Saskatchewan Landing Provincial Park is a beautiful spot. I used to pass it often on the way to Cypress Hills for the Saskatchewan Summer Star Party when I first because interested in astronomy. I always thought it would be great to stop and camp there sometime. A few years ago, I had finally a trip planned but it fell through at the last minute due to a family emergency. I tried to go again last year in June but ended up having a nightmare trip.
I really wanted to go camping one last time before winter and was all ready to head to Prince Albert National Park but Mother Nature had other plans for me. On the day my mom and I were going to head out, it rained…and it rained…and it rained. And that was just in Saskatoon. The reports from up north showed that they had gotten even more rain than we did and the forecast was bleak at best. But damn it, I wanted another trip! So we combed through all the forecasts for the province and looked at all possible campgrounds with fall camping. In the end, Saskatchewan Landing at the most southern end of Lake Diefenbaker seemed the best choice. We threw our gear into the trailer and headed south.
It was funny that the day before we left, Facebook showed me a memory from a year ago. It was the fall camp my mom and I did at Redberry Lake Regional Park. We had such beautiful weather during those few days! But this time, we froze. We were prepared with winter coats, gloves, and extra blankets but it was still too much cold weather too fast and we felt it. But sometimes the point of camping isn’t so much to do a tonne of stuff but rather just to get away from the grind and that felt good. Even just a little fresh air feeds the soul. And with the all the rain we had before we left, the fire ban that covered a large part of the province had been lifted. It’s just not camping without a fire!
After seeing that the forecast for Sask Landing was going to be cold and cloudy, I didn’t bother bringing any of my astronomy gear which is a decision that I regret because on both nights, the skies cleared and despite the light pollution in the campground, the stars were plentiful. But at least I managed to snap a few good pictures. These photos have very minimal photo editing done on them.
On my trip to Grasslands National Park East Block, I had a chance to try geocaching. I bought a GPS tracker because I’m finding myself trying to explore more but I tend to walk and not know how to get back to my starting point so a GPS seemed like a smart investment. I have to admit that I find the geocaching app on my phone a lot easier to read but it’s too much of a battery killer. I made sure to load up a bunch of caches in the park to my GPS before we left and within 30 minutes of being in the park, I found my first one. In fact, in the three days we were there, I found 4 caches. There was one on the Rings, Ruts, and Remnants trail that I spent a good 20 minutes looking for before giving up. Next time, you will be mine, you crazy geocache! But I’m definitely enjoying this new hobby – or is it a sport? – and I look forward to finding more.
Speaking of trails, I finally did the Rings, Ruts, and Remnants trail this time. Last year, I hiked the beautiful Prairie Vista trail and the crazy-climb Ridges and Ravines trail. In hindsight, it would have been interesting to try them again, this time in autumn but I know the wind takes a serious toll on me so I focused on only one trail this time. One of my favorite things about fall camping is the colours. Yes, I know, out east the trees look more beautiful in fall because they change into more colours than we get here…blah, blah, blah. But there’s a special beauty in the prairies that comes from the starkness of the landscape. Even in areas like Sask Landing which is situated in a valley, the greens, yellows, and reds of the autumn foilage stick out boldly against the dried up beige grasses. It’s a lovely sight; both calming and slightly jarring.
Because of the cold and wind, I didn’t get a chance to do any kayaking. My attempt at fishing was thwarted by my own lack of knowledge on how to fish. (In other words, I messed up my fishing rod and I’m not sure how to fix it.) But it’s still only September. Chances to play on the water are dwindling but still alive. And even if winter suddenly shows up tomorrow, it’s not like you can’t have fun in the snow, right? I had a great summer exploring the province and I’m looking forward to doing even more in the coming months!
