The journey to Regina, Saskatchewan from Thompson would take three days: the first leg to The Pas (244 miles); the second to Swan River (212 miles); and the last leg to Regina (219 miles).
Driving along the wilderness highway, a one-lane road in each direction, required concentration to avoid those unexpected dips that sent us flying, or the washboard stretches that rattled everything inside the coach. Orange triangle markers warned of an approaching dip or rumble, but they were not always accurate. The roads in this region are subject to frost heaves because of the harsh winters, snow, and freezing conditions followed by thawing which creates buckling and potholes. Consequently, we had to drive more slowly and mindfully.
The boreal forests continued and in some stretches there were patches of yellow and purple meadows hugging the sides of the road, adding color to the green surroundings. We crossed the 54th parallel today as we continued further south.
At our first stop in the town called The Pas, we spent the night at the Opasquia Agricultural Society RV Park, similar to a fairground with paddocks and riding arena for horses and cattle. Late in the afternoon there was a sudden lightning and thunder storm of short duration with some hard rain. That evening, the group was treated to an Italian dinner at the Kikiwak Inn in town.
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| 20 coaches neatly parked at the RV Park in The Pas |
The road to Swan River continued to bounce and roll us along though not as badly as the previous days. Similar terrain and vegetation continued along this stretch. We passed a few recreation spots, several lakes and a river that looked especially dark brown and muddy. And more of the same boreal forests. It was pretty but also became monotonous with no variation. At one point we crossed the 53rd parallel.
We stayed two nights at Green Acres Campground in Swan River. Most of us started arriving after 11AM which gave us a free afternoon and enough time for us quilters to visit the local quilt shop in town and enrich the local economy. The photo proves we did not come away empty handed!
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| with our stashes: Rhoda, T, Willy, Marcella & Catheren |
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| that's us, third Alpine in the row |
The following morning, Tom arranged a brunch for us at Sweetacres Strawberry Farm, a local, family-owned farm that serves the most delicious waffles drizzled with their secret family white sauce and topped with freshly cut up strawberries from their fields.
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| waiting in line for our waffles |
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| the strawberry fields |
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| pretty setting for an outdoor brunch |
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| Helena&Bob, Terry&Ed, M&T, Willy |
And in fact, there were a couple of Mennonites also having brunch that morning. It appears that several Mennonite families moved to the Swan River area and bought farms in 1968. More families followed including a deacon and minister and now there is a Mennonite Church and a school.
Later that afternoon we gathered outside at the RV Park grounds for Happy Hour and a wonderful pot-luck spread.
The next morning, we continued our south-bound route along the final stretch to Regina. The terrain began to change as more and more farm fields appeared and we left the boreal forests behind. Mostly there were fields of canola in bloom, with wheat and corn fields interspersed. More deciduous trees also began to appear.
We crossed into the province of Saskatchewan and the scenery changed dramatically once we encountered our first hill! Soon we drove across the scenic Qu'Appelle valley and the Qu'Appelle River.
Farm fields continued along the route. I noticed that in Manitoba, and also here in Saskatchewan, no land is wasted. The grass crops seem to spill over into the area between the fences and the road, and this is harvested and baled along the roadside.
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Closer to Regina, signs of civilization and city appeared. Up ahead the skyline of Regina resembled a concrete jungle, something we had not seen for a while. The roads also improved.
Kings Acres RV Park was just off the highway and when we arrived in the early afternoon, it was 94F. The 30-amp electric hookup was barely keeping the one air conditioner going so we needed to turn it off to boil a kettle or use the microwave.
Happy Hour was at Tom's coach where we all huddled under the awning to be out of the direct sun. It seems strange to think that this region this far north where the winters are snowy and freezing cold can also get so hot.
Tom organized a pizza and salad dinner for us which was very welcome.
For the next three days we stayed in Regina and toured the main attractions.
The first tour was to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police Heritage Center and the RCMP Academy, both regarded as one of the top places to visit in North America. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police in their red jackets and brown felt hats are both a Canadian icon and a long-standing institution. In the state-of-the-art modern museum designed by world-renowned architect Arthur Erickson, we heard the story and the history behind the formation of this world-renowned Canadian institution.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police are known as the Mounties and are the national police service of Canada. We think of them mounted on their horses though today horses are only used in ceremonial events and in their traveling show. Typical police vehicles have replaced the horses today. The institution was formed in May 1873 as the North West Mounted Police, exactly 150 years ago, in order to establish law and order in the Canadian west. It was modeled after the Royal Irish Constabulary. In 1920 the Royal Mounted Police was formed merging the RNWMP and the Dominion Police. The designation of Royal was given after service in the Boer War.
The RCMP Academy grounds adjoin the Heritage Center. The Academy was established in 1885 as a recruit training center. Known as the Depot Division, it remains the main training academy for all recruits throughout Canada. Today 30% of the intake is female. Here is where incoming cadets come to train to become law enforcement professionals. Training lasts 3 months and each week there is a new intake of approximately 22 cadets. On graduating, cadets are assigned to various locations for three years then can branch into any of the numerous specialty branches. There are more than 150 career specializations and opportunities to consider with the RCMP, from general duty policing to forensic identification, drugs and organized crime investigation, financial crime, undercover operations, VIP protective services, national security and border enforcement, and several more. 
We were taken on a tour through the Academy Depot grounds, saw various buildings, stepped into the oldest building, once a mess hall and now the chapel with striking stain glass windows, and then had the privilege of watching a parade on the parade ground. Protocol and ceremony remain key to this historic and long-standing institution. (Unfortunately, we were not allowed to take photos on Academy grounds.)
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| on the trolley tour of The Depot |
The next day was a designated free day for us to explore on our own. We went in search of Scotty, the world's oldest and largest T-Rex, to take a photo to send to our grandson who is dinosaur crazy. In 2019, Scotty became the newest star attraction at the Royal Saskatchewan Museum. He is so massive that the museum underwent a major remodel to allow for a 2-story viewing of the enormous skeleton replica.
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| Scotty |
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| view from the top floor |
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| that's one massively large foot |
The original skeleton was discovered in 1994 by a teacher walking along a path in Eastend, and excavated between 1994 and 1995. It makes me wonder how many other fossil remains are yet to be discovered.
We ended up spending a long time at the museum which was quite impressive and well laid out with several galleries, explaining the different geological periods and in particular the various positions of Saskatchewan relative to the equator, and the several different climate types through the millennia. As the continent shifted, the area that is now Saskatchewan moved from tropical to subtropical to the current climate regions. And with the landmass shifts, the vegetation and the animals changed and evolved. The displays were excellent. There was also a gallery about the indigenous people who inhabited the region that explained their origins and cultural beliefs and traditions.
The museum is on the grounds of the Wascana Center, one of the largest urban parks in North America described as an "oasis in the middle of the city and an excellent venue for walking, cycling, and jogging." It also features playgrounds and picnic areas. Wascana Lake is popular for paddle boarding, canoeing, and kayaking in the summer. We walked along the path around the lake, saw the legislative building across on the other side of the lake, had a bite to eat at a restaurant, then walked back. The canoe club was having an event that afternoon. We stopped to watch a few of the races on the lake before we drove back home. It was a very hot and sunny day.
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| depiction of the nomadic life of the indigenous people: Nakota, Lakota Dakota, Dene |
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| legislative building across the lake |
That evening the group gathered for dinner at the Copper Kettle restaurant downtown. There were delicious Greek dishes on the menu making it difficult to choose. We all agreed that this restaurant topped the list.
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| perfectly cooked slamon |
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| tasty assortment of Greek specialties |
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| the striking ceiling and woodwork in the gift shop |
The next morning, we were all up early and on the road to Moose Jaw, about an hour's drive away, where we were scheduled for a tour of the Underground Tunnels. I expected a tour, like most tours, that explained the history and reason for the tunnels. However, after the three separate tours - Chicago Connection, Bunker 24, and Passage to Fortune - I came away feeling quite confused about what we had actually experienced. It was difficult to tell how much of the presentation was authentic history and how much a most entertaining dramatic presentation.
One visitor guide describes the tour as a "themed tour that explores local legend." Another explains that "guests become a part of history and partake in live theatrical experiences" that delve into "dark, hidden and mysterious moments of Canadian history."
The words "local legend" and "theatrical experiences" are key here because the focus of the tour is evidently to dramatize local legends. The experience, however, was memorable and entertaining, from the real looking props to the carefully orchestrated script, the animatronics, and the participation of us, the audience, who became part of the unfolding stories. But it was far from an historical account.
In the Chicago Connection tour, we were bootleggers in 1929 in Moose Jaw, buying booze from the Capone organization during prohibition, using the tunnels to smuggle the merchandise. As fascinating as the story is about Capone spending time in Moose Jaw, it can't be proved that he was ever here or that he was involved in a smuggling operation. However there may be some credibility about the tunnels being used for smuggling during prohibition since they spread out as far as the railway.
In the Bunker 24 story, we became new recruits in 1958 during the Cold War, when the arms race was in full swing, and the tunnels were supposedly used as bunkers. Perhaps the kernel of truth to this dramatization is that Canada was involved in the Cold War efforts to some degree.
The Passage to Fortune portrays a story about early Chinese immigration to Canada, and the living and working conditions in laundries in the tunnels to avoid discrimination. Whether the Chinese actually lived underground in these tunnels is debatable at best, although the fact remains that after the railway was completed, the Chinese who worked on constructing Canada's railway did find themselves out of work and there was discrimination and also a head tax imposed on them.
The actors who were our tour guides, dressed in period costume and were in character through the entire "tour", and told pretty convincing stories to a captive audience as we made our way through the tunnels and various sets and displays.
Perhaps the best way to describe these tours is that they are in effect an embellished, entertaining, interactive, dramatic production about three historical events in Canadian history - Chinese immigration, Prohibition, and the Cold War era. How much of the presentation is accurate must be left to individuals to research further and decide for themselves. It's certainly the first time I have experienced theater underground as a participant in the unfolding dramatization.
As for the tunnels themselves, it remains unclear when or why they were built originally, and this was not addressed during the "tour." Whether as coal chutes to facilitate coal delivery for the steam boilers that heated the buildings or utility tunnels to carry utility lines such as electrical wires, water or sewer pipes, the original purpose for the tunnels is shrouded in mystery. That they were abandoned and used for other illegal purposes has some grain of truth to it. We could not take photos or video or ask questions. The mystery surrounding the tunnels in Moose Jaw continues to draw thousands of visitors here, and even if not particularly accurate, the history the tours claim to portray certainly enhances the coffers of Moose Jaw!
After the tours, we moved on to the Western Development Museum where what we saw was authentic and based on historical evidence and truth. This museum shares the Saskatchewan story from the beginning of settlement to the present day. The museum's mandate is to "collect, preserve, and exhibit objects of historical value and importance connected with the economic and cultural development of Western Canada and to stimulate interest in Western Canadian history."We started with the CT-114 Tutor Snowbird Aircraft, the equivalent of the US Air Force Thunderbirds and US Navy Blue Angels. 
We moved on to other collections of various antique vehicles:
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| precursors to our modern snowmobiles |
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| Buchinski caboose - Canadian ingenuity combining a covered horse-drawn sled with heater inside |
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| Homemade Cheshire View Camper |
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| beautiful woodwork inside the camper |
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| 1962 Volkswagen Beetle “Punchy Buggy” |
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| Canadian Pacific Locomotive 2634 that still operates |
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| more classic cars |
Of interest is the fact that Southern Saskatchewan was instrumental in aiding the war effort during WWII by creating British Commonwealth Air Training Bases (B.C.A.T.P.) to train about one fifth of the 130,000 young men from across Canada, Britain, New Zealand, Australia and other Commonwealth countries. The Southern Saskatchewan skies are ideal for flying. There were 20 flying training units in Saskatchewan, one of them in Moose Jaw. CFB Moose Jaw
Recruits became pilots, navigators, radio operators and air gunners. The museum pays tribute to a top fighter ace from Regina, Wally McLeod.
These quilts depicting Saskatchewan and Moose Jaw history caught my eye:
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| Prairie Splendor, depicting 100 years of Saskatchewan history and featuring the provincial flower, the western red lily |
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| 100 years of Moose Jaw history in pictures |
On our way back to Regina, we stopped to see Mac the Moose, the world's tallest moose. The plaque explains that in friendly rivalry, Mac regained his title of World's Tallest Moose from Norway in 2019 after his new antlers were installed. Apparently, size did matter in this case!
Here are a few more interesting facts about Regina from a visitor brochure:
- Welcome to Regina appears in three languages -
French: Bienvenue a Regina
Cree: tawaw miywasin e-pe-takohteyan oskana ka-asasteki (Welcome, it is good that you have arrived here in Regina)
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| it's the first indigenous language script I have seen |
- Regina is home to the First Nations University in Canada, the only one in the country
- Regina prides itself on being a city rich in diversity, attracting people of all backgrounds, religions, and nationalities
- Regina boasts spectacular skies and the most hours of sunshine experienced anywhere in the country
Here are Saskatchewan Quick Facts from the visitor guide:
- 2021 population reached 1,132,505
- Capital is Regina with pop of 249,217. Largest city is Saskatoon, pop 317,480
- Covers 651,900 sq. km – one half is covered by forest, one third is farmland, and 1/8 is freshwater
- Located in the heart of North America, between Alberta and Manitoba and flanked by Montana and North Dakota in the south and the Northern Territories in the north.
- Highest point is the Cypress Hills at 1,392m above sea level
- Principal export industries are mining, oil and gas, agriculture, manufacturing, and tourism.
- Home to Canada’s only training academy for Royal Canadian Mounted Police recruits in Regina
- Scotty, largest T-rex skeleton excavated near Eastend in 1994-5, one of only 20 such discoveries in the world
- The Athabasca Sand Dunes are the most northerly major sand dunes in the world, and among the largest in North America
- Supplies more than one third of the world’s total exported durum wheat and is the world’s top exporter of lentils and dry peas
- 19 archeological dig sites unveil the past at Wanuskewin Heritage Park a national historic site that echoes the stories of indigenous peoples who have gathered here for as long as 6,400 years
Tomorrow we continue on our journey back to the USA. The Canada portion of the trip has come to an end as we move on and cross the border to Medora, North Dakota.