The Prairies Round 2
Report cards are finished, so I'm back with another post from last summer's trip! Before I jump right in, I feel like I have to make note of the fact that I FINALLY got the pictures from Justin's phone. So you should notice more with actual people and not just scenery! Yay, real proof we were actually in these places.
As mentioned in my last post, we ended up at a Alberta Provincial Park between Brooks and Tilly, so of course it's aptly named "Tillebrook". This was a great spot that had everything we needed: showers, beautiful sunset, and a quiet campsite.
We did have someone at the neighbouring spot. I noticed his Quebec licence plates right away. Justin, being the more social one in such situations, struck up a conversation and we found out he was from Gatineau, just on the other side of the river for the non-Ottawa readers out there. It also turns out he was driving out to BC to meet up with his family as they were moving to Kelowna. #slightlyjealous #BCretirementplan
We chatted a bit with him, but turned in fairly early after watching a beautiful sunset. If the Prairies are good for anything, it's amazing sunsets.
Also, stormy skies... so many storm clouds in the Prairies that didn't always bring about a storm.
The next day, we continued South on Highway 1 and into Saskatchewan. We traveled through Medicine Hat, Swift Current, and then Moose Jaw. We weren't particularly in a hurry, but we continued onto Regina. While entering the city, we decided to see if we could locate a microbrewery. We were in luck and found Bushwakker Brewpub. They carried LOTS of in-house beers, some of which we sampled. We chatted with the bar tender, purchased some beer and loaded back into the van.
Remember the amazing campsite in Saskatchewan on our way out West... we wouldn't be as lucky on the way back, but stopped in a town called Grenfell. We found a campsite run by the town. It was located behind an arena and outdoor pool. The washrooms inside the arena were accessible to us. There was a mix of people just passing through and some who obviously parked their trailers for the summer. I love this idea for a campground... indoor plumbing, a pool if you feel like a swim. I can't say I've seen anything like it in Ontario, but then again I don't spend much time in rural areas in my home province.
We took a walk around before it got too dark and soaked in the scenery.
If I remember correctly, those clouds did bring rain with them and it was a bit of a wet night. The next morning we woke up and headed for Manitoba.At this point, we were now completely back-tracking because Regina was where we headed North on the Yellowhead on our way West.
Once in Manitoba, we powered our way to Winnipeg. The way the highway works here, you can essentially by-pass towns like Brandon and Portage-La-Prairie. Apparently there isn't much to see anyway...
We reached Winnipeg and I expressed an interest in stopping to see "something". We made our way downtown on a beautiful summer day, parked the van and walked around "The Forks". This has obviously become quite a touristy area, but it was neat to stop at such a historical place in an urban area and still enjoy the outdoors.
We carried on East and settled on a Privately Run campground called "Pine Tree Campground". You will also see many signs for "Falcon Lake" but we chose to drive a little further and actually avoid such a heavily advertised place.
We were able to take a decent shower, have a delicious meal and chat with a group of older ladies cycling their way to Quebec from Victoria, BC. Interestingly, it looks like we didn't capture any photos of this little site. Although it was Eastern Manitoba, so the bugs were horrendous and I think we ended the night with a movie inside the van!
Well, this was our last night outside of Ontario, the home stretch was in sight! I really enjoyed this leg of the trip as we made some meaningful stops along the way!
Next up, How to Power Your Way through Ontario!
J & S
As mentioned in my last post, we ended up at a Alberta Provincial Park between Brooks and Tilly, so of course it's aptly named "Tillebrook". This was a great spot that had everything we needed: showers, beautiful sunset, and a quiet campsite.
 |
| Campsite at Tillebrook |
We did have someone at the neighbouring spot. I noticed his Quebec licence plates right away. Justin, being the more social one in such situations, struck up a conversation and we found out he was from Gatineau, just on the other side of the river for the non-Ottawa readers out there. It also turns out he was driving out to BC to meet up with his family as they were moving to Kelowna. #slightlyjealous #BCretirementplan
We chatted a bit with him, but turned in fairly early after watching a beautiful sunset. If the Prairies are good for anything, it's amazing sunsets.
Also, stormy skies... so many storm clouds in the Prairies that didn't always bring about a storm.
The next day, we continued South on Highway 1 and into Saskatchewan. We traveled through Medicine Hat, Swift Current, and then Moose Jaw. We weren't particularly in a hurry, but we continued onto Regina. While entering the city, we decided to see if we could locate a microbrewery. We were in luck and found Bushwakker Brewpub. They carried LOTS of in-house beers, some of which we sampled. We chatted with the bar tender, purchased some beer and loaded back into the van.
We took a walk around before it got too dark and soaked in the scenery.
If I remember correctly, those clouds did bring rain with them and it was a bit of a wet night. The next morning we woke up and headed for Manitoba.At this point, we were now completely back-tracking because Regina was where we headed North on the Yellowhead on our way West.Once in Manitoba, we powered our way to Winnipeg. The way the highway works here, you can essentially by-pass towns like Brandon and Portage-La-Prairie. Apparently there isn't much to see anyway...
We reached Winnipeg and I expressed an interest in stopping to see "something". We made our way downtown on a beautiful summer day, parked the van and walked around "The Forks". This has obviously become quite a touristy area, but it was neat to stop at such a historical place in an urban area and still enjoy the outdoors.
We were able to take a decent shower, have a delicious meal and chat with a group of older ladies cycling their way to Quebec from Victoria, BC. Interestingly, it looks like we didn't capture any photos of this little site. Although it was Eastern Manitoba, so the bugs were horrendous and I think we ended the night with a movie inside the van!
Well, this was our last night outside of Ontario, the home stretch was in sight! I really enjoyed this leg of the trip as we made some meaningful stops along the way!
Next up, How to Power Your Way through Ontario!
J & S
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