Location: On the Trans Canada Highway. 100kms from Saskatoon
Time of Writing: 12:00
Today's blog is a little premetiure as it's only midday but seeing as I haven't updated since Thursday it's time to do so before I forget what's been happeinig!
Spent all day Thurs in Winnipeg and having seen most of it's cultral actractions on Wed I spent Thurs checking out the more interesting "flora & fauna" of the place - namely in Shannons Irish Bar! Yep I have to admit that the never ending never changing flat landscape of the city made me home sick for hills and mountains and so I did like any Irish man would do abroad in such circumstances and sought refuge in an Irish Bar...... If even for the shortest of periods! Two nice pints were enjoyed and I even got to add to my ever extending list of Canadian people I have met who have never seen the Ocean..... Strange as it may seem but lots of Canadians have NEVER seen the ocean and it's becoming a typical question I ask of new "Canuks" that I meet. I also met two guys who were out celebrating there shared birthday and not only was it unusual for best mates to have the same birthday but also their mothers had been best friends all their lives and had given birth on the same day! Strange but true.
Camped in the Beauford National Park on Thurs night - a great camping spot - only to be overun at 8am by a group of mountain bike enthusiasts much to the delight of the German who decided to join them on their route around the park, I however wasent so enthusiastic about the idea though and that was probably due the few pints enjoyed in Shannons Bar the night before! Spent all day yesterday driving, it was an 800km drive from Winnipeg to Saskatoon, once again across the barren and flat prairie lands along the "Yellowknife" highway. The highway itself is described as Canadas "Autoban" as due to its remoteness most people dont abide by the speed limit and travel however fast (or slow!) they wish! The intention was to camp approx 200kms from Saskatoon and when we came accross a lake on the route just as it was getting dark we thought we had found an excellent camping spot - only to bog the car while trying to reach it! An hour, four wooden planks and plenty of sweet later we finally got the car unstuck! As it was now dark we didnt get much further and ended up camping close to the highway near a 24 hour service station and restaurant - An excellent choice considering how quickly the it got cold once it was dark!
Yesterday we also crossed into Saskatchewan and as they dont have daylight saving time here I am now 7 hours in time difference from Ireland. The provence of Saskatchewan is known as the "bread basket of Canada" and being here for just 5 minutes its easy to see why! Golden wheat fields now stretch for miles in all directions where Bison used to roam in the time of the Indians or "First Nations" people. Considering the landscape here is so flat and with no visible features for miles in any direction its easy to see why the First Nations people roamed - it wasent in search of or to follow the Bison as history books would suggest no no no..... i reckon it was simply because they kept getting lost as every god damn place here looks the same!!!
Have just arrived in Saskatoon, it looks like a nice place, a modern city even, have to find somewhere to stay and then Im planning to meet a Gorsebridge man and and Borris man who live here for a pint........ watch this space!
On the IPod today: Cold Play (X & Y) Bryan Adams (Anthology - well it is his country im driving across!)
Today weather: Nice and sunny.