Where have I been sent to? Saskatoon is in the middle of nowhere. It is coming to the end of the Saskatoon Winter, but it looks pretty bleak outside with all the trees completely bare of leaves and on occasion’s flurries of snow. Whenever I leave my apartment, with all the layers of clothes, I look like a Michelin man. It gets damn cold out there. In the true Winter months it can get down to -50C. Brrrrrrrrr!!!! I guess I am lucky I have only felt a cool -18C.

Saskatchewan Prairies – Flat, flat, Flat

This is not the best time of year to visit Saskatoon.  Most local folk want to stay snuggled up in front of a warm fire; living between central heated buildings and their cars.  Everyone tells me it is beautiful in the Summer, but I’m here now and I can’t come all this way to do nothing!  Therefore me and my colleagues decide to hire a car and go exploring.

More flat, flat, flat

I bravely volunteered to be the designated driver for the weekend even though I have never driven on the wrong side of the road before. And, it was certainly challenging.  I would be going great guns until I come to a junction and had to turn, where I then instinctively wanted to veer to the left side of the road into oncoming traffic.  Gulp!!!  I think there may have been a few screams from the passenger seat when I missed one or two stop signs, hmmm the problem being I am use to looking at road signs on the left not the right.  Maybe my colleagues were the brave ones!!!!  However, we all survived enjoyed the ordeal drive.

Driving on the wrong side of the road

I drove us along the Whitecap trail, which is a road heading due south of Saskatoon.  The road is dead straight, which is certainly an advantage when you are concentrating on driving on the right side of the road.   Winter is yet to ease up on the prairies; creating an absolutely flat and barren landscape stretching for miles and miles in every direction.

Lake Diefenbaker – Is this the end of winter?

After one and half hours of driving completely straight through the prairies we hit our destination, Lake Diefenbaker.  It was an incredible sight, a huge mass of water almost completely frozen.  After taking a few piccies, I got back into the warmth of the car and drove due North until I reached my temporary home in Saskatoon.

Frozen Lake Diefenbaker

I was glad I ventured out into the cold and explored beyond Saskatoon, but I was also glad to be back in central heating.