Fort Qu'Appelle, SK

Sights from a Lakeside Ride

It's been a while since my last post in 2017. A quick rundown of what has happened since that time:

• I received my MA
• I got a new job & moved to Canada
• I bought a house & car
• I sold all my sheet music and flute to a friend
• I used the money from selling my flute to purchase a really nice road bike. 

In summer of 2018, I started cycling a lot, as a new hobby and way to get out of the tiny apartment I had been living in at that time. I now own two road bikes - one for racing and the other for travels. 

Over the past few years, I have travelled to several places exclusively with bike in tow. I hope to share some of those stories on this blog. Today, I'll feature my most recent trip -- to Fort Qu'Appelle.

Fort Qu'Appelle is east of Regina, Saskatchewan. By car, it takes less an hour. It's a popular lake resort area which is busy all year round; in summer, boaters, jet skis, and families crowd the two lakes in the area - Pasqua Lake and Echo Lake. In winter, ice fishing huts dot the frozen surface and a nearby, skiers and snowboarders enjoy the (only?) hills in Saskatchewan at Mission Ridge Winter Park.The area is also home of the Pasqua Lake First Nations and Standing Buffalo First Nations.

I travelled to Echo Valley Provincial park to do two things: practice an open water swim and go for a leisurely ride.

After swimming and grabbing a bite to eat, I hopped on my bike to do a route partway around Pasqua Lake, then would cross the road and compete a half circle of Echo Lake (Google Map HERE). 

Not much to share from the ride, but my riding partner did point out this unusual sight on our route -- at the foot of someone's driveway, stood this polar bear being safe in these COVID times:

Even the polar bears in Canada wear masks!

 

 

 

Pasqua Lake is quite beautiful and reminds me a lot of Southern British Columbia (Canada). I managed to get a quick photo of me and my bike, a Trek Emonda SL5 with the lake in the background:

My kit.

 

After crossing the road, I cycled along the south side of Echo Lake and saw a sign for a unique church. I had to walk my bike up the dirt hill to get photos. It was a Ukrainian Orthodox Church. The Prairie provinces in Canada welcomed many Ukrainian immigrants in the late 1880s and so, you'll see elements of Ukrainian culture in Western Canada. 

 

Little silver domed church on the Prairie.

 

I'm glad to have you back to my blog and will be posting more regularly. Thanks for being patient and I'll be sharing more stories and images from travels soon.

 

Travel Guide

Echo Valley Provincial park requires a day pass to access parking at the lakes. It's $10 CAD for one day. Alternatively, you can park in town (free) and ride your bike from town to Echo Lake. 

Lakeside, there are wheelchair accessible washrooms, an outdoor shower (Echo Lake only) and some picnic tables. Inflatables are welcome at the lakes. There are white buoys about 100 meters offshore; beyond that, the water becomes deep. The lake beds are rocky at the shoreline and muddy at the bottom, if you are 150 cm or taller, you can easily stand up the buoys. Water temperatures are around 20 degrees C in summer; green algae is sometimes a problem between June & July.

For cyclists: 

Pasqua Lake ride - Ride to the T-intersection just past the sign to Echo Valley Park and over a small bridge.Turn left at the stop sign. Follow the road along the lake, keeping left at a fork. The road is paved until 10 km in, then it changes to a dirt road. The route consists of ups and downs; you'll need to gear change often. You'll see beautiful lake views and lovely cottages along this route.

 

Echo Lake ride - Follow the road on the south side of Echo Lake (you'll see a sign for the Echo Lake campground on your immediate right). Ride to B-Say-Tah village and continue on if you want to go into Fort Qu'Appelle town. The road is paved with no shoulder; ride with caution. This route is quite flat, so it's easier for less experienced riders or riders with children. You'll pass the Ukrainian Orthodox church and cottages with cute names on signs out front. There's a bakery in town that's a perfect place to stop for a bite. 

Map of my ride.

References to the links in this post: (APA 7)

Anishinabe-History.com. (2009). Pasqua First Nation. Retrieved August 29 2020 from URL. 

Melcher Media. (2015). Welcome to Fort Qu'Appelle. Fort Qu'Appelle Saskatchewan: Valley of Festivals.  Retrieved August 29 2020 from URL.

Mission Ridge Winter Park. (2020). News and events. Retrieved August 29 2020 from  URL.

Trek Bicyle Corporation. (2020). Emonda SL 5. Trekbikes.com. Retrieved August 29 2020 from URL.

All photos by Cutenekko.