Seven Days in Saskatchewan

Saturday

Approximate Distance Travelled: 550km
From Saskatoon, back to Edmonton. Rainy morning wake-up call, followed by much frustration as we battled traffic in an attempt to do some scouting around the city. Giving up without having shot a single photo, we headed for home, praying the car wouldn't die along the way. The evening turned to rainy sleet as we crossed into Alberta. It felt good to sleep in my own bed.

Photos and captions on this page are from Nancy Drew.

 

Sunday: The earthy dance floor was packed with native vegetation swaying to the faint music of the prairies being carried on the breeze. The plywood bar stood patiently waiting for the perpetual song to stop so dancers could pause, and drinks could be refilled. Derelict chairs grew cold and weary in anticipation of the wall flowers' return.

 

Sunday: We spotted the sphere's black silhouette high on a hill in the distance, the endless sky behind it quickly turning from blue to gold. The car easily homed in on the relic as though it was still in operation and sending a traceable beam. Thankfully both our arrival and departure of the site were seemingly undetected and inconsequential to our nation's security.

 

Monday: The geodesic structure came together like a large complicated child's puzzle. Each piece had a simple code scripted on the back, clues revealing the order by which the panels needed to be assembled. The sound of the wind fiercely whipping by outside made the globe creak and groan, tripping over the calls of the birds perched all around; combining to create a haunting melody.

 

Monday: With the car simply disguised as just another broken down wreck in the midst of a sea of junk, I scuttled through the yard after Redux and reached the remains of the long forgotten mining operation.

 

Tuesday: Detectable vapors stung my nose and clung to the thick air in this basement; an earthy aroma indicating fiery destruction mingled with the unmistakable scent of cleaning supplies. This treatment centre that once welcomed and helped many visitors is now easy prey for thankless unwanted guests, some staying for a mere few hours, others spending entire nights. I discovered in an upper hallway a barbaric avian replica using exposed wire and genuine wings of a pigeon hanging as a crude tribute.

 

Wednesday: Clothes awaited for employees to fill them, the lab filled with various chemicals was remarkably intact and eager to run more tests, the stockroom shelves were left fully stocked and tidy, and the boat was left high and dry on the shore. The plant was ready to spring back to life, but there was no longer a foreman to give the go ahead.

 

Wednesday: A young giant appeared to have tossed his toy dredge into the soft white sandbox he'd been playing in all afternoon long; perhaps after hearing a far away voice calling out that it was time to hurry home for supper.

 

Thursday: I looked out from my perch atop the cab of the overhead crane, directly above Redux on the somewhat dodgy catwalk. I noticed that nothing warps perception faster than size, as my gaze carried down past the mesh grating to the floor far beneath us, the muddy texture taking on the appearance of frothy boiling water.

 

Friday: Following a reference based on a single vague photo discovered in an obscure article, and racing towards a fast setting sun, we had all but given up hope of finding these remnants. In a remote field, the crumbling remains of a few brick ovens were all that greeted us before the sky turned from dark blue to black.