Prairies....
This week I went for a road trip to Southern Saskatchewan. The flat bread basket of Canada. It makes you feel that if you were just a foot taller or you stood on the bumper of the car you could see from Regina to Estevan 130 miles away.
Its empty, bereft of people. Towns are miles apart and you see few people. I passed four cars going from Regina to Stoddard (90 miles) and no one passed me. To be fair it was not a bright sunny day, there were periods of light snow and rain and it was no day for a farmer to be on his field. I liked it. the emptiness and the geometry.
I was driving a Hyundai Sonata and it will go at least 115 miles per hour. I passed a guy and wondered (like when I was 17) I wonder how fast it will go... I probably haven't done that since I was 17 but it will go at least 115. The road is flat but not smooth and to be fair its not the same exhilarating feeling as when you have your mom's Pontiac astre floored and you are praying for a wind and a hill to get you to 110 mph. But still the "yeah baby" overrides the fear and disgust of the 1000$ plus fine it would be if our beloved mounties were out and about.
The town of Olathe is on the route and it has seen better days. To be fair these were interesting buildings and there were newer ones but clearly the glory days of
Olathe and this once fine building are just a memory. The farm land itself looks relatively rich and well tilled but the economics have changed and the populace now buys emergency milk and smokes in town and the rest at the Costco, Walmart, Home depot triumvirate in Regina 35 miles away.
I am not pastoral minded or wishing for the good old days on the farm. I am a city boy through and through, allergic to hay and scared of places without cable internet access and TSN. I did wonder what a quarter section would go for and did the woeful farmers lament signal a time to buy land for a long term investment. I wondered about that. I would like that... "yeah I bought a couple of quarters on spec in southern sask last year.... " I would like to own land no matter how unfarmerly I am.
Driving like that gets you thinking... makes you relax... you turn the radio on and they announce that the play by play of the junior hockey playoff game between the Calgary Hitmen and the Moose Jaw Warriors will start in an hour... in the meantime sportsfans we have our bible inspirational hour.
Next week it will be back to the corporate wars and the open empty prairies forgotten...
posted by hockeyman @ 8:30 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home