The Three Province Day

Day 3
Dryden to Regina
Kilometers traveled; approx. 1 000

After our eventful evening and very late night the boys actually slept in a bit. None of us woke up until 7:15! Ken heard Nate trying to wake Will up, we think he was feeling a little lost. We get up and head out as quickly as possible. We have another ambitious day ahead of us but the push to Dryden does make the day more manageable. The day is clear, blue and beautiful, the perfect day for a big drive. The North Western part of our province is more similar to the North Bay area then the drama of the Lake Superior scapes. A number of times Ken and I commented that the lakes reminded us of Trout Lake. As we approached the Ontario/Manitoba boarder Will was ready for a change. Every five minutes he asked if we were almost there. Finally, the big moment is upon us, after 2 long days of driving we are leaving Ontario behind us. We pull into the Manitoba visitors center. The Information Guides graciously give Will and Nate a flag of Manitoba, which makes their day! After quite a few races up and down the long and steep wheel chair ramp (in which I held my own quite well) we headed to a picnic spot about 15 minutes up Highway 1. If you are ever in the area, I highly recommend a stop at West Hawk Lake. It's a great little beach with lots of camping, picnicking and a play ground. Interestingly the lake was made 100s of thousands of years ago when an asteroid hit the land in that spot and created a huge creator. The lake is circular in shape and you can tell by the dark colour of the water that it is very deep. We picnicked over looking the marina and then the boys had a good play at the park. Full of lunch and pent up energy spent, we head out to continue our journey. Ken and I both commented that the early part of Manitoba could be Highway 11, we felt quite at home. Suddenly, the trees faded into the distance and we entered The Great Plains. The prairies really are a beautiful thing. I loved the fields of vibrant mustard against the expansive blue sky. As a 14 year old, I remember sleeping through most of the prairies. My Mom encouraged me to take in the surrounds but I think I said something along the lines of, "Mom, it looks exactly the same now as it did 4 hours ago!" While this statement is true I was able to enjoy the experience more this time. That said, I did finish the new Ministry assessment document and make a good dent in my new book! As we got closer and closer to the Saskatchewan boarder the fields continued to get flatter, the sky continued to get bigger. Ken observed that there are huge portions of this country without human population. It really is amazing how the vast expanse of field and sky give a whole new perspective to this country we live in. We are now settled into our hotel in Regina, I have a lovely glass of wine in hand and Ken has beer. Life is good and tomorrow, we arrive in Calgary!