the wandering chick
...Canada's southern route
a short trek on the Crowsnest Highway

A book that I read to my elementary students every year in years past about a family of owls that lived in Saskatchewan created an image in my mind about the Saskatchewan countryside. Ever since, I've always wanted to go. I knew, based on the book, that it would be plains and rather barren, flat and not a whole lot going on. Well, the book was right! Even so, I'm glad I did it. I enjoyed it.

When I had to get from Seattle to St. Paul this summer, the opportunity to finally see Saskatchewan presented itself.

I took Interstate 90 across Washington state to Spokane, then up to Bonners Ferry, Idaho where I crossed the border into Canada.

I traveled the Crowsnest Highway through the very eastern part of B.C. and through Alberta. Once I got into Saskatchewan, my route was on the Trans-Canada Highway. Yeah, it was pretty uneventful, but I managed to get a few pictures. That would be these first several shots.

It wasn't a year later that I was able to travel the same highway, but going west through British Columbia. A stark difference from the provinces to the east, for sure!

the Elk River
By the time I got to the Elk Valley, B.C. and heading over Crowsnest Pass, I was pretty much leaving the mountain views behind. This is one of a few glimpses I got of them.
lake at Crowsnest Pass
This is going over Crowsnest Pass, the lowest Rocky Mountains pass in elevation between Jasper and New Mexico.
Crowsnest Pass
Frank Slide
Canada's deadliest rockslide occurred in Frank, Alberta, early in the morning of April 29, 1903. Eighty-two million tons of rock thundered down Turtle Mountain, and in less than two minutes, 90 residents of the town of Frank were killed. Today, the rocks stay where they landed except for paths cleared for the highway and the railroad track. It is believed the main cause of what is called The Frank Slide was the unstable geological structure of Turtle Mountain.
Frank Slide
Frank Slide
rape fields
Frank Slide
Twin barns on Highway 39 outside of Lang, Saskatchewan
For miles along the highway, I'd see mustard fields on either side. The vibrant yellow against a clear blue sky made for a very scenic journey.
mustard fields
mustard fields
mustard fields
mustard fields
mustard fields
twin barns
collapses barn

Please visit some of my other Canada locations by returning to the Canada home page and choosing your destination.

Why do collapsed barns always have such a surprised look on their face? This barn probably had a full, busy life before it keeled over, near Halbrite, on Saskatchewan's Highway 39.

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old barn
field of wildflowers
country barn
Highway 3 in the area of Bridesville is dotted with old barns and houses. Each has its own personality and charm...and each has a story.
old barn and corral
old shack and wildflowers
My mom use to say that my dad had "turn-itis"...if he saw a street left or right, he thought he had to turn onto it. Well, as it "turns out," I also have turn-itis. But for a different reason. When I see a right- or left-hand turn, I want to know what's down that road...especially if it's a quiet country road. So, I made a short deviation off of the Crowsnest and turned right onto Wagonwheel Road. I didn't have to go far before I saw this old dilapidated barn whose days in this world are surely numbered. I must have spent 20 minutes looking at it from every angle. Only one car passed while I was there. The passenger smiled and nodded as if she understood what I was seeing.
field of wildflowers
old barn
old barn
old barn
barbed wire roll on fencepost
old house
moss on old barn
landscape
horse and barn
landscape
meadow with wildflowers
old barn
wildflowers in meadow
close up of cow
landscape
old barn
old barn
After spending time at the barn, I could have turned around to get back on the highway, but I decided to keep going. Wagonwheel turned into Sidley Mtn Rd, which curved around pastures, fields of wildflowers and small farms with horses and cows. And then put me right back on Highway 3.
mass of purple wildflowers
On the Highway 3A between Penticton and Keremeos is the Yellow Lake. It's evidently a popular fishing hole.
green lake
green lake
red bridge
barn and silo
rock formation
countryside
red covered bridge
brown bridge
green lake
general store
running creek
Twenty Mile Creek passes through Hedley on its way downstream to the Similkameen River.
Striped Rock
hotel front
gold mining remnants
mural on gift shop outside wall
gift shop
Hedley business front
church on hill
badger crossing sign
apricots
bridge leading into main street of town
Apricots grow on a tree in Hedley.
When I saw this badger crossing sign on Highway 3, I HAD to turn around to get a picture!
one-way bridge
restaurant front
jazz player made of wood
head closeup of wooden jazz player
What an artist who made this jazz player out of pieces of wood so well put together. You never know what you might find on the backroads. This was in a semi-residential section of the Old Hedley Highway that juts off of Highway 3 west of Princeton. Because he's so well done, I took three closeups in order to better see the detail.
torso of wooden jazz player
legs feet of wooden jazz player
...and to this old red one-lane bridge.
silo and valley floor
As the mountain ranges in British Columbia run north and south, so run the valleys. Here, the Similkameen Valley provides land for ranching and orchards industries.
Princeton, a little farther down the road on Highway 3, is where the Tulameen and Similkameen rivers merge. The Brown Bridge, a one-lane bridge, leads directly onto the main street of downtown which was lined with baskets of healthy, colorful flowers.
Yet another slight detour off the Crowsnest Highway led me to this peaceful setting...
Sitting peacefully on Highway 3 near Hedley is St. Ann's Roman Catholic Church.
Hedley, once a booming gold mining town, has a few hundred less people today, but it's a great little spot in which to spend an afternoon. Loooming overhead is Nickel Plate Mountain where remnants of the long-ago mining days can still be seen. A musem, gift shop, tea house/coffe shop, restaurant and general store are just some of the places worth a visit. A guided walking tour of Nickel Plate Mountain can also be had.

Above: The Hitching Post Restaurant

Left: the general store and country market

Below: Strayhorse Station Coffee Shop/Tea House