Outlook Saskatchewan

Outlook is only about 30km from Diefenbaker Lake. It is a nice clean little town. Here PJ took a few pictures of Will and I paddling under the bridges.


This old bridge is no longer used for traffic, but Outlook has plans to use the bridge as a tourist attraction.


There we go on down the river. There was a man standing on shore fishing. We rarely see people fishing from shore.


We stopped in Outlook to see the sights. Well one sight really. This is the Trans Canada Trail Pavilion at the walking bridge spanning the South Saskatchewan River.


The longest walking bridge in Canada. It was made from an old train trestle bridge.


Here is a view up river. The two bridges that we canoed under are barely discernible.


Here is a view down river from the top of the walking bridge.

Here is an interesting canine interest story

Just follow this link.

Hound found underground | hound, medora, underground - Local News - The Telegraph

Gardiner Dam

On approach to the Gardiner Dam at the north end of Diefenbaker Lake you can see the Dam's power structures. If you see this you are too far east.


A little way to the west I came across the Dam's water control structure. There is a line of bouys that block the way. It would be a fast ride down the dam.


Further west the canoist will come across a warning sign. Better late than never!


Finally on the north east corner of the lake there is a boat launch at Danielson Provincial Park.


There is PJ waiting at the boat launch to help us around the dam.


Everything is loaded up, ready to portage around the dam.


To get down to the other side, you just go straight across the highway and down a windy road through a hay field. Here Will and I are posing with the canoe. Will has been a great help, especially on Diefenbaker Lake.


The view down river from the top of the dam.

3 comets at sunset

Here's something you don't see everyday.
Click on this picture and see a larger version.
The sun had just gone down and I went to take a picture of the sunset and saw these three comets.

Sunrise and Sailing

A sunset always makes a beautiful picture, but this sunrise was stunning.


One day, when the wind picked up, I took my little tarp and some driftwood and manufactured this little sail. It was quite nerve racking when the wind would gust. I thought for sure I would end up swimming for shore. The problem is, most of the time I do not have a tail wind, but I have had to fight against the wind an awful lot.

Lots Of Moose

There are mornings on the river when all the wildlife come out to play. I am sure the moose hunters would love to be out on the river on a morning like this, but the tranquility was so serene that I would never tell them.


Two cows grazing in the early morning.


A family of moose on an island. I know the picture is a little dark, but there is a cow and calf and bull in the picture.


A second family of moose. The bull, cow, and calf can more easily be seen in this picture.


A second bull moose was on the same island, only a couple of hundred metres away.


I think this elk was on the same island as the first moose family.


A short distance away, I saw this family of deer swimming across the lake in front of my canoe.

All in all, a very pleasant morning.

Brighter colours to brighten the day

A nice bright yellow flower.


Beautiful aquatic blooms


Rosehips are quite tasty and a great source of vitamin C


Wild Choke Cherries. These berries were growing on a small island, and were very sweet.


Wild grain

Health Issues

I have been having small lapses in health while I have been out on the River. Mostly a bit of rest and lots of protein has been helping my recovery, but the large amounts of rain recently have been too much for me to handle. I have come home for a few days to dry out and hopefully recover more quickly. A symptom of Alpha 1 Antitrypsin Deficiency is that the body takes a much longer time to recover from illness. I will keep everyone updated for when I am able to head back out on the river. Please follow the Alpha 1 Canada link on the side of the page and donate a few dollars to the Charity. There are many kids out there with Alpha 1 that never even get the chance to experience a canoe trip. Any donation helps move Alpha 1 sufferers move toward a higher quality life.