We took our time driving the short distance to Winnipeg the next day where we did some shopping before heading to moochdock with family for a night. After getting caught up with all the family news, laundry, and nice hot showers, we said goodbye that night as we planned to leave early morning.
A rainy start to the day later led to a windy day as we travelled the Trans Canada and then veered south toward Turtle Mountain. After driving south for an hour we arrived at the park to find it closed for the season 3 days early (bummer). So, we parked at the day use area and had some soup while researching a plan B. Luckily it was early in the day still for us to travel a good distance and we picked a campground in Saskatchewan about 1.5 hours drive away. The wind picked up even more and this made for a tough drive, but we arrived at Moose Mountain Provincial Park and paid the self serve kiosk (the $20 non-electric sites were not available at this time of year so we had to pay the $33 fee for an electric site). This park is situated on Kenosee Lake and adjacent to the town of the same name. The town appears to be a resort area with upscale looking cottages, a plush golf course, water park, and several private campgrounds. There were very few campers and the comfort station was pristine.
We took our time leaving the next day and again had a windy drive. We drove some secondary highways for a while and then back onto the Trans Canada where we drove around Regina on the great ring road which completely avoids the city and all its traffic.
Close to Moose Jaw we left the highway and drove 25 km north to Buffalo Pound Provincial Park. We stayed here in 2018 and really like the campground, so decided to come back for another 2 night stay. At the gate we were directed to the ‘lower chalet’ area for sites with no hook-ups, but discovered this area to be wide open and not anywhere near the lake, so we went back and asked for an electric site. We drove around and found site #18 with a good view of the lake ($20 for the site & $10 vehicle permit per night). A short stroll before dinner up some of the hills led to some good views of the lake. We had dinner and sat around the fire for a few hours before turning in. The firewood here is free which is a bonus.
I asked the parks staff about viewing the bison, but she said due to the hot weather they would be staying in the shade and therefore we were not likely to see them. I guess we got lucky in 2018 to see the herd. A day spent inside and I have finally caught up my blog writing and will add pictures as soon as I have wi-fi.
The wind has not stopped and we are not looking forward to another windy drive when we leave here – the temperature has also risen and it is very hot for this time of year – we may actually have to use our AC tonight. Luckily we have a short drive planned tomorrow as we head to Grasslands National Park. It is south near the Canada/US border.