Batoche

The sign from the river indicating the Batoche historic site.


There used to be a ferry here.


At the top of the hill there is a parking spot and an outhouse.


A map of the area made it easy to find our way around.


Lots of information, but I am not going to write it out here. Hopefully the pictures will be large enough for blog followers to read.


I couldn't get a very good shot of this placard.

Before and After

Here is a great comparison picture to show the physical change that took place this summer.

In the first picture (which is posted early on in this blog on May 13th) I had cycled my first 100km day. I had also been cycling for about a month before the picture was taken. My health had already improved dramatically.

The second picture was only taken a week or so ago when Will and I were stopped for a break on a tiny little sandbar having lunch and enjoying a rare visit from the sun.

There has been almost 4 months between the two pictures.

Thanks to all the Alpha 1 Antitrypsin support groups and charities, who published lifestyle and dietary options for those of us suffering from Alpha 1. You have made this incredible change possible.

Autumn Colours

Autumn seems to be coming early this year, but then again we had such a long cold summer, that it is a welcome change.


Here the leaves are only just starting to change.


Lots of poplar in this shot. This was taken near Nisbet Provincial Forest.


There were so many overcast days while we were out on the River. In fact I don't think we had more than two days in a row where there was sunshine. I wonder if we will get a lot of snow early in the year? If so, the ice won't be ready for travel until well after Christmas.

A Mix And Match Of A Few Pictures

Adjusting some gear and the balance of the canoe. We had too much weight to one side and consequently kept drifting toward the port.


This buck stood majestically at the crest of a hill. He was too far away for my little camera to get a clear shot. Standing still for so long just watching us, he reminded me of the scene from Bambi where Bambi's father was standing on top of a hill watching over his children.


The banks of the river were quite high here, but it made the river very peaceful. Just over the banks were houses and traffic and the hustle and bustle of urban life.


Will and I found a tiny island the looked more like a sand bar covered in willows. Since all the land on shore is owned and we did not know who owned what, in order to ask permission to camp, we just made camp on this little sand bar of an island and hoped that we didn't wash away by morning.

End Of Season

Sadly, this will be the end of the canoeing season for me. My health is holding, but I have run out of funds for this year's adventure. I do plan on continuing my canoe trip across the province next spring. So I need to get back to work and save more money to fund the next stage of this adventure. Remember, any sled or book that I sell this year will go directly to the Alpha 1 Adventure For Life fund. So please pass this on to anyone who has dogs and might be interested in a dog sled or book. Lots of different breeds of dogs love skijoring and kicksledding, so don't worry if your dog is not a husky. Any dog can be a snow dog!

I will also be able to get back to updating my web site on a much more regular basis. I have a brand new litter of skijoring dogs that I will be training this winter. They are wonderful dogs, with wonderful attitudes. I will get to posting a few pictures of them later in the week, so keep an eye on my site www.ArcticToboggan.com

I will continue to post several more pictures of my canoeing expedition thus far. So come back and visit often, and don't forget to donate a few dollars to Alpha 1 Canada. Just click on the red leaf button on the right of this page. The only known cure for kids with Alpha 1 Antitrypsin Deficiency is a liver transplant, so lets all contribute and see if we can find a better cure.

Thanks Again to all my sponsors and supporters

A Break From The Wind

Last night Samuel and Will stopped to explore the Batoche National Historic Site. They enjoyed exploring this very important Metis Heritage location. Of course as soon as they stopped the wind died down completely, but the boys were exhausted from fighting the wind all day so they decided to camp there for the night.

The weather man is calling for SE winds today, so we're hoping the wind will funnel up the river behind them and give them a boost.

More Wind!

After camping on a small island last night, Samuel and Will are on their way again. Unfortunately, the weather man was correct and they are facing NW winds of 20 Km/hr. They are travelling in a fairly NE direction so they have to hug the NW shore of the river just to make any headway.

The weather man is calling for South wind tomorrow, which would be wonderful, but I certainly wouldn't place any wagers on it.

At least the sky is clear and the boys have sunshine to light their way!

ATTENTION ALL PARENTS:

Are you worried because your child is a high school drop out and can't find a job? Tell your child to become a meteorologist. Where else can they get paid an enormous salary for being wrong 90% of the time!

Heading Into The Wind

Samuel just called me and he and Will are having a hard time paddling into direct headwind. According to the weather channel they are paddling into a north wind of 25 km/hr gusting to 37 km/hr. They have to paddle like crazy just to make any head way at all, if they stop paddling, they are actually blown upstream! ... But at least it's not raining :)

More NW winds are predicted for tomorrow, but maybe this will be one of those rare times when the weather man is wrong ;)

Heading out of Saskatoon!

It’s been awhile since I updated everyone on Samuel’s position. He left Saskatoon this afternoon and has traveled 28 km as of the last time I spoke with him. He has Will with him now to help out with the paddling and they are having a great time out on the river. Let’s hope the rain passes them by and they have lots of sunshine!