Walking the hills and buttes of the Grassland National Park is, at times, a sublime experience. This high country, rising above the flat prairie surrounding it, has survived four ice agea without ever being covered - and then scraped - by mile-thick panels of ice. Between the Rocky Mountains and the Laurentian shield, there is no other land space in Canada that can say the same.
The hills roll and rise like the rounded tummies of pregnancy; the buttes lift high in the air, baring short cliffs of clay, perfect for the bison drives used by ancient aboriginal residents to slaughter the animals in large numbers for processing for winter food. A hike up the hills takes you through knee deep native grass, sage and many tiny wildflowers of all hues, brilliant yellow, ochre, violet and deep purple. They are tine, and unobtrusive, but a glance down reveals the blaze of subtle colour.
The "saddles" atop the hills reveal many tipi rings of stones, laid perhaps one or two thousand year ago by the people who roamed these hills. A perfect place to rest and live on a hot summer day. Here, the wind is a constant, keeping black flies and mosquitoes from landing and biting. In the Frenchman River valley below, a sheltered spot suitable for a winter camp out of the wind, the biting critters feast on bare skin with intense abandon. No wind does more than ruffle the grass down low.
The butte trails twist and curve around corners, the trail always clear through the foot-crushed sage and tiny cacti, revealing the absence of the taller waving grass which is delicate and cannot maintain itself if trod upon regularly. The trail is almost always a clear narrow path through grass and around sloping corners.
Every now and then, on the lower slopes, one comes across badger holes. A mound of dirt two feet high, with a hole at one end perhaps eight inches across: the home of the prairie badger. We saw not a one all week. I'm sure they saw us and let us pass their home in peace.An endangered species of black-footed ferret roams the high country as well, and was also invisible to us. Beatrix has been relieved that invisibility has also been the mode of the prairie rattlesnake. I wanted to a least see one, but blazing hot July is the time that brings them out to bask.
Reaching the top of a hill, or the edge of a butte in this country, provides a spectacular view of the river valley and the surrounding prairie in a 360 degree swath. What a boon for the ancient hunter! Bison could be spotted many miles away in any direction and tracked until the hunters were ready to move.
One day, driving north along the Eco-trail to a north-end walk, we met the huge grazers of the ancient prairie grass. Three or four of them, leisurely chomping their way toward the ruts of the road, blissfully unaware of our presence. We stopped and waited, like polite drivers, while the giants scrunched their way across the roadway without so much as lifting a head in our direction. Dusty and surrounded by swarming flies, they were majestic in their passing: this is their land, and they possess it with dignity and in peace. We imagined thousands, millions even, plodding the hills in the blessed wind, feeding as they move. Currently, the park supports over 300 head of bison. When the herd reaches 350, some of the adults are transported to other parks, keeping the herd static at a number that can be easily sustained by the native grass, so delicate and tasty.
Not every day has been "hike-able." Rain, sometimes light, now and them a downpour, comes and goes. One day, even large hailstones blanketed the earth in a nearby village, as well as south into Montana. A hard day's rain turns the park roads, most less than a decade old, into tracks fit only for four-wheel drive trucks, or SUVS. Park staff close the park on these days. Truck traffic on the infant roads makes them impassable for days. The trails on the buttes become dangerous if walked, because the shale and mud can slide under pressure, and off you'd go on a trip that likely would not end well. The grassy hills are safer, but access is difficult, and the critters are always waiting!
The sky in southern Saskatchewan is massive and draws the eye upward. When you are on the flats, there is little to see but clouds and blue sky. As well as being huge, south Saskatchewan skies are wildly dynamic. It charges from minute to minute, hour to hour. Yesterday's forecast for the remainder of our stay was for rain every day. This morning, warm sun is the menu for the same time. While hiking or driving, you watch the sky: your immediate future swirls above you in clouds that produce racing shadows on the lower land when you are in the hills.
When it rains, we are not bored here. Our digs - quite spectacular and new, contain hundreds of books (if we had forgotten our own!), and two or three hundred DVDs. The little village of Val Marie, population 137, just down the gravel road from our cottage, boasts a terrific little Art Gallery, which hosts the work of twenty-three local artists. Nearby, the converted old brick schoolhouse is "Prairie Winds and Silver Sage" - small and interesting museum of the region, plus a creditable bookstore of information about the region, the animals, the night sky - one of the largest dark-sky preserves in the world - as well as information about the peoples who have lived on and off this land for thousands of years. It also boasts the "Prairie Ground Espresso Bar"! Best latte south of Swift Current, and homemade treats to tempt you. Afternoons find a steady stream of tourists in and out. It is a great hangout for a person with a book, or a desire to talk to the odd researcher who stops in for a latte and a spot of paperwork or computer time. WiFi makes it a haven for the techno-tourist.
We have happily stepped into the social life of Val Marie. The Harvest Moon Cafe, recently opened, is run by young people who provide a limited menu (7 or 8 item), with special days - "Asian Night", "It's Greek To Me night", "Father's Day Special." The food is really good, and the portions prairie size (huge). Special treats: curried soups for lunch, and homemade on the spot ice cream; Green Tea, Rhubarb or Saskatoon flavoured. Try getting that in Calgary, or Regine or Ottawa, for under $2.00 a scoop!
Friday night this week is Grad - four students! - and of course we have been invited and will go! Saturday this week is movie night at the local theatre. One night a week, with an almost-first-run movie, sometimes right off the screens of Calgary or Regina. Popcorn and ancient theatre seats
for $6.00. And great conversations with people you've never met who will talk to you like neighbors while you are among them.
This vacation is turning out to be exactly what i hopped for Beatrix: a time away, no phone calls or funerals, no deadlines, and a rest. I get lots of down time at home, but I am enjoying the change as well. Today, if the sun holds, we'll tramp the Broken Hills before changing our shirts for "clean" to go to Grad, where jeans and boots is dress enough for these folks.
Back again soon, hopefully before we head home on Monday morning.
The hills roll and rise like the rounded tummies of pregnancy; the buttes lift high in the air, baring short cliffs of clay, perfect for the bison drives used by ancient aboriginal residents to slaughter the animals in large numbers for processing for winter food. A hike up the hills takes you through knee deep native grass, sage and many tiny wildflowers of all hues, brilliant yellow, ochre, violet and deep purple. They are tine, and unobtrusive, but a glance down reveals the blaze of subtle colour.
The "saddles" atop the hills reveal many tipi rings of stones, laid perhaps one or two thousand year ago by the people who roamed these hills. A perfect place to rest and live on a hot summer day. Here, the wind is a constant, keeping black flies and mosquitoes from landing and biting. In the Frenchman River valley below, a sheltered spot suitable for a winter camp out of the wind, the biting critters feast on bare skin with intense abandon. No wind does more than ruffle the grass down low.
The butte trails twist and curve around corners, the trail always clear through the foot-crushed sage and tiny cacti, revealing the absence of the taller waving grass which is delicate and cannot maintain itself if trod upon regularly. The trail is almost always a clear narrow path through grass and around sloping corners.
Every now and then, on the lower slopes, one comes across badger holes. A mound of dirt two feet high, with a hole at one end perhaps eight inches across: the home of the prairie badger. We saw not a one all week. I'm sure they saw us and let us pass their home in peace.An endangered species of black-footed ferret roams the high country as well, and was also invisible to us. Beatrix has been relieved that invisibility has also been the mode of the prairie rattlesnake. I wanted to a least see one, but blazing hot July is the time that brings them out to bask.
Reaching the top of a hill, or the edge of a butte in this country, provides a spectacular view of the river valley and the surrounding prairie in a 360 degree swath. What a boon for the ancient hunter! Bison could be spotted many miles away in any direction and tracked until the hunters were ready to move.
One day, driving north along the Eco-trail to a north-end walk, we met the huge grazers of the ancient prairie grass. Three or four of them, leisurely chomping their way toward the ruts of the road, blissfully unaware of our presence. We stopped and waited, like polite drivers, while the giants scrunched their way across the roadway without so much as lifting a head in our direction. Dusty and surrounded by swarming flies, they were majestic in their passing: this is their land, and they possess it with dignity and in peace. We imagined thousands, millions even, plodding the hills in the blessed wind, feeding as they move. Currently, the park supports over 300 head of bison. When the herd reaches 350, some of the adults are transported to other parks, keeping the herd static at a number that can be easily sustained by the native grass, so delicate and tasty.
Not every day has been "hike-able." Rain, sometimes light, now and them a downpour, comes and goes. One day, even large hailstones blanketed the earth in a nearby village, as well as south into Montana. A hard day's rain turns the park roads, most less than a decade old, into tracks fit only for four-wheel drive trucks, or SUVS. Park staff close the park on these days. Truck traffic on the infant roads makes them impassable for days. The trails on the buttes become dangerous if walked, because the shale and mud can slide under pressure, and off you'd go on a trip that likely would not end well. The grassy hills are safer, but access is difficult, and the critters are always waiting!
The sky in southern Saskatchewan is massive and draws the eye upward. When you are on the flats, there is little to see but clouds and blue sky. As well as being huge, south Saskatchewan skies are wildly dynamic. It charges from minute to minute, hour to hour. Yesterday's forecast for the remainder of our stay was for rain every day. This morning, warm sun is the menu for the same time. While hiking or driving, you watch the sky: your immediate future swirls above you in clouds that produce racing shadows on the lower land when you are in the hills.
When it rains, we are not bored here. Our digs - quite spectacular and new, contain hundreds of books (if we had forgotten our own!), and two or three hundred DVDs. The little village of Val Marie, population 137, just down the gravel road from our cottage, boasts a terrific little Art Gallery, which hosts the work of twenty-three local artists. Nearby, the converted old brick schoolhouse is "Prairie Winds and Silver Sage" - small and interesting museum of the region, plus a creditable bookstore of information about the region, the animals, the night sky - one of the largest dark-sky preserves in the world - as well as information about the peoples who have lived on and off this land for thousands of years. It also boasts the "Prairie Ground Espresso Bar"! Best latte south of Swift Current, and homemade treats to tempt you. Afternoons find a steady stream of tourists in and out. It is a great hangout for a person with a book, or a desire to talk to the odd researcher who stops in for a latte and a spot of paperwork or computer time. WiFi makes it a haven for the techno-tourist.
We have happily stepped into the social life of Val Marie. The Harvest Moon Cafe, recently opened, is run by young people who provide a limited menu (7 or 8 item), with special days - "Asian Night", "It's Greek To Me night", "Father's Day Special." The food is really good, and the portions prairie size (huge). Special treats: curried soups for lunch, and homemade on the spot ice cream; Green Tea, Rhubarb or Saskatoon flavoured. Try getting that in Calgary, or Regine or Ottawa, for under $2.00 a scoop!
Friday night this week is Grad - four students! - and of course we have been invited and will go! Saturday this week is movie night at the local theatre. One night a week, with an almost-first-run movie, sometimes right off the screens of Calgary or Regina. Popcorn and ancient theatre seats
for $6.00. And great conversations with people you've never met who will talk to you like neighbors while you are among them.
This vacation is turning out to be exactly what i hopped for Beatrix: a time away, no phone calls or funerals, no deadlines, and a rest. I get lots of down time at home, but I am enjoying the change as well. Today, if the sun holds, we'll tramp the Broken Hills before changing our shirts for "clean" to go to Grad, where jeans and boots is dress enough for these folks.
Back again soon, hopefully before we head home on Monday morning.
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