Grasslands National Park - East Section

 Grasslands National Park is one of the less known national parks and also one of the less visited. I have read about it and seen pictures of it and was determined to visit it on this trip. After the lovely community park in Weyburn I continued to head west on the Red Coat Trail. 

The view was similar to the previous day...

crop fields as far as you could see...

with a sky that seemed to never end.

 

 

 

 

Grasslands National Park has an east and a west section and since I was coming from the east my plan was to visit that section first and then decide about visiting the west section. There are a lot of gravel roads in the prairies once you leave the main highways and sometimes even before you leave them. I encountered gravel sections on the Red Coat Trail. In some cases the gravel roads were in better shape than the paved roads and some cars, like the one below, travelled very quickly on them.

                                           

I trusted the GPS and travelled mile after mile ( note-kilometre after kilometre just doesn't sound as nice as mile after mile) and I was excited when I finally saw the park sign and not just another directional indicator. And there was no shortage of parkng space.

I had already been treated to uncultivated prairie fields filled with grasses but I was not quite prepared for the raw beauty of this area.

 

     

  

The cactius and the mushroom were within 100 m of each other. And in between them I saw hoof prints of deer or possible antelope. I know that the antelope roam here because on a back road somewhere I saw one. I have a picture or two of it as well but the location of that file eludes me t the monent. There was no one else in the area and I hesitated to wander too far as I really didn't know what might be encountered. It was peaceful, quiet and very windy and I loved every minute that I was there.

                              

This is a remote corner of Saskatchewan and as much as I was enjoying it there were realities to face. Was I going to have to retrace my route or would I be able to find an alternative that would lead me closer to my next destination although I wasn't totally sure just where that was going to be. Cell phone service was non existent, I doubted that my maps were showing all of the roads in the area and at some point I was going to need gas. Reluctantly i decided that it was time to leave. I started to go out the way I had driven in when I came to what is best called a fork in the road and wondered if I should be turning left rather thancontinuing straight. There was a car coming toward me and heading rightwhich would be my left. As I pondered this decision the car stopped, the window lowered and an older gentleman asked me where I was headed. That was a little hard to answer since I hadn't picked a destination for the night yet. It depended on how what town I found that had a campsite. I am positive that this man has helped many motorists find their way on the numerous gravel roads of southern Saskatchewan because he simply asked if I was headed west or north. That I could because I knew that I was very close to the US border and I knew that the other part of Grasslands Park was west and the were no campgrounds there. "You can follow me, says my new best friend, and when I flash my lights you go right and you'll be heading north." So I followed him and when it was time for me to head north, he flashed and I went right! 

It would be nice if the rest of my day had been uncomplicated but it wasn't. I drove and drove and my tank got closer and closer to empty and just as I was about to get worried I found a town that had a sign indicating there was a comunity park. On the way to the park I got directions for a gas station and filled up before looking for the park. I found the park and began to set up but something just wasn't sitting well with me. It may have been the location and the lack of other campers and it may have been nothing more than i couldn't see a washroom building but I felt nervous so I put everything away and left. As I drove I watched a storm come in om the horizon with lightening and dark clouds. It was pretty amazing to watch. 

I discovered that the size of the writing used for a pace ame on the ap did not correlate to the size of the town! So when i got to Shanavon and saw a motel with rooms available I took one. It was clean and dry and I had a bathroom all to myself, not to mention a TV and an air conditioner and a bed and it was just lovely.