It’s late in the day as the sun’s rays light up the golden wheat fields that fill our horizon. The tall ripen grain is everywhere, as we follow the never ending road of the Trans Canada Highway. Suddenly and dramatically the landscape changes. The flat plains give way to large green oval drumlins, left behind from the last glacier over 14,000 years ago.

The glacier’s melt once filled this deep gully known as the Qu’Appelle Valley. The water’s slow retreat left a thick green carpet of trees and small dense shrubs, that now line the walls of the vale. Deep on the valley’s floor flows the Qu’Appelle River, which feeds into Crooked Lake, our destination.

This lush green valley and narrow lake are teeming with wildlife, as we watch a flock of American white pelicans take flight, their noisy chatter and that of the other water fowl fills the cooling night air.

Shrieks of laughter echo off the water, as my brother and his children struggle to reel in walleyes and perch. It’s almost dark now, but the fish are biting and they are reluctant to leave the alga rich water.

There is a feeling of abundance as I stand on the dock and gaze out over the calm still water. This pristine wilderness is teeming with wildlife. It is like stepping back in time, the way Canada must have looked and felt to the early settlers. The waters, shores and sky are filled with fish, animals and birds.

Crooked Lake, set in this valley, is an oasis in the prairie; it’s beauty still intact despite the ravages of civilization.

More from our adventures on Crooked Lake tomorrow.

Cheers,

Julie

This entry was posted on Sunday, August 26th, 2007 at 4:52 pm and is filed under Road Trips, Today's News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.