With a desire to see beyond the Saskatchewan plains we head northeast of Regina. Harvesting and haying is evident in all directions. It appears they’ve enjoyed a productive summer.

We zip by a sign pointing to a scenic byway, after brief discussion we decide to turn around and explore that byway. After all the whole point of the day is to see more of the province. The route takes us to the lakes, ravines and scenic valley carved by the winding Qu’Appelle River. Echo Valley Provincial Park straddles both sides of the road along the shores of Pasqua and Echo Lakes. We don’t stop at the park but the scenery and facilities look to be well worth a visit. We turn eastward along the north shore of Echo Lake, an area lined with vacation homes. We can imagine how popular this area and its water activities are during the summer.

A park sponsored by the local Rotary Club commemorates the original Hudson Bay Company trading post at Fort Qu’Appelle.

We follow highway 10 to Melville and Yorkton, the largest city in the area with a population of 16,000. We stop for lunch  and a couple of successful shopping needs.

Our lodging reservations are at a rural bed & breakfast outside of Canora, a tidy town whose name is derived from the first two letters of  the CAnadian NOrthern RAilway. Via Rail serves the local station along the route between Winnipeg and Churchill, Manitoba.

We seek out the Ukrainian churches (Catholic and Orthodox) with their distinctive domes. (See separate post.)

When we made our reservations the B&B hosts warned us that they were hosting their bridge club for an annual dinner tonight. Upon arrival they insist we join them for dinner. This turns out to be a real treat as well as a tasty Italian dinner. The nearly 30 guests are very welcoming and engaged in interesting conversation – everything from area travel recommendations to Donald Trump.

Many of our dinner companions are most interested in our views on the presidential candidates. Canadians are in the midst of a prime minister election and I must say they know a lot more about our issues and candidates than we do about theres. My favorite quote of the evening, “We hope Donald Trump stays in the race for a long time, he’s the best comedy on television.”

The day proves successful in getting further into Saskatchewan, both geographically and the human element.