Saskatchewanderer

When you think of Watrous and the resort village of Manitou Beach, a few things may come to mind: the saltwater lake, the Spa, that dance hall with the world renowned horse-hair dance floor, etc., and it’s true; Watrous has all those things.  But when all of those things come together with a regional park, a growing town with a lively atmosphere, and some other attractions not to be missed, it makes for a great summer getaway!

Well, it’s Tourism Week in Saskatchewan, and if you didn’t know that before this week, you maybe discovered that as many different communities across the province held events for the occasion.  I joined Watrous and Manitou Beach for a double celebration as the Manitou Springs Hotel was also celebrating its 25th anniversary.  It all started off with a BBQ in the centre of Watrous.  A few representatives from Tourism Saskatchewan were there, with Brendan Manz, who heads up community development in the town.

Local artist Gabrielle Faludi showing a few of her works. She also curates the local art gallery in the summer.

Many local artists came out to show their various works with the public, and included glass-blown vases by Heather Konschuh (www.konschuh.com), incredible life-like clay figurines by Sandy Christensen, and awesome landscape paintings by Frank Wilson, to name a few.

One of the combines from the film "Twister"

Brendan and I walked over to the local art gallery, which is actually quite something to have in a town of around 2500 people.  Again, seeing the work on display helped me feel an appreciation for the town and the support it obviously gives to local culture.

Next, we headed to this place everybody is raving about: Danceland!  I was wondering what all the hype was, but as I walked in it immediately hit me. A huge hardwood dance floor, large lighting and open windows overlooking the lake.  The atmosphere is truly something out of the 50′s! Even though we were the only ones in the building I couldn’t help but imagine a full floor of swing dancing, people laughing and having a good time, and the lights and music.  Built in 1928, it was and is still one of the few dance halls in the world with with a thick layer of horsehair under the hardwood flooring that gives it an added spring to your step.  80 years of dancing, and still running; rumor has it, the owner Arnold Strueby tells me, that Elvis has even taken to the stage here!

One of the main attractions of Manitou Beach is definitely the Manitou Springs Hotel and Mineral Spa, and I had to check it out for myself.  You wouldn’t blame me!  It’s not hard to see why people come from all over to experience the great things about the establishment, boasting a heated mineral pool with water coming straight from the lake itself.

It also has a full spa with massage and a great in-house restaurant.  Once I had my room key, it didn’t take much convincing to head to the pool, where the water is five times more salty than the ocean!  I was eager to see if I too would actually float.  I wasn’t disappointed, though, and it really was a bizarre feeling to just lay back on the water and stare at the ceiling, with no effort at all!  The water is chalk full of revitalizing minerals, supposedly good for your health, too.

I had made up my mind to take a dip in the lake, too!  I’m much more excited about swimming in lakes, for some reason, than pools, and this one’s unique; I couldn’t pass it up! But, it was cold. And windy.  In the morning (after a fantastic mochaccino at the local coffee shop, The Village Perk - which had a lovely view of the lake), I decided that it was now or never.  I could always jump into a hot shower back in my room, either way! As promised, it was cold, very cold, but refreshing, too!

Before and after!

Golfing – I haven’t done it in years, but my game at Manitou Beach Golf Club was surprisingly not terrible.  I did hit a shot that bounced off the highway once (in my defence it was very windy) and lost about 5 or maybe more of my companions’ golf balls, but it was GREAT.  The sun came out, and everybody had fun.  The course itself was in beautiful shape, was quite challenging, and today as I sit and write, I wish I was back out there.

Oh, and one more thing: the town even has a drive-in movie theatre! So make sure to stop by there if you do make it to Watrous and Manitou Beach.  Just another thing that makes this a great summer destination with so much to do!

In the town of Assiniboia a man named Bill Shurniak has turned his truly amazing collection of artwork, sculptures, and artifacts from around the world into an unforgettable art gallery, The Shurniak Art Gallery.

Bill travelled and lived in many different parts of the globe, and you can see from his collection that each place he has lived holds a dear place in his heart.  From Canada to Hong Kong, the collection constantly made me go WOW!!  I couldn’t believe all of the pieces that he had in there.  He’s one of those people that has lived an incredible life, and the artwork he collects testifies to that.  We also had lunch at the café in the gallery: croissants with ham, turkey, or egg salad, and soup with fresh cheese biscuits.  It was so good.

The next morning, our tour guide Tillie from Coronach Badlands Tours took us through the Big Muddy Badlands.  The sky gave us some awesome sunshine, and for all I knew I could have been in a Clint Eastwood western film.

As we approached Castle Butte, a 70 metre high mound of sandstone and compressed clay, the land became uneven, and various shaped hills and cliffs emerged from the flatland.  A few curious horses ran up to meet us as we disembarked the bus, and I got close enough to them to take a few pictures!

Castle Butte itself was a true marvel, poking its lofty head out of the terrain below.  The 230 foot climb to the top isn’t difficult; the top rewards the climber with a commanding view of the landscape in all directions.  I’m the kind of person that can spend quite a bit of time just sitting and enjoying the view, so I was quite content with spending my time relaxing at the top while the others walked around the base.  It’s cool to think that the area was a hideout to various outlaws in the early 20th Century as Station #1 of the Outlaw Trail – people like Sam Kelly, Frank Carlyle and Butch Cassidy.

After jumping back into the bus, we headed to a point of historical and cultural interest: a Prayer Pole and a Buffalo Effigy – a pattern of stones laid out like a buffalo.  It is a ceremonial site still used today by the First Nations people and stands on a point high enough to offer superb views of the surrounding country.

So ended our tour of the Big Muddy Badlands. The place is full of history and sights to see.  Make sure to check out Andrew’s video from last year, which features Big Muddy and Castle Butte!

I really didn’t know what to expect when I headed down to the small town of Ogema to take a journey on the first tourist train in Saskatchewan.  In fact, I had no idea that it was being worked on for over 10 years!  But sure enough it has, and the Southern Prairie Railway is geared up to start it’s first summer in operation.

The train ride ended with a deliciously unique supper - Merv’s Pitchfork Fondue.  Yeah, you’ve heard correctly – it’s a full 12 ounce steak, poked onto a pitchfork, and submerged in hot oil.  As the website says, you have to see it to believe it – or eat it to believe it, in this case!

I had a blast at the Reesor Ranch the past two days. This place is BEAUTIFUL!