Brandon MB to Dryden ON Walmart. Yes, back in Ontario tonight. Still Central Daylight Time though.

Picture by Grade 9 class artist

We decided to try to get to Dryden today. It seemed a long way but we drove steadily with several breaks, and made it ok. 

It started out as a damp morning, with some rain overnight. Several other campers stayed overnight here at the Brandon Walmart, a nice quiet night until the garbage trucks started about 5am:

Oh yes, there were large fireworks somewhere nearby too, about 11 pm. 

 

After slipping away a little after 7am, we slid through Saskatchewan and Manitoba, and all of a sudden were in Ontario: 

A nice new 4-lane section of road welcomed us to Ontario. Quite soon though, it reverted to a hilly curvy drive with just 2 lanes of good pavement. Quite an improvement from years ago around here though.

We had been thinking of stopping in Kenora and taking a short boat ride tour, but until next week that tour only operates on weekends. Since this weekend is likely to be quite busy everywhere, we decided we'd continue heading for home. 

We did stop in to Kenora along the way though. With the hwy 17 bypass you need to turn off the main hwy to get into town. Maybe someday we'll come to Kenora for a week or two and explore Lake of the Woods by boat.

The tourist info place is on the edge of town:

 They had a pretty nifty-looking canoe on display:

 The canoe is a mosaic made from glass and mirror pieces. 

 

Inside, artistic pieces were on display, made by a 9th grade class:

There were also some 3D displays of natural objects:

 

Outside, the centre backs on to a beautiful blue lake, blue today under the blue blue sky anyway:

One of those giant chairs

Boaters having some fun on the water

A barge delivering an excavator, likely to an island property

Giving some idea of the number of lakes around here

 

Medicine Hat AB to Brandon MB via Buffalo Pound MB. 2 days.

 

World's tallest tepee (claimed)

First day, Medicine Hat AB to Buffalo Pound MB 

We got away in good time on Saturday Jun 20. Soon after we started, we stopped in at the large tepee display that's right on the TCH (Trans Canada Highway). It's becoming a Medicine Hat landmark.

Even bigger than it looks from a distance

 

Lots of people at work here today, adding finishing touches and landscaping:  

Some native artwork

View of the tepee from the rear. It overlooks a large coulee

The coulee or valley

There's even a golf course down here

 

Here and there along the highway are places that look like old homesteads. It sure would have been quiet except for nature sounds out here, back in the day:

 

Later we dropped in to the small town of Maple Creek. We stopped overnight in their nearby tourist info area on the way west. The atmosphere of the town reminded us of Verden SK. It's small but healthy looking. We got a few groceries and some genuine Western Pilsener-style beer, got to balance those diets.

Maple Creek street

 

Often there are flags denoting sited of historical interest along the highway. We stopped at this one for a look. It's in honour of the hamlet of Antelope. Yes, the animal:

Hope you can read this ok.

 Across the highway, a little old (?) house all by its lonesome:

The house that's across the highway looks maybe Antelope vintage 

We were aiming to stay the night at Buffalo Pound Provincial Park SK. Our GPS search picked the Buffalo Pound View Campground instead, a bit out of our way, and definitely not part of a provincial park:

The road got a little patchy, but still paved ...

  

... until it wasn't. Sharp drop and curves

 

Guard peacock

 

I think I heard banjos strumming...

With the friendly proprietor's help we got sorted out, and on track to the actual park about 6km away. We found out at the park that the lake is Buffalo Pound Lake, and many businesses etc in the area use Buffalo Pound in their name. 

We were too tired to drive back to the Bison area tonight, will have some supper and a short walk. It's a beautiful evening.

Our little outdoor gas cooker does a good job

  

The slope on the other side of Buffalo Pound Lake from us

 

 

Next Day, June 21 

So after we broke camp today we drove to the buffalo area for a viewing. The interior road went from decent pavement to very bumpy, and that was still the paved part. The road into the buffalo area was gravel of some sort:

Lots of washboard

 

and mud. I wasn't sure we'd get out of here without help. As usual these pictures make the grade look less steep than it was:

We had to climb this hill with our 2wd street tires. Made it!

 

We made it out because I knew to turn off Traction Control on the van, and that was needed here. Traction Control limits your wheel speed and power when the drive wheels are spinning. To get up a muddy road though, you need power and spinning for this mud.

There were other slippery patches, but none so much fun!

 

We saw the compound where the buffalo had hay to eat, but never did see any animals. The road in should have been closed, so on the way out I moved a barrier across the entry road. The barrier was clearly there to close this road when needed, but nobody was out there warning us today.  A couple of times I thought we'd be calling Matt's OffRoad Recovery to get out of the ditch.

 

Back on the highway, it's really hard to see what this is. It was more obvious while he was passing us than from this angle. As you can tell, a wet windy day:

It's a helicopter, being trucked somewhere

 

As the rainy windy day progressed, we decided we'd head home now. Our plans to visit Moose Jaw were canned by the weather, and the forecast for the next few days all across the prairies is not good. Several areas have been virtually drowned out.  

So we picked a reachable destination for the day, and ended up at the Brandon MB WalMart. We've stayed here before, and it's still open to RV's to overnight.

 

Cranbrook BC to Medicine Hat AB

 

Today was a travel day. We left in good time, stopped for a couple of breaks and a bagel in Fernie, and arrived at Medicine Hat AB about 3pm.

Lots more mountain views and curves early in the day:

 

These eroded tiers of rock seams looked like a giant's staircase

 

We got stopped by some construction, and could feel we were being watched:

 We stopped in Fernie BC for a break and a bagel (actually we got 6, a mixed bag). We've had bagels from this place before, and they are fantastic:

  

 

Two others were like these two. The cinnamon raisin ones didn't last til the picture.  :))

Some garbage bin art nearby:

  

Later we passed the site of the Frank Slide, one of the most serious rock slides in Canadian history. Over 60 people were killed, and many remain buried under the rubble that is still here. These beautiful mountains can be treacherous:

We noticed a new-looking sign advertising a showing of Frank Slide history and background, but didn't stop.  If you Google Frank Slide Interpretive Centre you can read all about it.

 

Still later we noticed some orange shelters in grassy fields:

  

Hard to see, but we have seen shelters similar to these on an earlier trip, and found they were field homes for leafcutter bees that farmers use to help pollinate some crops like alfalfa or some canola varieties. Here's a link with more info and much better pictures:  <Leafcutter LINK>.

 

Lots of windmills in the hills in Alberta:

We had another early stop in the Gas City campground in Medicine Hat AB. No reservations, so we got an unserviced site in their overflow area. This gives us access to their washrooms, showers etc for just $22. No non-resident surcharge in Alberta. Of course there is no non-resident surcharge in BC parks except for the Provincial ones either, as far as I know.

 

The view from the side door of our van. There's a deep valley between us.