Pumpkin Hollow

Saskatchewan grows corn which according to me means its probably going to have some good corn mazes (maizes). A friend and I went out last weekend to Pumpkin Hollow with her little boy to check it out and see what it was all about. They make great popcorn balls, have a sandbox full of corn, a cow train, a pile of hay to climb up in, a mini petting zoo, pony and wagon rides, a corn gun and a corn maze that was a little bit hard to get out of!

Fall in Regina

This autumn has been sunny and warm but there is that chill in the air that lets us know without a doubt that summer is gone. The leaves have changed and not many are left on the trees anymore. I ventured out to walk around one afternoon a couple weeks ago and took some pictures not far from my house.

Octoberfest

Dancing, beer drinking, sauerkraut eating contest, more dancing, a couple of bands and more beer drinking. Really what more can a person say about Octoberfest? This is apparently the first year that the Regina German Club held its Octoberfest. Considering how many people showed up and how much fun was had I'd be surprised if it didn't become an annual thing!

Regina Beach Trails

I finally made it out to the Regina Beach area with my bike thanks to the Wascana Wheelers and more specifically Noreen, our trip guide. What a great area to go riding. We went out for a good 3 hours or so before going to the local fowl dinner (more on that next time). I was pleasantly surprised to find some nice single track and hills and wishing that I had real mountain bike tires on my bike. The more technical area lies to the west of Regina Beach itself while the main trail lies to the east. There is still plenty to be explored next time as we stayed to the more tame trails. I'm definitely looking forward to that!

White Butte Trails

I was supposed to be reading but I really wanted to get outside and enjoy the sunny fall day we had last weekend so I decided to find out where Regina is hiding its trails. Just east of town I found the White Butte Trails that in the winter become x-country ski trails. Other than some wet areas that required a bit of dodging into the trees to avoid wet feet it was a nice walk.

Ferryboat on Wascana

Little did I know that there are ferryboat tours on Wascana Lake and more so that I would actually go on one. There are in fact 2 of these small boats that are used to transport people back and forth to an island that you can rent for weddings or other events. When they aren't shuttling people across and its a nice enough day they will take willing people for a tour and educate them about the lake. Lauren and I decided to go on one. This is Don, our guide and captain of Wasca 1.


This is a view of the city skyline opposite from the legislature. It is the best angle to view the skyline in the city but you need to either be on the water or in the legislature.


Some more views from the lake including the marina, a funky park area with trails that don't really go anywhere and one of the waterfalls. You can walk under this one which is nice on a hot day because you get the mist that cools you off. The last picture is of a benches and lights set that were gifted by someone important at some point in history to each of the provincial capitals. Apparently if you look hard enough you will find this exact set in each Canadian capital city somewhere.


After the tour we did some more exploring until we decided hanging out in the backyard isn't such a bad way to spend a nice summer day either.

The Qu'Appelle Valley

After a farmers market visit while Pei Ju was still with us we went for a drive into the Qu'Appelle Valley which is north of the city about half and hour away close to Lumsden to explore some of the farms out there and see what we could find. We started at the Corn Maiden Market and continued on down the road.


Farther down the road we came across another farm the we could walk around which was nice. They had among other vegetables a bunch of Saskatoon berry trees. We only taste tested a couple.

Cypress Hills

I realized that I hadn't updated my adventures lately so thought I'd let you in on what I found on my way home from a visit in Alberta. Would you believe that Saskatchewan has a winery? It's the Cypress Hills Winery and it's a bit off the main highway but a nice detour.

They have complimentary wine tastings so I thought I'd have a bite to eat. It being a Friday they only had their cheese plates available but it was quite filling. I left with a full belly, a bottle of black currant and honey wine and a quick walk around the vineyards.


Further down the highway, and I use that term loosely was the West Block of Cypress Hills. I decided to check it out since I was in the area already. It was a narrow road with a little section that made me reminisce of island driving minus the steep cliff drops. After coming to the end of the road at Fort Walsh I continued back and down the path less traveled because I saw a sign for the conglomerate cliffs. These cows met me at another fork in the road all cozied up together like ambassadors.


Finally after some minor 4x4ing I found the cliffs. While they offered a great view and some quiet time there was no climbing to be found. I tried. There are however some great opportunities to explore so I'm sure I'll be back.