Uniquely Theo

I would not call it “glamping” but,  since I had not been camping in my tent,  it was an easier out the door and on the road. I was heading to Buffalo Pound Provincial Park in Saskatchewan. The route  was on the Trans Canada Highway , a four lane divided highway and it might be described succinctly as flat , flatter and FLATTEST and straight ahead through grassland prairie. The trip ranged through an area of scenic rolling hills, croplands, and pasture land. The most stunning part of this  drive was the sprawling fields of Oilseed Rape – a major source of canola oil.  These “canola” fields were at peak bright yellow bloom and their brilliance was captivating. Interspersed with these  dazzling fields were such crops as kale and other leafy vegetables that most Americans don’t consume. 

I headed north east towards Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan through even flatter land. This time I won at craps. I was more than pleased with the campsite on Shady Lane that I had selected online. This lake front site actually was fronting a lake! It had dense foliage between the adjacent sites and nothing across from it to compromise one’s “privacy” (as if there really is such a thing in a public park). I merrily set up my tent under a great shade tree, located the water sources and bathrooms, cooked my meal and then sat lakeside reading and writing. Everything felt right in my world.

I awoke to bird-song – the chirps and trill announcing a new day. I peaked out of the tent and could see dawn was breaking and it was not yet 4:50 am. I thanked the birds for their lovely chatter and hunkered back down into my sleeping bag to get a couple more hours sleep.

This is one of those parks that tries to have a little bit of everything to suit everyone’s tastes. If the lake isn’t enough there is a heated pool. If hiking isn’t enough there is mini-golf or an 18 hole disc golf course, fat bike trails, mountain bike trails and boating, fishing, canoeing and kayaking for the more adventurous, or perhaps you will just be sitting inside an air conditioned RV equipped with ones own personal satellite dish. I will stick to hiking.

The family ‘sillies’ of the previous day regarding the park name Buffalo Pound:: “Is this where all the unlicensed buffalo wait until their owners come to spring them from jail? “asked Tasia or “Buffalos are better seen than herd!” according to Jamie. I thus joked that my goal the following day was to search out the buffalo pound though actually having no clue that there was a live buffalo herd in the park. This park was used by First Nation to coral bison and bison were reintroduced to the park in 1972. Today there is a good sized captive herd in a paddock today but given their range, the odds are not usually good that they will be in the paddock or in a visible spot on the range.

I opted to hike the Nicolle Flats Nature Area and as I was driving to the far end of the park I began to see signs for bison range so I followed the “bread crumbs” and drove a very rutty muddy road to reach a viewpoint. The odds were good this day. I was totally blown away as off in the distance on a hilltop I recognized that distinct humped shape of several adult bison and some juveniles. Though seen at a distance, I was astounded and elated and observed the bison for about half hour until they wandered out of sight. The only better odds would have been if a couple of those massive beasts had lumbered up to the closest fence and snorted at me. I continued on past a feeding area and headed out to hike the nature trail and the Nicole Flats Marsh boardwalk. It was partly cloudy, a pleasant 70 degree temperature and the landscape was a mosaic of rolling green hills, a riot of wildflowers, and wide open spaces.

While relaxing back at the campgrounds  I found it amazing how much noisier it is on Saturday night.  The background noise was not exactly welcomed I am sure by most campers. I try do just observe things and behaviors and not judge , but definitely I was inept on this occasion and was quite irritated. One week-end reveler was revving his jet ski for at least 2 hours . This high- pitched  buzzing of the engine and the din of the machine smacking on the water was not my idea of background “music” for experiencing a  pleasant evening sitting lakeside. Before long though I was curling up in my tent having flicked of the third tick of the day. I have been feeling the crawlies ever since. When it was almost dark there were still speedboats roaring on the lake and to add to the cacophony, some, I imagine inebriated dudes, got in a foul mouthed shouting match. By now the campfire must have been blazing and the off keyed round of campfire songs began… I am coming to discover that parks with lakes, swimming and boating opportunities tend to definitely be more raucous that for example the US forest service campgrounds that offer few amenities other than what nature itself provides. The upside of the evening it did get quiet after 11:00 PM and I yet again slept soundly through the night. 

I awoke to birdsong (it was quite melodious actually) again today but it was a reasonable hour of 7:00 am. I had the fleeting thought about being very loud and raucous, perhaps singing at the top of my lungs or honking the car horn to be a reveille for the evening revelers. Today was a travel day and I was pretty well organized so after coffee and breakfast while gazing at a calm quiet lake and contemplating todays agenda, I broke down the campsite and was on the road in quick order. It would end up being a somewhat tedious driving day. Flatness is definitely the defining feature. Though I can really appreciate the beauty of this mosaic of lush green and candescent yellow fields, southern Saskatchewan is predominantly vast prairies which are the northern most extension of the Great Plains, mega farms, and almost arrow straight roads. After about 250 miles, I was ready to be at Wasagaming Campground in Riding Mountain National Park in Manitoba. I was almost grateful for a rainstorm that moved in for the last fifty miles of the drive but of course dreading the possibility of setting up camp in a drizzle. The weather god smiled down on me and it was not raining there. Having observed the landscape in the area leading up to the park, it appeared that there had been an overabundance of precipitation had befallen this area of Manitoba.

I kept pondering the name “Wasagaming Riding Mountain” as I saw no dramatic mountain to behold here upon approach. Who is riding or what is this mountain riding? Riding a bike, a Conestoga Wagon, a horse, a car ????Wasagaming is a Cree word which translates to “Riding Mountain” so that might explain its English name but why might the Cree have termed it that? It’s been hypothesized that riding horses through this rugged land was the best transportation so perhaps there is a connection. The altitude is stated to be 1640 feet (not exactly of what I envision as a real mountain altitude.) And, this mountain is not really a mountain (i.e. we picture high peaks) but an escarpment plateau -BUT it rises above the prairies creating a notable contrast when compared to the flatland around it. So I do not need to go on a scavenger hunt to find a mountain.

After registering at the park and finding my campsite, I hopped out of my car and was greeted by a swarm of mosquitos and flies, another aftermath of a very wet season. The perfect spots for a tent were wet and muddy and even buggier than the stony RV pad. But stony pad it would be as I did not want to be crawling out of my tent into a mud slick. With the setup accomplished, having slapped myself silly warding off the skeeters, and dinner eaten, I plunked everything into the tent and did not emerge until the following morning, hence avoiding contracting some mosquito born illness.

Now yet again, it was not particularly peaceful being in the great outdoors in Manitoba. A boisterous group a couple of sites down were engaging in some kind of card game I imagine. It ended up that about every minute the group would be erupting into a rollicking round of laughter. This went on for at least a couple of hours but switched off almost exactly at 11:00, the park’s regulation of quiet hours. A lot of what I observe is not a complaint as I often think isn’t it grand to see families and couples not glued to phones of screens and playing together! Of course it is difficult to be glued unless you are in an RV with a satellite dish as most Canadian and US National Parks do not have good cell service of any wi-fi at all.

The following morning was a beautiful sunny 60 degree day, and it was already 8:30 Though there were a few mosquitos lurking about, it was quite pleasant sitting outside of my “escape from the insect world” tent and enjoying coffee and breakfast. I could see from the map that there appeared to be a town within the park with a significant number of retail establishment. That typically is not the case in US National Parks. That was the case in Cypress Hills and yet again here. There were several restaurants, cottages, lodges, private homes, ice cream emporiums, a micro brewery, bike rentals…. mini-golf, paddleball courts, playgrounds… note the large red Adirondack Chair in photo below. Over 400 Adirondack chairs have been placed in peaceful, breathtaking locations from coast to coast to coast in Canada to encourage people to rest, relax and discover the wonders Parks Canada has to offer. Ironically this is not exactly a breathtaking location.

In so many ways it is helpful to have so many amenities and it can also make for an intense and expensive  family vacation. But it also speaks to our disconnection from nature  if we can’t   enjoying the magnificence of the natural world with its array of trees, flowers, geology, insects, wildlife …. move our bodies on our earth’s soil and rocks  in  a pair of of hiking boots and carrying a walking stick, or explore the nooks and crannies of the understory of a forest, or simply gaze at the magnificent around us … It saddens me  when none of this is nearly enough  and parks have to be turned into noisy motorized venues. 

I headed out for a drive of the campground and hopefully a walk or hike around the Clearlake area and Wasagaming Townsite. The campground is a sprawling area  of 427 campsites with sites that have no amenities (mine) to electric, water and sewer hookups.  There are yurts, comfort cabins, micrOcubes and A-frame cabins…but needless to say I will almost always chooses the barest of services…I think I romanticize  the old Girl Scouting days and the primitive camping of Outward Bound. 

It was a beautiful sunny 70 degree day and perfect for exploring the lake front and eventually the town.  Given the plethora of biting mosquitos,  I opted out of anything deep woods. But there is a lovely walking and bike path along the lake front and it was the perfect outing on this summer day. I have finally learned that every adventure does not have to be climbing a Mt. Everest. I clocked about 3 miles between the lakefront and cruising the town site and the only store I visited was the trading post that sold real unprepared food for a whopping price.  By the time I was back at camp it was 2:00 and lunch, reading, writing, reorganizing and dinner were in order.