Camping and COVID

So many articles begin with phrases like 'everything is different', 'we're living in unprecedented times' and 'everything is unpredictable'.  It's true, but we're in this together and are making the best of it.  With COVID-19 restrictions loosening somewhat, it's time to go visit family in Manitoba and Ontario.

Getting there is half the fun

Most of the time we'd race across Saskatchewan, stopping for meals, fuel and occasionally a quick visit with friends or family. This time we camped at the West Saskatoon RV Park for two nights, giving us a whole day to explore Saskatoon. With a long time friend of ours we walked along the beautiful South Saskatchewan River walking trail called the Meewasin Trail. Dave found the perfect fishing hole, while my friend and I savoured a delicious ice cream treat served out of a double-decker bus. Dave had luck with the fishing and we enjoyed fresh caught walleye for dinner.

Killarney

We set up camp in our usual spot, in the back row at the Ag Society Campground in Killarney. That gave the fisherman easy access to the Bay to throw his line in and I had chances to capture some beautiful sunset photos.

In summertime, visits to the Beach Hut for ice cream are a regular occurrence. There's also a mini-golf course, but we won't discuss the score. Visits to The Grind for a good cup of coffee happen almost daily and soon they knew our preferences.

Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the visits with my senior parents in the personal care home were limited to one hour every second day, socially distanced, through an open doorway. My brother and his family were in the midst of harvest. Thus we had time to explore some attractions around Killarney.

Turtle Mountain

It's been a long time since we'd last been at Lake William Provincial Park, but as with most parks, not much changes and it all looks vaguely familiar. It's a pretty little lake with a beach and picnic area, as well as a campground. After enjoying our picnic lunch, we head off to the end of the lake for the trail head to Turtle Mountain. Apparently the name has changed. It's now called the Turtle's Back. That's fair, as it's not that much of an elevation gain (about 45m). But on the prairie, any height of land might be called a mountain.

The hike takes you through a community pasture. To solve the problem of people leaving the gate open, a set of stairs goes up and over the fence. There's evidence of cows on the trail so step carefully! It's  a fairly easy hike, until the last bit which is definitely more strenuous. But the reward is worth it. Unfortunately the top level of the platform was being rebuilt so we didn't get the full panoramic view above the trees. Nevertheless, you could see for miles!

Upon returning to the lake, Dave had to wet his fishing line while I tried capturing the various shades of green of the trees and pathways in a water colour piece.   

Souris

We spent a day exploring the little town of Souris, located about an hour northwest of Killarney. The most famous landmark is the Swinging Bridge crossing the Souris River. It has a long and storied history, having been rebuilt several times. The original one was built back in 1904 by Squire Sowden who wanted to get from his house to his land across the river. The current bridge, the longest in Canada at 604 feet, was built in 2013 after the previous one was destroyed by a major flood in 2011. I remember the earlier one being a rather sketchy affair and very swingy especially when a group of teenaged boys were on it attempting to scare the girls! 

Souris is also known for its ostentation of peafowl that freely roam the streets. We saw a peahen with a few chicks and also a couple of peacocks meandering down the streets. Motorists beware!

Where there is water, the fisherman has to fish and so he spent a lovely afternoon with rod and reel on the Souris River, while I explored the local gift shop and the historic St. Luke's Anglican Church, built in 1883, painted in its original plum chocolate brown colours.

Squire Sowden's house, now a museum.

Brandon

We thought we might try to be tourists in Brandon for a change, but it doesn't work. There's always a list to accomplish. Things to buy. Appointments to keep. Meals to eat. 

Nope. Maybe next time.

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From Killarney we headed further east to Sioux Lookout, Ontario, to visit our daughter and her family. This was the family we'd help move this time last year. They're now quite settled into the community and we enjoyed our visit immensely. 

Abram Lake

Abram Lake Resort and RV Park was a very peaceful place, just a short distance from Sioux Lookout. They're missing the American tourists so it was a very quiet campground. We had a site with a view of the lake. You can't get tired of that view! The family came to join us during the day, getting a chance to go for walks, play on the beach and enjoy campfires. Devon had access to a boat so he and Dave went fishing at Frog Rapids which is where Abram Lake and Pelican Lake join together. It's August so it's not the best for fishing, but as Dave would say, “A bad day of fishing is always better than a good day at work!”

View from our trailer

First boat ride for Elliott

It's still beautiful, even in the pouring rain. 

A walk in the forest.  Sometimes it's a walking stick, but most often, a drum stick. 

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On the return from Ontario we camped at Town and Country Campground on the edge of Winnipeg for two nights. This gave us a chance to spend time with relatives in Winnipeg and also find another place to fish!

Lockport

It had been a long time since we'd been to Lockport, just north of Winnipeg. The locks and bridge over the Red River constructed over a ten year period were officially opened back in 1910. 

The attraction of this place is the fishing. At least a half dozen boats were anchored below the bridge, hoping to catch the Big One, especially a catfish. Many others, including Dave, gave it a try from shore. The other fishers were the white pelican who were busy getting their catch of the day. Although the sky threatened, it was a beautiful day to be by the water.  

Homeward Bound

It's just a bit too far to drive all the way home in one day so we usually find somewhere to camp or boon-dock in Saskatchewan. This time we stopped in Lumsden, nestled in the Qu'Appelle Valley. It's a beautiful little campground hidden in the trees. Randy, the campground manager, guided us around the “trees that bite awnings” into our site for the night. One of those trees fit right between the slide-outs. We were nicely level on the first try and didn't need to unhook.  The next day morning we were quickly on our way again.  

It's become a tradition to eat Subway at least once on the road trip. We found a Subway stop in Langham, SK on the last leg of the journey. The restaurant seating was limited and the wind was howling outside so we had a Subway picnic in the trailer!

We got home about suppertime, glad to be back and thankful we'd traveled these 5500 kms without incident.