October 5, 2015 -

Living on the Canadian prairies an interesting scenic ride can be a little hard to find sometimes as the long stretches of flat prairie can be kind of boring. I find that this is one of nicest rides in our area. It´s a little over 500 km and traffic on the weekends can be at times a little heavy as people head to lake country but with the first 150 km being 4 lane divided highway and the changing scenery its a very nice way to spend a day.
The first 150 km from Saskatoon is divided highway and very interesting whether its spring, summer or fall as you ride through crops of canola, wheat, peas and various other grains. In spring and summer fields are green and yellow and in the late summer and fall the fields turn golden as harvest gets under way. You pass from grain farming to forest 75 km north of Saskatoon and once you get north of Prince Albert the forest gets thicker and greener.
Waskesiu is a National Park so there is an entrance fee around $10.00 that you can get back if you pass through the park in less than an hour. We usually stop for lunch at one of the local restaurants before we take the old highway out of the park to Emma Lake. Watch for wildlife, I´ve seen deer, moose, elk, bear and wolves and although most of the roads have wide ditches so you can see anything about to cross the road the old highway from Waskesiu to Emma Lake is narrow and surrounded by trees.
Once your back at Prince Albert there are a few options for the trip back to Saskatoon, you can go through Wakaw and stop for a sticky bun at the gas station on the highway or you can go through Blaine Lake and stop for supper at the Highway Diner just south of the Petrofka bridge (its fine dining so you may want to call ahead).
Its a nice way to spend a day by yourself, with some buddies, wife or girlfriend and gives a person a whole different view of Saskatchewan.