The dramatic yet seemingly anticlimactic way in which the power of the mountains transform into the vastness of the plains was a surprise to me. We loved being in the mountains, surrounded by rock and trees, so in the prairies, we felt suddenly exposed. 

From Banff, we made our way through Canmore and Kananaskis Village before stopping in Calgary. We ended up having a beer and some food at Free House, a restaurant managed by a friend of a mutual friend of ours back in Copenhagen. The summer squash salad was bright, with lots of dill and feta, the chicken liver toast was exactly what we wanted to eat at that moment, and the elk reuben, with the house brined elk brisket and giant pickle really hit the spot. It reminded me of the type of good that gives that really comforting feeling. I felt happy sitting there, eating simple food, cooked well, with no fuss. ​

Calgary was a short two hour stop, and from there, we made it to Drumheller, to see Lena, a friend of mine who I’ve known from my Squeah days. She is actually the niece of a staff member I got to know long ago when I was a camper, and so I’ve known Lena since she was maybe 10 or so. It was nice to see her and catch up for a brief moment, and as the storm clouds started rolling in, we drove off and looked for a place to camp. 

We ended up on a campground just outside of the Saskatchewan border around Steveville, and just got in there in time for a windstorm to hit. But just as quickly as it came, it left, leaving behind a beautiful view of the night sky, with the dark and angry cloud rolling away. There is something breathtaking about seeing a giant storm rolling in from so far away. ​

(the hoodoos in drumheller, alberta)

The next morning, we were undecided on what to do, but we wanted to head into Saskatchewan. As we started driving, going through Medicine Hat, we made it to the border and had a quick breakfast. The wind picked up, and though the beauty of the canola fields and the wind going through the wheat fields like waves was not lost on us, we longed for rest areas and pull outs that had trees and shelter from the weather. 

Chaplin with its heaps of sodium sulphate, Moose Jaw with the giant moose and meadery, and the downtown of Regina all weren’t enough for us to stop for the night, so we drove the rest of the way. 900 km later, at 11:00 pm, we arrived in Russell, Manitoba, but not without experience a beautiful prairie sunset. ​

(saskatchewan border crossing)

Riding Mountain National Park was our next destination, and staying at Moon Lake campground gave us the opportunity to explore the area, and our search for wild life ended in success with close experiences with a female moose and her two calves and bison as well. 

Saskatchewan has a bit of a bad reputation for being boring. But I am guilty and will admit that I didn’t give it a fair chance. From what I hear, northern Saskatchewan is just amazing, so one day that will have to be checked off the list. But for now, it’s nice to be in Manitoba, and I can’t wait for my next stop, and can already taste the many burgers that will come my way soon.