As you know, any trip out west requires three hard (and boring) days of driving and lots of distractions. We headed to North Dakota, Saskatchewan, and Alberta, and as we ventured further west, we traveled under a shroud of smoke from the Canadian wildfires. Luckily the jet stream was on our side with its westerly winds, helping to clear our way into perfectly clear skies.

Click on the first photo in each group and scroll to see the square photos at full size.
For a short post about the inspiration behind this road trip as well as a loose itinerary, please visit Planes, Trains, and Automobiles.

Totally Different Experience

When we head out on one of our winter road trips, we’re headed south to find the sunshine and Wisconsin is dead and brown. Today it’s May 17 and we made our way northwest past Shawano, WI with its many barn quilts, rolling hills with newly-planted fields, and trees bursting with flowers. Fields of dandelions thumbed their noses at Jim (who would not be exterminating them), and it was a totally different experience. It made me kinda sad that we were leaving – just as our frozen tundra was coming back to life! OK, shake it off! You’re headed to Alaska for heaven’s sake!

Three long days of driving were ahead of us before we could start seeing anything remotely grand. We had packed our cooler with sandwich ingredients for quicker lunch stops and headed north, then west. Our first stop was Fargo, ND and the first of three states I would check off the fifty-state list – leaving us both with only Delaware!

We usually try to avoid chain restaurants while on road trips, but Applebee’s was right across the street from our hotel, so Applebee’s it was!

Roadside Attractions Kept Things Interesting

We barely had to leave the interstate to arrive at the end of Louis L’Amour Lane to catch a glimpse of the World’s Largest Buffalo Monument. Dakota Thunder weighs in at 60-tons, is 26-foot-tall, and is made of concrete. This buffalo has been standing watch over Jamestown, ND from the Frontier Village since 1959. There were quite a few things to do in the Village, where the buildings and their contents seemed very authentic. Since we were just passing through, we took a quick look and headed on down the road.

A Whole Lotta Nothing

After our stop in Jamestown, things went from mildly boring to mind-numbingly boring. So boring in fact, with Classic Vinyl cranking on the radio we missed our turn to cross the Canadian border at the Portal Point of Entry. Luckily there was another crossing about 20-miles down the road at the Noonan Point of Entry, and luckily it was still open or we would have been traveling back to Portal, ND. The good news was this crossing was in the middle of nowhere, and since we had no other cars to contend with, we were through the interrogation process pretty quickly.

Welcome to Canada!

We wanted to kiss the ground upon our arrival in Moosejaw, SK. A long break from the boring drive would be heavenly, and our sandwiches wore off a few hours ago. We decided to grab dinner first, then check in and we found the Canadian Brewhouse – where we got our Canada on! We were checked in by 8pm, and asleep shortly thereafter!

Where Things Got Interesting

This morning had a weird haze in the sky as we traveled just down the street to Moose Jaw’s Visitor Center for a look at Mac the Moose. Mac is a steel and concrete sculpture and is claimed to be the world’s largest moose at almost 34-feet tall and weighing in at approximately 22,400-pounds. Mac was pretty impressive and gave me hope that we’d see lots of moose on this trip! Click on the link for more great pictures of Mac.

Located in the same area was a CT-114 Tutor Jet, painted in the colors of the Snowbirds. The Tutor Jet joined Mac the Moose to beckon travelers in from the highway in 2009.

“An initiative of Tourism Moose Jaw, with funding from Western Economic Diversification, and volunteer help from 15 Wing, the City of Moose Jaw and many individuals, the Tutor seemed the perfect way to honour the city’s association with 15 Wing and the Canadian Forces Snowbirds.” ~ CLICK for more pictures

WTF?

Snow in May, where none was before? Again our phones came to the rescue. What would we do without Google? Chaplin Lake is Canada’s second-largest saline lake and is located along the Trans-Canada Highway – Highway 1.

“During spring migration, shorebirds flock to Chaplin because of the nearby salt mine and a once-thriving brine shrimp industry. Many stay to nest, and others stop to fatten up and rest for the next leg of migration. With a bounty of food to choose from, shorebirds saunter the salty shores and shallow waters, feasting on masses of brine shrimp.” READ MORE

Although we didn’t see any birds, we did see several more salty lakes down the road and we weren’t shocked by the “snow” after that!

Will This Haze ever Burn Off?

As we continued west, we finally looked at our weather app to find out what was going on with the haze that was not burning off, but in fact was getting worse. Wildfires in Saskatchewan and Alberta were sending their smoke this way, which was very concerning once we stopped at our next stop.

At the Saamis Teepee and Visitor Center in Medicine Hat, AB, the world’s tallest tepee has masts measuring 215 feet, a diameter of 160 feet, and its foundation weighs 800 metric tons! Each of the ten masts feature a large storyboard depicting aspects of native culture and history. A close-up of two of the ten disks encircling the teepee show just how beautiful they are. Please visit the website for much better pictures, although I have to admit I like these very much. The sun was just a glowing spec in the sky surrounded by smoke – and it was very eerie.

After a talk with the woman behind the counter at the Visitor Center, she expressed her concern about our trip into the Banff/Jasper area since she was keeping tabs on evacuations north of there. We left with a sick feeling that this may quite negatively impact our trip (and, of course, the lives of thousands), but we decided to stay optimistic and hope for the best.

Some Relief from the Smoke

We made our way to Lethbridge, AB to set us up for the next morning. Just the little bit that our route moved southward made a big difference in the smoke, which became encouraging. We arrived around 5pm, got checked in and headed to the Legends Pub and Grill for dinner and a beer. The pub was a little dark, but after the smoke of the day, it seemed better than sitting outside somewhere. Plus is was within walking distance from our hotel.

What a Difference a Day Makes!

Today was an absolutely perfect day, and look at those CLEAR SKIES!!! First stop of the day was Lundbreck Falls, which was on the way to our next series of stops. Jim found this one, and I applaud him!! Besides the fabulous falls, some steps went down to a great shot of the bridge and our first wildlife!

Alternate Ending #1

If you’ve never watched the TV Series Heartland, you don’t care to, and you just want to get to the good stuff, I suggest this be your ending. After three days of driving HELL, the good stuff is coming up next! (I know, it’s about time!)

Next up: Exploring God’s Country

Happy trails,
Barb

Alternate Ending #2 – Our Heartland Tour

We worked hard to make today a short, four-hour drive so we could sightsee a bit on the way to our first REAL stop of this trip! When we started planning this trip three years ago, we were binge-watching a great (and wholesome) TV series called Heartland. After 35 seasons (ok, an exaggeration), we decided we just had to visit this area of the country on this trip.

Just south of Calgary, the show is always spanning the gorgeous backdrops of the Canadian Rockies. The ranch is privately owned, so there was no visiting “Grandpa” on this trip, but we could visit Hudson (the town of High River). Although the show has been on hiatus for a couple of years (and we haven’t watched it since), we still decided it was worth a look.

Located in the iconic High River train station, the Museum of the Highwoods didn’t open up for a couple of hours (it was Sunday), and we didn’t wait around. Years ago, their staff was very knowledgeable of Heartland, with a quiz to test your knowledge of the show. I’m not sure if that is still the case, so if you stop let me know. The George Lane Park red gazebo was where lots of the town events took place (including Amy’s graduation!). Of course anyone who knows the show knows Maggie’s Diner!

Lunch in a Church. It is Sunday!

We had hoped to grab some lunch in the infamous Hudson, but there wasn’t much to pick from. Luckily we came across the Heartland Café in Okotoks, AB. Not only was this place gorgeous, the food was amazing! Built in 1902 by The Baptist Church, this place has worn a few hats since that time. In 2009 new owners purchased the building, and “the Town of Okotoks grandfathered the building allowing them to build and fit out the newest Heartland Café. Under the clause nothing could be altered or changed structurally. As a result, the historic nature of the building would be preserved.” Hats off to the Heartland Café!! 

Final Stops at Heartland

Of course, there wouldn’t be a show without Tim Fleming’s rodeo scenes, horse racing, and green and white stable scenes. Millarville Racetrack was pretty cool, and there were actually guys there with their horses.

We had a little trouble getting to Millarville Christ Church because the river had flooded the road, and we were reluctant to transverse it given our non-off-road vehicle – especially given all that would be at stake – like the rest of this vacation! We turned around (and didn’t drown) and Jim found an alternate route. The beautiful vertical log cabin (the site of Lou and Peter’s wedding) is the oldest of its kind around and it was fantastic! We were even able to get inside!

Woo Hoo!

Several days after we left Millarville, we found out that Season 15 of Heartland is now on Netflix! Sorry gotta go and watch it! After three days of driving HELL, the good stuff is coming up next! (I know, it’s about time!)

Next up: Exploring God’s Country

Happy trails,
Barb