Day 4
1964, the Plan: Winnipeg, MB to Regina, Saskatchewan (SK).
1964, the Actuality: Since the Explorer Scouts decided to go through Bismarck, they skipped Winnipeg and on Monday, July 20, they traveled from Donnybrook, ND to Regina, SK. Kent reported via postcard that they don't have any TV in Regina and everything was pretty expensive. They spent the night in the Besant Provincial Park in Caronport, SK, where Kent reported it sure was a nice place and they had a fine time there. They swam, took showers, washed clothes, and chased frogs.
Saturday, June 17, 2017
We departed from our hotel in Minot, SD and followed US-83 north. It was foggy. Between Carpio and Donnybrook we searched for the area where the Explorer Scouts might have pulled off to camp for the night.
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| 1964: Camping near Donnybrook, ND (Dr M) |
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| 2017: Similar terrain behind our "camper" |
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| 1964: View from "Donnybrook, ND" camping site |
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| 2017: View east from the similar terrain spot |
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The hills in the Donnybrook, ND area had years spelled out in white
stones, perhaps created by the graduating classes of the high school |
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The countryside of ND and SK was mostly for cattle ranching
and growing wheat, with occasional oil pumps |
In Donnybrook, we turned onto US-52, which became SK-39 when we crossed into Canada. A few miles in, we saw a coyote standing at the edge of a field; our first wildlife sighting!
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Giant wheat stalks in Weyburn, SK, the
largest inland grain gathering point in Canada |
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| We had lunch at the Main Track Cafe in Weyburn, SK |
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| We tried their famous dry ribs |
In Regina, SK, we stopped to walk around the Wascana Centre Park. At 2,300 acres, it is larger than New York City's Central Park at 843 acres.
Holes in the dirt leading under the concrete paths had Richardson's ground squirrels popping in and out; our second wildlife sighting!
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The T C Douglas Building (1978, designed by Arnott MacPhail Johnstone
and named after the former Premier of Saskatchewan T C "Tommy" Douglas),
houses the MacKenzie Art Gallery, as well as government offices |
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| Mishimi's Walk (1980, by Don Foulds) |
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Statue of Queen Elizabeth II on her horse, Burmese
(2005, by Susan Velder) |
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Statue of Walter Scott (2012-2013, by Shirley and
Don Begg), the first premier of Saskatchewan who
chose Regina as the province's capital and oversaw
the construction of the Legislative Building |
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Saskatchewan Legislative Building (1908-1912, designed by
Edward and William Sutherland Maxwell in Beaux-Arts style)) |
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| Branta canadensis/Canada Geese poop in their own yard, too |
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| The dome of the Legislative Building seen across Wascana Lake (KSS) |
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Painted lamp post and balusters on
Albert Memorial Bridge |
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| Speakers' Corner (1966) |
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Kent orating in Speakers' Corner, standing on a cornice from the
former Regina City Hall, next to a gas lamp from Hyde Park, London |
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| Coat of Arms for the city of Regina |
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| Saskatchewan War Memorial |
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| Nursing Sister statue honoring all nurses in uniform |
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In honor of the men of the 28th Battalion Canadian
Expeditionary Force who fell in the Great War |
Next a drive to see a few more sights.
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| Holy Rosary Cathedral (1912) was locked up |
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Detail from the former Headquarters of the
Saskatchewan Wheat Pool, one of the largest
wheat cooperatives in the world, in a 1913
building undergoing renovation |
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St Paul Cathedral (1894, in Gothic Revival style)
is the oldest church in Regina |
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Campbell Wilson & Strathdee Warehouse
(1913-1914), which now houses the
Bushwakker Brewpub, where we had a snack |
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| Inside the Bushwakker Brewpub |
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Entrance to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP)
Training Academy and Heritage Centre |
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| The RCMP Heritage Centre (2005-2007) |
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Government House (1891, as the residence of the Lieutenant Governor)
is now a museum, but the Lieutenant Governor maintains his office here |
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| Entrance to the Lieutenant Governor's Office |
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| Government House rose arbor |
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| Ominous clouds; we had rain on and off all day |
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A quick stop at the Visitor Centre in Moose Jaw, SK
to see Mac (1965, a Roadside America attraction),
the second largest moose in the world;
he was the largest until 2015 when
a larger moose was made in Norway |
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Moose Jaw, SK, is the home of the Canadian Air Force Snowbirds,
a precision flying team (KSS) |
Finally we arrived in Caronport, SK, at the Besant Campground that was formerly a Provincial Park.
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| 1964: The entrance to the Besant Provincial Park |
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| 2017: The entrance to the privately-owned Besant campground |
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| We set up at campsite #48, then explored the campground |
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| The "outhouse" with flush toilets |
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| A beaver dam behind our campsite |
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| Some camping bikers had pulled in to the campground office |
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The arched bridge and swimming pond;
there are plans to dredge and "repair" the pond |
We saw several Baltimore orioles hopping in low branches.
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| Some child was busy today |
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| 1964: View from Besant |
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2017: View from Besant, with a bare ridge in the background
and the creek below, and everything in between is overgrown! |
The Besant Campground owners, Bill and Shauna C, were very helpful in trying to identify where the 1964 photo was taken!
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| Sunset at about 9:00 pm |
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