10/4/14 – 10/7/14

After a relatively short drive from Manitoba, arrived in friend’s hometown of Grenfell shortly after 1 pm. On our way, at lunch we found out that if you want a toasted “western”, the waitress sort of frowned and said “I think you are wanting a Denver”. OK, we have been corrected.

As the GPS brought us to our friend’s(Ross and Linda) friends house(Lynn and Terry) we pulled up along their house with many warm waves. Later in the afternoon we took a tour of the town (approx. 1,000) then hit the local hotspot for happy hour – The Granite! It was tough getting a table (not) and listened to stories over the years of events that have occurred in the Granite. Ok, that bar is off our bucket list!

Sunday, we headed out for more local touring and dissertation about the local “native” bands (4+) in the area and our governments spending criteria. We ended up in Qu’Appelle Valley, proving that the prairies are not all flatland. Lynn and Terry have a cabin on Crooked Lake where you can easily tell that it is “their retreat” to enjoy family and friends by the lake. Monday morning we headed out for a very nice breakfast (and filling) at the local Esso at an attached diner called Vickies.

The weather in Grenfell was cool but the hospitality was very warm and much appreciated since we didn’t have to pack up for two nights. Lynn and Terry, thank you very much!!!

After breakfast we headed up to Ross’s brother’s place (Glenn and Beth) in Kannata Valley were they have a beautiful home overlooking Long Lake. About a 2 hour drive from Grenfell) More hills! We parked with a great lake view and could hear the lapping of the waves all night. Very soothing. We spent a fun evening with them which included a short tour of their area. Once again, warm prairie hospitality was plentiful and appreciated. Thanks guys.

Tuesday morning was an early start for a long drive to Drumheller, AB. Basically we went from central SK to central AB. (approx. 650 kms) Arrived in Drumheller around 5 pm at the tourist center – see the big Dinosaur! Then headed to our camp south of town – Hoodoo RV Resort. Before we went there, we stopped to visit the Hoodoos which are sandstone and rock formations. http://www.traveldrumheller.com/index.php/directory/7-Drumheller-Hoodoos

The badlands and the Hoodoos in this area are quite unique and something to see. Just before you arrive in Drumheller from the north, it’s relatively flat, then all of a sudden you dip into this badland area.

Cheers!