I鈥檓 hoping to fall in love all over again with my province this spring and summer.
We鈥檙e into the middle of May now, and right around this time of the year is when people are making summer destination plans; booking a spot somewhere, arranging all the travelling, all that fun stuff.聽 It鈥檚 an exciting task that builds anticipation, and I鈥檝e had more than my share of excitement in putting together fun and memorable trips.
I鈥檓 not exactly doing that in 2018, though.
Well, not in the traditional sense, anyway.聽 See, I鈥檓 taking what I guess could be called a mixture of a 鈥渟taycation鈥� and an extensive road tour at the same time.
What I鈥檓 planning to do this spring and summer is rediscover Saskatchewan; staying within the province and traveling to some of my favorite spots, while also adding to my itinerary any number of things that I鈥檝e just never gotten around to doing in this vast land we call home.
I鈥檓 calling it the 鈥楶rairie Perception Project鈥�.聽 By the end of the summer, I have a feeling I鈥檓 going to have a whole new appreciation for Saskatchewan, and my adventures may even alter my perception of it.
I was inspired to do something like this after checking out the adventures of the 鈥楽askatchewanderer鈥� year after year.聽 The Saskatchewanderer program, put on by the provincial government, names a young person every year to take the reins and go out to explore what the province has to offer.聽 They鈥檙e equipped with a new vehicle and essentially paid to go and have fun around the province while documenting their findings on social media.
My journey is definitely going to be different because I鈥檓 not being paid to do this, nor am I doing so with a brand spanking new vehicle, but I鈥檓 looking forward to it all the same.
So what鈥檒l my itinerary consist of, exactly?聽 Well, I鈥檓 looking forward to kicking things off this coming long weekend.聽 The May long weekend is pretty much the unofficial start to the spring and summer tourist season, so things are going to get quite busy as businesses open their doors once again to people looking to spend their money wisely.
I鈥檓 starting the season off with two of my favorite things to do; a hearty meal down at the caf茅 located at the Gardiner Dam pavilion in Danielson Provincial Park, and taking in a movie at the drive-in movie theater located just outside of Kyle.聽 For my money, it isn鈥檛 *officially* the warm-weather season until the Clearwater Drive-In releases their summer movie schedules, so when they did so recently, I got excited.
What else is on my list?聽 Well, I鈥檓 looking forward to heading back up to Candle Lake, for one thing.聽 That place was like a second home when I was a kid as my family vacationed up there every summer.聽 I haven鈥檛 been back there in three years, and I intend to return this year.聽 As well, I want to cruise down to Regina to take in the Royal Saskatchewan Museum for the first time since I was a kid.
Other things I鈥檓 looking forward to doing, which I haven鈥檛 done in the near-33 years I鈥檝e been a resident of Saskatchewan:
- Checking out the T.Rex Discovery Centre down in Eastend.聽 Home to Scotty, the world鈥檚 most massive Tyrannosaurus Rex skeleton.
- Walking through the infamous Moose Jaw tunnels.聽 This is one of those things that I think most Saskatchewan residents have to experience to cross off the proverbial 鈥榖ucket list鈥�, so I鈥檓 eager to finally check them out.
- Go for a dip in Little Manitou Lake, which is so salty and mineral-dense that you can鈥檛 sink. 聽The lake was formed by receding ice age glaciers and named after the 鈥楪reat Spirit鈥� by First Nations people.聽 In many peoples鈥� eyes, it鈥檚 become something of a cool 鈥減rairie spa鈥� destination on many levels.
As for what else is on my list, I was actually kind of hoping that I could get some suggestions.聽 Is there a really cool spot that is on the hush-hush that might be interesting to check out?聽 Maybe an out-of-the-way restaurant that one should venture to in order to have the absolute best 鈥淚nsert Food Here鈥�?聽 Perhaps a really eye-catching spot that would be amazing to shoot some outdoor photography?聽 A lot of you know I鈥檓 a sucker for those incredible landscapes鈥�
I鈥檓 game to hear any and all suggestions.
For me, the next few months are about keeping close to home; 鈥榟ome鈥� being this big, green, rectangle-on-its-side piece of the prairies.
For this week, that鈥檚 been the Ruttle Report.
