The sweltering heat had me out of my tent pretty early this morning. With the extra time in the day laying before me I decided to start with a walk to a nearby baseball diamond, a great place to burn off Winnies energy. While she enjoyed it for a bit she soon took to lounging in the tall grass, still feeling the morning doziness it seemed.
I got back in the car and set off towards my first destination, The Crooked Bush. A lengthy dirt road took me to the strange sight I was about to behold. At last I arrived at the entrance and took a walk inside to see what it was all about. What a bizarre place, the trees were bent and twisted in all sorts of erratic contortions. There was a eerie feeling about the place, as though the land had been cursed from an evil atrocity committed upon its surface. This is where the witch would dwell, waiting for foolish mortals to stumble in, never to return.
Having taken a few strolls through the twisted grove I returned once more to the roads before me, setting off towards Prince Albert. I took a long scenic route which took me weaving all over the place heading north. Along the way I came across a sign for Crescent Beach and figured I’d venture to take a peek. The water had risen high and there was barely any beach left when I arrived, regardless I’d found a nice bench to sit on by the lake to relax. The heat was scorching, soon driving me out into the water for relief as swarms of minnows came to greet me. Some of the locals arrived on the scene, friendly and in good spirits, one of them showing off a sizable fish he’d just caught. After chasing Winnie around the beach longer than I wanted, I finally got a hold of her once more and we returned to the car to set off.
I found myself driving along lengthy gravel roads where army’s of dragonflies feasted on the mosquitoes in the fields beside me, never had I seen so many of them huddled together before and I cheered on their slaughter with glee. The weaving roads eventually took me to a small town called Spiritwood where a howling wolf statue greeted me. My stay was short, a quick topping of the gas tank and I was on my way. As I drove I couldn’t help but be amazed at all the lakes and ponds appearing in abundance. Northern Saskatchewan is quite the scenic place to visit, a true underdog.
I saw the welcome sign, I had arrived at Prince Albert. The town itself admittedly wasn’t as nice as I was hoping it would be. There seemed to be a problem with heavy drugs running rampant. I observed the many faces of addiction as I drove to my campsite. The plot seemed fine at first but I soon noticed trouble lurking in the alley behind me. Homeless folks dug through the dumpsters, some shooting up behind them as the occasional prostitute walked by. The constant drug deals didn’t serve in easing the tension either. A tall barbed fence separated me from the mess but I still found myself uncomfortable, keeping a watchful eye on my belongings. The morning can’t come quick enough!
