June 22nd, Portage La Prairie to Swift Current, Saskatchewan - 447 miles

1. Green Fields Going on Forever in Manitoba.........3. Potash in Saskatchewan

3. Old Style Grain Elevator....................................4. New, Improved Style!

When we started off it was a beautiful sunny day and as we head westward we were crossing an endless sea of agriculture. The fields stretch to the horizon with the occasional farm house, silo and barn the only interruption and towns or villages very infrequent. If there is a way to describe this landscape, the word solitude comes to mind; you are in the midst of an immense plain that seems to go on forever and you don’t see any people! As you look at these vast plains, and realize that 140 years ago, an estimated 60 million buffalo roamed them and a few years later only 500 were left, you realize the travesty Europeans inflicted on the aboriginal population.

We had rain just after we crossed the border into Saskatchewan, but it only lasted for half an hour and we were dry when we reached Regina, probably Canada’s most bland provincial capital. We then passed through Moose Jaw, infamous as a shipping point for whiskey by Al Capone during prohibition in the United States. From there we rushed to Swift Current to get started on a workout.

Through Ontario and the prairies we consistently saw help wanted ads in many restaurants and hotels. It certainly is an indicator of near full employment!