Day 32 - Hillendale where the Deer and the Antelope Play

Day 32 - July 16, 2008

Last night was the first night I thought we may be sleeping in the car. We stayed in Swift Current, and most of the hotels were full by the time we got there. Luckily, we did find one, so we all felt grateful, as there was a terrific lightning and thunder and rain storm that hit between checking in and finishing supper! Would have been a cold night in the car!

Today was another travel day as we leave Saskatchewan and go towards Alberta, and home. We continue through to the very south of Saskatchewan so we can go see and show Lucas Bracken, the place where Phil lived from ages 2-7. Even though he was very young when they left, he still has really vivid memories of the town. As we drive, I notice the sign for Hillendale – an actual town place, and we do see numerous deer and even antelope, which was a first for us all.

Bracken still has an elevator, however if you blinked, you would not know the town was there. The old co-op is still there, which sold lumber and was a gas station when Phil was a youngster. Phil used to buy his coke there for 10cents back in the day, so we all had to have one and celebrate the momentous occasion. (Actually it was the in the future coke zero, as they were all out of the regular coke.) Phil showed us the parsonage where they lived, the lane where he learned to ride his bike, Lecky’s Store where he would purchase his candy/treats and pick up the mail, the old church where his father was a pastor, the hospital trees, and some of his friends houses, or where their house used to be. Lucas thought this was all so cool to be in the same place his dad had been so many years ago. Phil told him of the parade that he, Shari, Maureen and some other kids had marched down their street, playing instruments to get people out to the “festival” (which included a shortened version of Puff the Magic Dragon and a finale on the rope swing at the old burned down fire hall. We actually got to go in the church (in these rural areas I guess they still don’t lock up some buildings) and the benches and the interior is the same as Phil remembers. We went to the basement where they had the church meals or potlucks, and the banister that he slid down is still there. He remembers that there were hardly any trees, and now there are plenty. When we were at the co-op, the clerk said her husband was also a preacher of the same church as Phil’s dad (Sam Wiens) and remembers .the Morehouse name coming up. Pretty quiet place, and Phil said there were even less buildings than the last time he visited 8 years ago when he ventured out there for his 40th birthday.

Lucas and I both enjoyed hearing about the stories and the memories of Phil’s on our walking tour of the town! This was a highlight for both of us.

We then move on to go through the Cypress Hills to Alberta. Quite a beautiful area, right in the middle of the flat prairie, there are these forest covered hills. We decide to go into the park and drive to Fort Walsh as there is a local road there, which would be a short cut for us. We were advised at the park entrance, that the road is virtually impassable as they had rain the previous night. We decide to backtrack and go through Maple River. We carry on our way to the fort, however realize we need to get gas, so we go back to Maple River and decide that by the time we get to the fort, we would only have about 15 minutes to see it and it would cost us a little more than an hours drive. We decide, much to our disappointment, that we better carry on to Medicine Hat, and to Strathmore, which is just outside of Calgary, to stay the night. We all reminded each other that “we can’t see or do everything”, and vow to come back sometime to see what the Cypress Hills and the fort are all about.

As we eat supper in Medicine Hat we reminisce about our travels, things we have seen, our favorite sights and moments, the surprises or things we experienced that were unexpected, our serendipity moments (had a bunch of those) and what all we learned.

We are all looking forward to tomorrow, and getting home... so until then we wish you all a good night and an even greater morning!