May 27 Melville, SK  to Saskatoon, SK (Gordon Howe campground)

Posted byweegtravelPosted in2023, Canada 2023, SaskatchewanTags:, ,

Bird sightings: white pelicans, egret, ducks (northern pintail, buffleheads, mallards and ??), cormorants, Redwing blackbirds, Canada geese, ravens, small hawks, terns, loons, plovers

Not a lot of miles to drive today, only about 3 1/2   hours and we are taking our time. Sky is still overcast with threats of rain.

The topography is much greener and hillier with more trees and sloughs than I had expected. My father talked about the Saskatchewan sloughs ( pronounced ‘slew’) but I had no idea there were  so many of them. The larger ones had waterfowl in them mainly ducks and geese and white pelicans in the lakes. Topography flattened out closer to Saskatoon as we drive west.

Small Orthodox church in a village along the RR tracks
Vintage grain silo along the RR
Typical roadside view… fields and sloughs
Many of the sloughs had beaver huts in them

Western Development Museum, Saskatoon

Street in Boomtown, SK in the museum. We had lunch in the Boomtown Cafe
Replica of a sod house. My grandmother lived in a version of a sod house which she called a soddy. In the early homestead days there was not enough lumber for all the homesteaders to build homes with. Sod is not the best of construction materials.
One room school. Note the early versions of the modern iPad.
Home made camper van from the 30s.
Camper van interior

Collection of farm equipment

This museum is so huge we couldn’t finish it all. There are 4 of these museums in Saskatchewan, each with a different theme. This one was about the early days and the life of the homesteaders. It gave me a better appreciation for the my grandparents had here.

The display of vintage vehicles was amazing including a limousine that had been found in a field complete with bullet proof glass and the VIN numbers scratched off. This car has a story to tell for sure.

It was a bit rainy by the time we got to our campground. We stayed inside all evening but I did get 2 loads of laundry done! We needed that. It also rained overnight. It’s still cloudy but slightly warmer.