August, 3rd, 2006 – Outlook, SK
Mim spent her childhood summers in Saskatchewan, staying with her grandparents.
We had a wonderful afternoon in rural Outlook, SK. It’s a small Saskatchewan town, slightly off the beaten trail. There is an old railway bridge, which has been converted to a walkway for the Trans Canada Trail. It’s 1.2km long, and spans over the South Saskatchewan River. Beautiful! We visited a graveyard where some of Mim’s family is buried.
Arrival in Regina.
Upon the drive, we passed through some original looking prairie space. We saw badlands and rolling hills. We saw old and new-school grain elevators. We even took a ferry across Lake Defenbaker. A ferry in Saskatchewan?
That night, we set up camp outside of Regina. Upon a quick listen to the radio, we learnt there was a hail storm coming from the West and a thunderstorm coming from the NorthEast. We had 8 minutes to tear down camp and hide in the refuge of our vehicles.
Setting up and tearing down camp for the impeding storm.
Jojo's friend was in town touring with another band. We checked them out; Red Barn. Through the band, we met a girl named Sheena. She was supposed to go to a cottage for the weekend. We did our best to convince her to come to our show tonight instead.
We’re playing and staying at the Plains, an infamously seedy hotel in the heart of Regina. Like last year, I slept in the van, defending the equipment, listening to the fights, drug deals, pimping and general all-night mayhem.
Today, we enjoyed some hotel cable TV. Jojo and I spent some time at Regina Beach. Tonight we play the infamous Good Time Charlie’s Blues Bar at the Plain’s Hotel. Frankly, I’m a little scared.