We are making our way back east and decide to forgo the Trans-Canada highway and wend our way along the Canada-US border for a change of view and pace.
One place I did want to visit, little out of our way, but had to be done, is Vulcan, Alberta. “Why Vulcan?” you ask. It is the birthplace of Spock, so of course we have to drop by.
The town is the Canadian epicentre for all things Star Trek.
The town hosts an annual Star Trek convention, VulCon, and has been able to get many of the actors from the original series (including Leonard Nimoy), the movies, and other spin-off series.
In case you have been hiding under a rock for the past 57 years (Star Trek originally aired in 1966) Leonard Nimoy played the character “Spock”, who was born on the planet Vulcan.
The town is “all-in” on the Star Trek theme. Even the street lamps are in on the action.
The visitor centre contains tons of memorabilia, including costumes from the series and movies.
The gift shop sells everything from buttons, to mugs, to clothing, to you name it. My favourite was a T-Shirt with the saying “Live Long and Collect your Pension”.
The only way is the Klingon way…
A concrete replica of the original Enterprise is prominently displayed on the main street. Built in June of 1995 it is 31′ long and contains 5 tons of concrete.
Note on authenticity: The original Enterprise bore the serial number NCC-1701, not FX6-1995-A.
Back on Earth it is now time to continue our trek east.
Our next stop is Little Bow Provincial Park, Alberta. Just one night here. Couple of notes on this park: (i) almost every site has a boat in addition to an RV; (ii) the showers close at 10 pm (just made it).
It seems to be a campground for localish fisherpeople.
The bugs (mosquitoes) are numerous and voracious. Good thing we are only here for one nite!
Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park is next on the whistle tour. Chosen for it’s proximity to our path and the fact that there were sites available was also a factor in the park’s selection! Interesting park in that it seems to be mostly used by people from “The Hat” (Medicine Hat). In this campground, and the last, we haven’t seen any out-of-province license plates. Also, there seems to be many people who know each other and form up into groups.
Cypress Hills seems to be mislabeled as there does not seem to be any hills in sight! There is a nice lake right behind our campsite and B got out on the paddle board.
As we head into the grasslands I had an image in my mind of flat fields of waist high grass, as far as the eye can see, waving to-and-fro at the whim of the winds. Not so much. Grass as far as the eye can see – check. Flat, no. Flat areas interspersed with low rolling hills. Waist high grass blowing in the wind, no. Short scrubby stuff.
Apparently the grasslands were never more than 1% cultivated, and there’s a reason for that. This is cattle grazing country, not crop raising country!
That being said, there is something about the grasslands that attracts the eye and keeps it interesting, and the sky goes on forever.
This interprovincial park sits on the border of Alberta and Saskatchewan, and is managed jointly by both provinces.
There are two sections to the park, East Block and West Block. You can tell the government influence by the creativity in the names.
There is a 22 km gravel road into, and out of, the East Block. Our truck and trailer are covered, inside and out, in a thick layer of dust. When we take the cover off the bikes it is as if we didn’t have a cover at all. The bikes are coated in dust.
We didn’t get our fill of dust, so we decided to go on the 60 km “scenic” drive described in the guidebook. 60 km later, we had a lot more dust, but not much more in scenery. Not a bison in sight (supposed to be some around here somewhere). Seven different varieties of grass, but no signs showing the different kinds of grass. I saw some that looked kind of different from others. I guess you have to be into grass to get it.
The West Block is much easier to get in and out of, only an 18 km gravel road.
We both prefer the West Block. The views and trails are nicer.
Both campgrounds have community areas with BBQ’s and covered areas for the picnic tables. The East Block has a microwave, which we haven’t seen before.
A note on gas in this area of Saskatchewan: there are CO-OP “cardlock” gas stations in almost every small town, but these are not accessible to the general public, you have to be a CO-OP member and have a member card to use the pumps (these stations are not manned, just a pump next to a big tank). CO-OP stations that are labeled “Service Centres” have gas pumps that take credit cards. Other gas stations (e.g. PetroCan, Esso, etc) are few and far between.
Best advice: top up the tank whenever possible.
Trip Summary:
Depart: Dinosaur Provincial Park, Alberta 11:45 am June 22; Odometer: 229874 km
Arrive: Little Bow River Provincial Park, Alberta 4:15 pm June 22; Odometer: 230087 km
Depart: Little Bow River Provincial Park, Alberta 11:00 am June 23; Odometer: 230087 km
Arrive: Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park, Alberta 3:00 pm June 23; Odometer: 230350 km
Depart: Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park, Alberta 11:30 am June 25; Odometer: 230350 km
Arrive: Grasslands National Park (West Block, Frenchman’s Valley Campground), Saskatchewan 5:00 pm June 25; Odometer: 230709 km
Depart: Grasslands National Park (West Block, Frenchman’s Valley Campground), Saskatchewan 10:30 am June 27; Odometer: 230946 km
Arrive: Grasslands National Park (East Block, Rock Creek Campground), Saskatchewan 2:15 pm June 27; Odometer: 231046 km
Gas Summary:
Vulcan, Alberta (Jun 22): 48.7 L (of Dilithium Crystals – its a Star Trek thing) @$1.49/L ($72.48), ODO 230047
Redcliff, Alberta (Jun 23): 57.4 L @$1.38/L ($79.19), ODO 230271
Gull Lake, Saskatchewan (Jun 25): 54.6 L @$1.60/L ($87.23), ODO 230529
La Fleche, Saskatchewan (Jun 27): 87.4 L @$1.60/L ($139.77), ODO 230946