Summer in Saskatchewan

Before we moved here, everyone told us the winters are harsh but the summers are beautiful. This summer hasn't been quite as nice as most, with more thunderstorms and cooler weather. However, it really has been lovely anyway. Even when the weather feels "muggy" before thunderstorm, it is nothing like the humidity in the Midwest or on the East Coast. The conditions have been well within the limits of what I find to be comfortable summer weather – warm enough during the day to wear shorts and a T-shirt, and cool enough at night to have no trouble sleeping (though we do have air conditioning for the particularly hot days). In addition, there is a near constant breeze that makes even hot days feel comfortable.

This pleasant outdoor environment has provided a little extra motivation to spend time on outdoor activities. I haven't been to the gym at all this summer, because I am finding more enjoyable ways to get exercise. I have regularly been going out on my recumbent bike, exploring some of the many miles of paths the city has to offer. At the end of July, there was a parade and fireworks to kickoff the local equivalent of a county fair. After having missed the fireworks on Canada Day because there was no way to get close enough to see them without walking quite a distance, which was beyond my ability level, we were excited to have a second stab at watching fireworks this summer. This time we planned ahead, made sure we had all the lights we needed on our bikes, packed a blanket in a backpack, and rode to the parade and then to a good spot to watch the fireworks. The parade was fun (reminiscent of a Eugene celebration type parade), the fireworks display was lovely, and being able to get there by bike was freeing. Except for our being a bit underdressed (it got unusually cold that night), it was one of those perfect summer nights.

View of the provincial legislature from our fireworks-watching spot in the grass along the lake

 In addition to biking, Jeff and I have been going for walks. It started out as walks around the block, or up and down our street, with me using Jeff's hand as my walking aid. We have progressed to taking longer walks, probably close to a mile sometimes, and to doing some "interval training" where I use Jeff's hand as a support most of the time, but let go for intervals. Last week, we went for a couple of walks where the "intervals" were quite long, and I was mostly walking on my own. However, I look a bit like a drunken sailor when I walk for more than about 10 steps with no support, so passersby sometimes do a double take or subtly check-in to make sure I'm okay. I don't mind too much; even if my walking is awkward, the fact that I can do that at all is proof of progress from even a month ago.

Another nice thing about Saskatchewan (in comparison with the Pacific Northwest) is that there are real lakes, complete with natural sandy beaches. A little over a week ago, I went swimming in a lake for the first time in quite some time. We chose a popular beach, and unfortunately went on a day when it seemed like everyone else had the same idea – there was a general chaos of the littlest kids running in and out of the water with various buckets and toys, older kids splashing and swimming, adults standing here and there in water up to their waists, teenagers and young adults flirting and pulling one another into the water from inflatable floats, and preteen girls screaming at the top of their lungs for no apparent reason. The level of activity and noise would probably has been a bit much for most people, but I found it fairly overwhelming as I was at the same time trying to keep my balance and stay afloat. It was fun, but I have a feeling that lake swimming will be more fun next summer – and by then we might have figured out some less crowded places to go.

Late this afternoon we returned from a weekend camping trip. We went to Echo Valley Provincial Park, located in the Qu'Appelle Valley, only about an hour from Regina. I have mentioned before how flat it is here. But the Qu'Appelle Valley is like a secret terrain that you can only see from the very edge of it or from inside of it – approaching by car you see prairie, prairie, prairie, prairie, and then suddenly a drop-down into a deep low land with rolling hills on either side made perfectly smooth by centuries (millennia actually) of wind. It is unexpected, and such a change from the flat prairie above it that it seems almost surreal.

My feeble attempt to capture what it looks like from the edge of the Valley

The campground was not exactly serene – we were much too close to our neighbors on either side, and it was the kind of campground where everybody has a radio, lots of people are drinking way too much, and some people even have a satellite dish set up to get the Saskatchewan Roughriders football game on TV. But the setting was lovely, and we even had a chance go hiking. With Jeff holding my left hand, and a trekking pole in my right, I set out on an adventure not really knowing what to expect. We knew that there was a 3 km loop interpretive trail, the type of trail that a class full of fifth graders might be taken on. However, we also knew that there would be steep sections and staircases, and I was not sure how I would do. We started out with the intention of turning back if need be. Long story short, we were able to finish the whole loop and did it so quickly we assumed we had taken some sort of shortcut. The website says it will take about an hour, and it took us about an hour, even though on some of the steep sections Jeff was holding me up from behind and I was just barely able to make it up with his help and some heavy leaning on my trekking pole.

At the hike's highest point

 After the hike I was quite tired, but also excited to have been able to do something like that. Jeff was also tired, because he had helped me more than a little bit. But I was surprised that this hike did not take me to my limit, and I was curious about where my limit was. So I got Jeff to agree to go on another hike this morning. There are about 10 km of trails in the park, all linked up to one another, and we started out again with the idea that we would turn around once I felt that I needed to. We ended up walking for a total time of a little over an hour and a half, including a few breaks. I don't know exactly how far we went, but based on maps I think we went something close to 5 km., with a good bit of uphill and downhill (I hit my limit just as we got back to the car – I had to sit down and rest when we had only about 100 m left). I definitely relied quite a bit on Jeff's help, but knowing that I am still getting better, the fact that I can do this now makes me hopeful about what will be able to do in the future.

Bonus wildlife picture – this dragonfly stayed on my leg for several minutes