We left Saskatoon, Sask. at about 11am as we had a fairly short day's drive of 314 km (195 mi) to Moose Jaw, Sask. It did take awhile to get out of the city with only one misturn, then missed the highway we'd planned to take but got out onto Hwy 16E then turned south on Hwy. 2 for the rest of the trip.
Storm clouds everchanging
It was a cool and cloudy day but other than a few drops of rain, we had a dry drive. The sun did not shine today and the storm clouds were an ongoing show to enjoy.
Young, Sask.
As we drove down Hwy 2s we enjoyed the sights of the prairies. The grain elevators that we know from movies and photographs that typify the prairies are becoming rare. Those that are still there are old and show it.
Modern day grain elevators surround the old ones.
We were to see many of these modern day grain elevators today. This group includes an old one as well but many farms we drove by had nothing but the new ones.
The drop down to the Qu’Appelle Valley was a pretty surprise. It was a fairly short winding hill approaching a green valley and a change from the prairies. The road crosses over the water, or was it a bridge? Too many things to look at that I missed that. I was trying to find the right words to describe how it really looked, and I found them ! I will quote the South Saskatchewan 2009 Official Vacation Guide, they do have the right words:
“The sudden revelation of a valley, as the highway slips off the grand expanse of plain, breaking from the cloak of coulee, the soul of the Qu’Appelle bares itself before you. As one enters this stunning valley, you can hear the waters calling you to see the blend of nature and recreation that is this sheltered ‘river of lakes' . The Qu’Appelle Valley is one of sourthern Saskatchewan’s most popular playgrounds.”
Ok, maybe those aren’t the exact words I would use, but they sure do tell the story nicely!
Our drive was an easy one and not too long. Most of the roads were secondary highways and were light traffic, and we rarely saw a freight truck. We did follow Hwy 1 for a short time but didn’t see much traffic then, either. There seems to be no comparison to traffic on the roads in the west.