After
being scorched and torched in Winnipeg yesterday I looked forward to a good
night's sleep. That was not to be. Constant sirens of police vehicles or
ambulances through the night was not conducive to a peaceful night in bed.
After all, Friday nights have their pitfalls; people have their fun after a
hard week of work and police have all the work. The thought of a very long day
behind the wheel was another factor that stole my sleep. It would be the longest
in the TCE.
The
overnight rain and light drizzle this morning cooled the atmosphere. Before 8
am I was on the highway MB 1W and later MB 16W. The straight flat roads on the
prairie lands of Canada without any restrictions for construction was the ideal
impetus for a comfortable drive. The Canadian Prairies encompass the provinces
of Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta and are covered in grasslands, lowlands
and plains, in their southern region. Alberta is blessed with the Rockies and
the prairies. The prairies have a short farming season with poor precipitation,
frost and lands prone to drought. An interesting insight I gained today was
about the prairie dog. I was under the impression till this day that these are
dogs found in the prairie regions of North America. It turned out that they are
squirrel like herbivorous, burrowing rodents! The name of the rodent comes from
the place of their habitation and a peculiar kind of warning call, which sounds
similar to the bark of a dog. They are far from canines, I learnt. Like, the
Bombay Duck is not a duck, but a fish.
On
the drive I gained an hour when I transferred to the Central Standard Time at
-6 GMT in Saskatchewan. From Manitoba to Saskatchewan the roads remained
uniformly good and consistent. That helped me do 780 km in under 500 minutes. I
was booked to stay in a homestay in Saskatoon. I had the scare of my life when
I parked in the driveway of the accommodation. The car in front, without any
warning, almost reversed into me. Fortunately, its driver heard my desperate
honk and stopped just short. 
I
had searched high and low for places to go and things to do in Saskatoon.
Nothing interested me other than the railway museum. That was closed by the
time I wanted to venture out. Then I read that the name of the town comes from
a particular berry which goes by the name Saskatoon Berry and is variously
known over the world, most popularly as Juneberry. The Net said that a must do
in Saskatoon is to have a Saskatoon Berry pie. Neither having seen or tasted
the berries, I thought that would be a good way to experience the town. I made
haste to a shop downtown which is supposed to have the delicacy. The young girl
there showed me a large pie that would keep me busy for a fortnight. She told
me that I would not be able to find fresh berries of pies as the fruit was not
in season. I went back to the internet and located the Berry Barn, almost 25 km
from downtown. I said to myself that if the purpose was to experience the
Saskatoon Berry, or June Berry, that the city is famous for distance should not
matter. I drove the lovely road to the suburbs through busy farmlands that
stretched as far as the eye could see. Some of them were being irrigated and
the others undergoing preparatory work for sowing.
I
thought that the Berry Barn being so far out of town would be a deserted joint.
I was in for a major surprise. The large gravelled driveway was full of cars
and the restaurant was busy. On one side of the driveway is a retail outlet for
knickknacks, embellishments for the home and large variety of flowers and
cacti. It was indeed a wonderful experience exploring the greenhouses that
housed the plants. One large greenhouse had strawberries growing in pots.
Outside that outlet was a large patch of land with shrubs of Saskatoon Berry.
The berries were not yet in their fruiting season. Inside the ‘Barn’ the
restaurant which served meals and specialised in products made from berries,
mostly grown on the farm. In the refrigerator were large bags of frozen
Saskatoon Berries and Raspberries. I asked for a small Saskatoon Berry pie and
got handed one that will surely last me a week. The saving grace is that the
woman at the counter told me that it would keep in the car for at least four
days. I also picked up a jar of Saskatoon Berry Jam. The visit to the Barn was
a most educative and pleasant experience, based as it is on the bank of the
South Saskatchewan River.
Later,
when I tried out the pie after a staid noodle dinner I assured myself that the long
drive to the Barn had been worth it going by the taste of the Saskatoon Berry
pie I picked up from there. And, I am sure it is not going to last me more than
72 hours. Almost a quarter of it had found space inside the stomach by the time
I raised my bottom from the dining chair.
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