Thursday, May 15, 2008

Aerial View of Northern SK

Here's a change from the usual terrestrial photos on my blog. I took my camera along with me on my "drive to work" on Tuesday, May 13. I flew to Southend, a community 220 km north of La Ronge. There's still snow on the ground there, but the edges of the lakes are thawing.
Lakes just north of La Ronge:

Southend is know for dog sled sprint racing, though I heard on this trip that there are some serious issues of animal neglect currently in the community. This is not an uncommon issue in northern Canadian reserves, where it is not uncommon to have "dog shooting days" to deal with packs of stray dogs.

I also heard about the local spring clean-up. At first, I was excited to hear that there was concern for the aesthetic appeal of yards, until I heard that this entails setting fire to the brush in a yard and letting it burn (while moving the propane tanks out of the general area). Perhaps this is why the fire control people put out another bulletin about the multitude of human-caused wildfires every spring.
The ice road, south of Southend:

Pilots expertly landing the plane on the dirt airstrip in Southend. It is apparently one of the shortest airstrips in the world, with a drop-off into the lake on the far end of the airstrip.

Community of Southend, Saskatchewan:

3 comments:

Amy said...

So fascinating. I normally don't enjoy travel, but for many years my husband and I have dreamed of someday exploring some of the *true* Canadian north.

themanicgardener said...

Well, I'm glad your pilots are experts, and I bet you are too.
Great shots, and great idea!

Birgitte said...

dear gardenista of the north,
I very much enjoyed your narritive of your garden experiences and your awesome aerials! I almost feel like I visited your garden in person. I'm an artist with too many hobbies and gardening is one of them. I can't get enough of it!
I grew up in the Netherlands and didn't so much have to contend with cold weather, like you, but the rain always seems endless and kept things cool in the summer. I live in Pennsylvania now and garden to my hearts' content...and the rabbit's, deer's and vole's... they sneak in and nibble left and right to my chagrin.
Well, happy gardening up there! Enjoy your summer!
Greetings from your southern neighbor. Stay well!

Birgitte