow, both on this blog and over here.

/Les

Moose, ducks, chicken, and so forth

Had some interesting technological experiences as the Summer Tour 2009 kicked off in Moose Jaw. The first video camera preferred to record the sound of the wind to the sound of my voice. A brand new camera recorded my voice perfectly, but a nasty 50 km/hour gust blew the thing and its tripod over, causing my heart to temporarily stop beating. Fortunately, it seems to have survived. I processed the video, but had to spend two hours in the lobby of the hotel, as this was the only place with adequate internet access.

There, that's better - feels good to vent. Technology aside, we've had a great time in Moose Jaw. Spent some quality time in the many parks that are situated in Wakamow Valley. They’ve done an awesome job of creating trails,boardwalks, play areas, picnic areas - seriously, awesome place for a picnic. Access to the valley is just a minute or two from downtown Moose Jaw. You can camp, rent canoes or kayaks, take a river boat tour, or get some great food at the Burger Cabin.

Funny how this story keeps reverting back to food. The Burger Cabin is built on the site of the old Swing Inn KFC, of which a former Moose Jaw youngster like myself has fond memories. Local folks tipped me off that the same family that had at one time run the Swing Inn built a replica of an old restaurant (the original Burger Cabin) that had been in the valley years ago.

Well, I checked it out and watched as a steady stream of customers picked up their food and headed to the adjacent picnic area. The food is not only surprisingly good, it arrived unexpectedly fast – not surprising I suppose in a place like Moose Jaw.

Find our more about my awesome Moose Jaw adventure (ducks!) and check out some video over at sasktourism.com.

Day One Wrap:

Food of the Day: Nit’s Thai Food Restaurant, Main Street
Cleanest bathroom: Town and Country Mall, Main Street north by the Civic Centre. Honoruable Mention: Art Gallery in Crescent Park.
Oversized Things Spotted: Mac, of course!
Traveller Tip o’ the Day: Sunscreen, people! I don’t know if it actually is, but I find the spray-on stuff less greasy.
Injury of the Day: Hint – cactus and sandals don’t mix.
Obsession of the Day: ducks. I love ducks, apparently.

That's good chicken!

In Moose Jaw, just now eating what may be the best chicken strips
ever. Full report on the 'Jaw later tonight.

/Les

Game On!

SaskSecrets Summer Tour is on! Off to Moose Jaw today: Wakamow Valley,
Crescent Park, a giantic moose. Burgers, Thai food, chicken wings -
pics and vids to come.

Time to load up the trusty SaskSecrets-mobile. Now, where's my
sunscreen...

/Les

Loading up the SaskSecrets-mobile, the big starts tomorrow in Moose Jaw: Wakamow, Festival of Words - follow along: http://bit.ly/97oTs

Only 3 more sleeps until SaskSecrets Summer Tour 2009 begins! I'll be blogging about food. Other things too. Mostly food. http://ping.fm/0mhaU

Testing mobile uploads

Just checking to see if I can blog from my phone. Success!

More to come...
/Les

Getting Ready to Rumble

Only four days away from the start of SaskSecrets Summer Tour 2009! I'll be galavanting across Saskatchewan, reporting daily on great vacation spots, good food, fun festivals, interesting people, and lots more. I'll be posting to this blog, as well as sending images, video and stories to our website, our Facebook page, our Twitter page, our Picasa photo album and our YouTube channel.

Check back often to see where I'm headed next, and you may end up with a free t-shirt courtesy of Tourism Saskatchewan.

/Les