<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?> <rss version="2.0" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:wfw="http://wellformedweb.org/CommentAPI/" xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" xmlns:sy="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/syndication/" xmlns:slash="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/slash/" ><channel><title>I Backpack Canada &#187; Media</title> <atom:link href="http://ibackpackcanada.com/category/blog/media/feed/" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" /><link>http://ibackpackcanada.com</link> <description>A backpackers travel guide to Canada</description> <lastBuildDate>Tue, 15 May 2012 12:47:11 +0000</lastBuildDate> <language>en</language> <sy:updatePeriod>hourly</sy:updatePeriod> <sy:updateFrequency>1</sy:updateFrequency> <generator>http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2</generator> <item><title>12 Inspiring Tourism Videos on Canada</title><link>http://ibackpackcanada.com/12-inspiring-tourism-videos-on-canada/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=12-inspiring-tourism-videos-on-canada</link> <comments>http://ibackpackcanada.com/12-inspiring-tourism-videos-on-canada/#comments</comments> <pubDate>Wed, 25 Apr 2012 14:02:15 +0000</pubDate> <dc:creator>Corbin Fraser</dc:creator> <category><![CDATA[Provinces]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Video]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Alberta]]></category> <category><![CDATA[blogsherpa]]></category> <category><![CDATA[British Columbia]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Canada]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Canadian Tourism Commission]]></category> <category><![CDATA[CTC]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Labrador]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Manitoba]]></category> <category><![CDATA[new brunswick]]></category> <category><![CDATA[newfoundland]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Northwest Territories]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Nova Scotia]]></category> <category><![CDATA[nunavut]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Ontario]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Quebec]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Saskatchewan]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Yukon]]></category><guid isPermaLink="false">http://ibackpackcanada.com/?p=4500</guid> <description><![CDATA[The other day I came across Travel Alberta&#8217;s incredible award-winning (Remember to Breathe) tourism video, which somehow or another brought me to browsing the videos of every provincial &#38; territorial tourism board. It&#8217;s great to see how much thought and passion goes into each of these videos, and what better way to explore a location [...]<p><a href="http://ibackpackcanada.com/12-inspiring-tourism-videos-on-canada/">12 Inspiring Tourism Videos on Canada</a> is a post from: <a href="http://ibackpackcanada.com" title="I Backpack Canada">I Backpack Canada</a></p> ]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>The other day I came across Travel Alberta&#8217;s incredible award-winning (<a href="http://youtu.be/ThFCg0tBDck">Remember to Breathe</a>) tourism video, which somehow or another brought me to browsing the videos of every provincial &amp; territorial tourism board. It&#8217;s great to see how much thought and passion goes into each of these videos, and what better way to explore a location virtually then through the use of video. I thought it would be a great idea to do a quick Canada fly-by and check out each corner of the country from the comfort of your computer (<em>or phone</em>). While there are several videos that stand out amongst the pack, they each are worthy of your attention. Who knows, you might feel inspired to visit somewhere you&#8217;ve never even considered!</p><h3>British Columbia</h3><h3><iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/kHcl8FFvDyY?rel=0" frameborder="0" width="640" height="360"></iframe></h3><p>Starting in the west coast of Canada, this video shows the British Columbia lifestyle that many have come to know and love. Outdoor adventure, peaceful vistas, a mix of city life with mountain trekking and a clear love affair with water activities. This video makes visiting BC seem like something you need to do this summer!</p><p style="text-align: right;"><a target="_blank" href="http://www.youtube.com/user/TourismBC" class="woo-sc-button  red"><span class="woo-">Visit Tourism British Columbia&#8217;s Youtube Page!</span></a></p><h3>Alberta</h3><h3><iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/ThFCg0tBDck?rel=0" frameborder="0" width="640" height="360"></iframe></h3><p>Travel Alberta recently won the award for best tourism video in the world and received the equivalent of the tourism industry’s “Oscar” award at the International Tourism Fair in Berlin. With over 1 million views it&#8217;s clear to see why this video is so captivating. The slow-mo shots with beautiful panoramic shots of nature, adventure, and happy people make this one of my favourite&#8217;s of the bunch. Congrats to the folks at Travel Alberta and their talented branding team who managed to catch these one of a kind shots of this beautiful province.</p><p style="text-align: right;"><a target="_blank" href="http://www.youtube.com/user/TravelAlbertaCanada" class="woo-sc-button  red"><span class="woo-">Visit Travel Alberta&#8217;s Youtube Page!</span></a></p><h3>Saskatchewan</h3><p><iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/0-IDax7-BZw?rel=0" frameborder="0" width="640" height="360"></iframe></p><p>Saskatchewan&#8217;s video does a great job of showcasing the adventure that can be had in my home province. The fun song mixed with the fast shots make this an exciting and quick video that helps sell the prairies as more than just a drive-thru province. Stop, get off the highway, and see for yourself the beauty this place.</p><p style="text-align: right;"><a target="_blank" href="http://www.youtube.com/user/TourismSaskatchewan" class="woo-sc-button  red"><span class="woo-">Visit Tourism Saskatchewan&#8217;s Youtube Page!</span></a></p><h3>Manitoba</h3><p><iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/avyPoOPhs1Q?rel=0" frameborder="0" width="640" height="360"></iframe></p><p>I had a tough time deciding which video of Manitoba&#8217;s to put up, as their newest video campaigns are short 15 second spots, which I felt seemed unfair to use, as most of the other provinces videos play for a couple minutes. So I dug through their older videos and found one that I was fond of. Manitoba is a beautiful province rich with history and wildlife. Did I mention they&#8217;re home to the Polar Bear capitol of Canada!?</p><p style="text-align: right;"><a target="_blank" href="http://www.youtube.com/user/TravelManitoba" class="woo-sc-button  red"><span class="woo-">Visit Travel Manitoba&#8217;s Youtube Page!</span></a></p><h3>Ontario</h3><p><iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/zgultk-9xHw?rel=0" frameborder="0" width="640" height="360"></iframe></p><p>Ontario! It rolls of your tongue in an addictive way. Ontario is such a massive province, their videos cover everything from city architecture to the nature &amp; beauty of Algonquin, to the romantic allure of the Distillery District. The Distillery Disctrict is easily one of my favourite spots in Toronto, which is why I chose to use this video. However, be sure to check out some of their other videos to see what fall is like in Algonquin Park.</p><p style="text-align: right;"><a target="_blank" href="http://www.youtube.com/user/TravelOntarioCanada" class="woo-sc-button  red"><span class="woo-">Visit Travel Ontario&#8217;s Youtube Page!</span></a></p><h3>Quebec</h3><p><iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/LNrjAVOfAzg?rel=0" frameborder="0" width="640" height="360"></iframe></p><p>Quebec Tourism&#8217;s video on Mont Tremblant makes me want to skip summer all together and find a group of friends to explore every inch of this small mountain village. They managed to capture emotions that are universal in French and English. A beautifully shot video the reminds us anglophones to stop being scared of not speaking their language and just dive in. The french-Canadians are friendly, their food is breath-taking, and the province of Quebec has weeks worth of activities to keep you busy!</p><p style="text-align: right;"><a target="_blank" href="http://www.youtube.com/user/TourismeQuebec" class="woo-sc-button  red"><span class="woo-">Visit Tourisme Quebec&#8217;s Youtube Page!</span></a></p><h3>New Brunswick</h3><p><iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/9V2Q3CqVyHc?rel=0" frameborder="0" width="480" height="360"></iframe></p><p>I read once that in the early days of Canada New Brunswick was <em>the </em>place to visit. Several American presidents even had cottages in these parts. While it&#8217;s still quite popular, it can often be overlooked by it&#8217;s neighbours to the west and east. Fact is, they have some mind-blowing geological formations worth checking out. The largest tide in the world is just one of the many reasons to stop by this beautiful seaside province.</p><p style="text-align: right;"><a target="_blank" href="http://www.youtube.com/user/TourismNB" class="woo-sc-button  red"><span class="woo-">Visit Tourism New Brunswick&#8217;s Youtube Page!</span></a></p><h3>Nova Scotia</h3><p><iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/whLMRoUb2XI?rel=0" frameborder="0" width="640" height="360"></iframe></p><p>I had a tough time choosing whether to embed this video, or the one with the fiddle playing in the background. While I went with the former, I feel like it&#8217;s worth mentioning you should check out their Youtube page to see the other. This video showcases Nova Scotia as more than just an old city to walk around. There&#8217;s adventure, outdoors, heart-pumping activity, and relaxing ocean sunsets to top it all off. Of course, history seeps in at almost every turn as well. I think Nova Scotia Tourism did a great job of promoting the many sides of Nova Scotia.</p><p style="text-align: right;"><a target="_blank" href="http://www.youtube.com/user/NovaScotiaTourism" class="woo-sc-button  red"><span class="woo-">Visit Nova Scotia Tourism&#8217;s Youtube Page!</span></a></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">PEI</h3><p><iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/WvTdBI8RzfE?rel=0" frameborder="0" width="640" height="360"></iframe></p><p style="text-align: left;">Big thanks to Alouise for pointing out in the comments the fact that I missed PEI (woops!). Kind of a big screw up on my part, especially considering how big of a year it was for PEI tourism, what with Regis &amp; Kelly and the whole Royal Wedding stuff going on. I managed to find an aerial video that showcases the entire island with scenic panoramas and jaw dropping shorelines. Check it out!</p><p style="text-align: right;"><a target="_blank" href="http://www.youtube.com/user/tourismpei/videos" class="woo-sc-button  red"><span class="woo-">Visit PEI Tourism&#8217;s Youtube Page!</span></a></p><h3>Newfoundland &amp; Labrador</h3><p><iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Be4ufvmpPRw?rel=0" frameborder="0" width="640" height="360"></iframe></p><p>If there&#8217;s a video you may have seen amongst these, the Newfoundland &amp; Labrador is likely it. They&#8217;ve become famous across Canada for dropping the jaws of people from all over the world with their beautiful colours, high contrasting light, and the way that each of these videos tells a story. I particularly like this one, not only for it&#8217;s beauty, but for it&#8217;s tagline. See for yourself!</p><p style="text-align: right;"><a target="_blank" href="http://www.youtube.com/user/NewfoundlandLabrador" class="woo-sc-button  red"><span class="woo-">Visit Newfoundland &amp; Labrador&#8217;s Youtube Page!</span></a></p><h3>Yukon Territories</h3><p><iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/AJYXmi2tqjc?rel=0" frameborder="0" width="640" height="480"></iframe></p><p>The Yukon! I picture this territory as a wild outdoor adventure, steeped in folklore, arts, saluting an era when men moved mountains in search of riches. Their video, which while a bit lengthy, captures many of these feelings. I look forward to visiting this northern territory of Canada this May, and hope to see some of what&#8217;s showcased in this video.</p><p style="text-align: right;"><a target="_blank" href="http://www.youtube.com/user/travelyukon" class="woo-sc-button  red"><span class="woo-">Visit Travel Yukon&#8217;s Youtube Page!</span></a></p><h3>Northwest Territories</h3><p><iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/XX8XEg-p0j4?rel=0" frameborder="0" width="640" height="360"></iframe></p><p>The Northwest Territories have always held a romantic allure to me. Their video managed to reignite that drive and need to visit this northern getaway. This video covers the beauty and outdoor adventures that can be had in this massive area of Canada. With some of the most surreal night skies and outdoor adventures, they&#8217;re going to have a tough time keeping me from checking the NWT out!</p><p style="text-align: right;"><a target="_blank" href="http://www.youtube.com/user/spectacularnwt" class="woo-sc-button  red"><span class="woo-">Visit SpectacularNWT&#8217;s Youtube Page!</span></a></p><h3>Nunavut</h3><p><iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/_ARbXdo8KEQ?rel=0" frameborder="0" width="640" height="360"></iframe></p><p>I remember when Nunavut became an official territory, I would have been in grade 4 I believe. We spent several days discussing the cultural differences between our people and theirs, learning about some of their customs and beliefs. I had never been so fascinated by a culture in Canada. Their video showcases some of these cultural aspects, and reminds me that I need to find a way up north to experience this for myself.</p><p style="text-align: right;"> <a target="_blank" href="http://www.youtube.com/user/NunavutTourism" class="woo-sc-button  red"><span class="woo-">Visit Nunavut Tourism&#8217;s Youtube Page!</span></a></p><p>The tourism video&#8217;s you saw here were produced in order to bring you to their province, but I can&#8217;t help but feel that when seeing them all together like this that you feel a sense of unity amongst them. Each province wants you to be healthy. Each province wants you to find your own slice of nirvana in the great outdoors.Each province wants you to experience something new and life changing. One of my favourite taglines from these videos was from Yukon&#8217;s video. &#8220;<strong>It can be hard finding yourself, fortunately, we have a lot of places to look.</strong>&#8220;</p><p><a href="http://ibackpackcanada.com/12-inspiring-tourism-videos-on-canada/">12 Inspiring Tourism Videos on Canada</a> is a post from: <a href="http://ibackpackcanada.com" title="I Backpack Canada">I Backpack Canada</a></p> ]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>http://ibackpackcanada.com/12-inspiring-tourism-videos-on-canada/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>0</slash:comments> </item> <item><title>Sunday Canadian Travel Video: Toronto Tempo</title><link>http://ibackpackcanada.com/sunday-canadian-travel-video-toronto-tempo/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=sunday-canadian-travel-video-toronto-tempo</link> <comments>http://ibackpackcanada.com/sunday-canadian-travel-video-toronto-tempo/#comments</comments> <pubDate>Sun, 01 Apr 2012 23:21:57 +0000</pubDate> <dc:creator>Corbin Fraser</dc:creator> <category><![CDATA[Ontario]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Video]]></category> <category><![CDATA[blogsherpa]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Canada]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Media]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Ryan Emond]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Temp]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Time Lapse Photography]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Toronto]]></category><guid isPermaLink="false">http://ibackpackcanada.com/?p=4406</guid> <description><![CDATA[Now that I&#8217;ve got this fancy new design up and running, I&#8217;m urking to test out some of the new features. Including the large video slider up top. This Sundays &#8220;Canadian Travel Video&#8221; is a video that went viral a while back, but I have to assume there&#8217;s still some people who haven&#8217;t seen it. [...]<p><a href="http://ibackpackcanada.com/sunday-canadian-travel-video-toronto-tempo/">Sunday Canadian Travel Video: Toronto Tempo</a> is a post from: <a href="http://ibackpackcanada.com" title="I Backpack Canada">I Backpack Canada</a></p> ]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Now that I&#8217;ve got this fancy new design up and running, I&#8217;m urking to test out some of the new features. Including the large video slider up top. This Sundays &#8220;Canadian Travel Video&#8221; is a video that went viral a while back, but I have to assume there&#8217;s still some people who haven&#8217;t seen it. So I want it to be the first video I feature on the new layout.</p><h3>&#8216;Toronto Tempo&#8217; by Ryan Emond</h3><p>Toronto Tempo was created by <a href="http://www.reemond.com/">Ryan Emond</a>, a Toronto based photographer, videographer, and visual artist. His time lapses are some of my favourite I&#8217;ve ever come across. Ryan was able to capture the city of Toronto perfectly. Anytime I&#8217;m lacking creativity, I jump into one of his time lapses and am immediately transported into another city, but in an alternate universe where the world speeds by. If this video doesn&#8217;t want to make you take in Toronto, you&#8217;re out of your mind.</p><div class="woo-sc-box normal   "><p><strong>Check out some of Ryan Emonds other work:<br /> </strong></p><div class="shortcode-unorderedlist arrow"><ul><li>Ryan on <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/reemond">Flickr</a></li><li>Ryan on <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/reemond747">Youtube</a></li><li>Ryan on <a href="http://vimeo.com/reemond">Vimeo</a></li><li>Ryan on the <a href="http://www.reemond.com/">Interwebs</a></li></ul><div></div></div></div><p>If you&#8217;re looking to visit this beautiful Canadian city anytime soon, check out some of these <a title="Cheap Flights to Toronto" href="http://www.dealchecker.co.uk/cheap-flights/toronto.html">cheap flights to Toronto</a> today. What&#8217;s up budget-friendly!?</p><p><a href="http://ibackpackcanada.com/sunday-canadian-travel-video-toronto-tempo/">Sunday Canadian Travel Video: Toronto Tempo</a> is a post from: <a href="http://ibackpackcanada.com" title="I Backpack Canada">I Backpack Canada</a></p> ]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>http://ibackpackcanada.com/sunday-canadian-travel-video-toronto-tempo/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>0</slash:comments> </item> <item><title>Sh*t Travel Bloggers Say</title><link>http://ibackpackcanada.com/shit-travel-bloggers-say/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=shit-travel-bloggers-say</link> <comments>http://ibackpackcanada.com/shit-travel-bloggers-say/#comments</comments> <pubDate>Sun, 19 Feb 2012 16:39:01 +0000</pubDate> <dc:creator>Corbin Fraser</dc:creator> <category><![CDATA[Video]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Blog]]></category> <category><![CDATA[blogsherpa]]></category> <category><![CDATA[cailin oneil]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Canada]]></category> <category><![CDATA[corbin fraser]]></category> <category><![CDATA[kate mcculley]]></category> <category><![CDATA[shit travel bloggers say]]></category><guid isPermaLink="false">http://ibackpackcanada.com/?p=4045</guid> <description><![CDATA[It&#8217;s pretty rare that I show my mug on video. Fact of the matter is video cameras freak me out. Like crazy bad! Maybe not the cameras themselves, but seeing myself on camera. Yeuch&#8230; No thanks!  Somehow or another, fellow travel blogger / friend Cailin Oneil of Cailin Travels &#38; Travel Yourself, managed to drag me [...]<p><a href="http://ibackpackcanada.com/shit-travel-bloggers-say/">Sh*t Travel Bloggers Say</a> is a post from: <a href="http://ibackpackcanada.com" title="I Backpack Canada">I Backpack Canada</a></p> ]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>It&#8217;s pretty rare that I show my mug on video. Fact of the matter is video cameras freak me out. Like crazy bad! Maybe not the cameras themselves, but seeing myself on camera. <em>Yeuch&#8230;</em> No thanks!  Somehow or another, fellow travel blogger / friend Cailin Oneil of <a href="http://cailintravels.com/">Cailin Travels</a> &amp; <a href="http://www.travelyourself.ca/">Travel Yourself</a>, managed to drag me into her video &#8220;<a href="http://youtu.be/VHVCN4-si4s">Shit Travel Bloggers Say</a>&#8220;, which also stars Kate McCulley of <a href="http://www.adventurouskate.com/">Adventurous Kate</a>. If you&#8217;ve been hiding under a rock for the last month or two, there&#8217;s been a slew of videos similar to this showing up on youtube, such as &#8220;Shit Girls Say&#8221; and a <a href="http://thoughtcatalog.com/2012/a-comprehensive-list-of-shit-say-videos-that-need-to-be-made/">few dozen others</a>. &#8220;Shit Travel Bloggers Say&#8221; is Cailin&#8217;s reply to them all.</p><p><iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/VHVCN4-si4s?rel=0" frameborder="0" width="580" height="325"></iframe></p><p>The video has received over 9,300 views and has been tweeted over 100 times. It&#8217;s also been featured on <a href="http://www.worldhum.com/travel-blog/item/shit-travel-bloggers-say-20120120/">World Hum</a>! Props goes out to Cailin for her hard work on this project, same with Kate! And props for me too, for not sissing out last minute.</p><p><a href="http://ibackpackcanada.com/shit-travel-bloggers-say/">Sh*t Travel Bloggers Say</a> is a post from: <a href="http://ibackpackcanada.com" title="I Backpack Canada">I Backpack Canada</a></p> ]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>http://ibackpackcanada.com/shit-travel-bloggers-say/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>2</slash:comments> </item> <item><title>Introducing The TripFilms Canadian Travel Video Section</title><link>http://ibackpackcanada.com/introducing-tripfilms-canadian-travel-video-section/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=introducing-tripfilms-canadian-travel-video-section</link> <comments>http://ibackpackcanada.com/introducing-tripfilms-canadian-travel-video-section/#comments</comments> <pubDate>Mon, 12 Dec 2011 14:07:16 +0000</pubDate> <dc:creator>Corbin Fraser</dc:creator> <category><![CDATA[Video]]></category> <category><![CDATA[blogsherpa]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Canada]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Travel]]></category> <category><![CDATA[tripfilms]]></category><guid isPermaLink="false">http://ibackpackcanada.com/?p=3783</guid> <description><![CDATA[There hasn&#8217;t been a whole lot changed on my website in a while. The last big updates were including larger images on the homepage, the introduction of photo essays, and some subtle changes in terms of background textures. While there&#8217;s plenty of photos to browse and enough content to read to keep you busy for [...]<p><a href="http://ibackpackcanada.com/introducing-tripfilms-canadian-travel-video-section/">Introducing The TripFilms Canadian Travel Video Section</a> is a post from: <a href="http://ibackpackcanada.com" title="I Backpack Canada">I Backpack Canada</a></p> ]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>There hasn&#8217;t been a whole lot changed on my website in a while. The last big updates were including larger images on the homepage, the introduction of photo essays, and some subtle changes in terms of background textures. While there&#8217;s plenty of photos to browse and enough content to read to keep you busy for weeks, the one thing I always felt was lacking on I Backpack Canada was video.</p><p><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-3785" title="tripfilms-logo" src="http://cdn.ibackpackcanada.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/tripfilms-logo.png" alt="tripfilms-logo" width="600" height="250" /></p><p>I was recently contacted by the kind folks at <a href="http://tripfilms.com">TripFilms</a>. After talking, they were kind enough to offer a new travel video widget specifically dedicated to Canadian travel videos. For those who don&#8217;t know who or what TripFilms is, they&#8217;re essentially the YouTube of travel videos. Travelers from all over the world create, submit, and share their short travel videos that inspire you to feed that travel bug you can&#8217;t shake.</p><p>You&#8217;ll see the new TripFilms Canadian Travel video section in the right hand sidebar. There&#8217;s multiple tabs to browse Canadian travel videos by Activities, Food, and Hotels, so you should be able to find something that sparks your interest very easily.</p><blockquote><p>Big thanks goes out to the guys &amp; gals at TripFilms for partnering up with my blog like this. Giant over-dramatic high five headed your way!</p></blockquote><p><a href="http://ibackpackcanada.com/introducing-tripfilms-canadian-travel-video-section/">Introducing The TripFilms Canadian Travel Video Section</a> is a post from: <a href="http://ibackpackcanada.com" title="I Backpack Canada">I Backpack Canada</a></p> ]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>http://ibackpackcanada.com/introducing-tripfilms-canadian-travel-video-section/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>3</slash:comments> </item> <item><title>Horseback Riding in Prince Albert National Park with Sturgeon River Ranch [Photo Essay]</title><link>http://ibackpackcanada.com/horseback-riding-prince-albert-national-park-sturgeon-river-ranch-photo-essay/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=horseback-riding-prince-albert-national-park-sturgeon-river-ranch-photo-essay</link> <comments>http://ibackpackcanada.com/horseback-riding-prince-albert-national-park-sturgeon-river-ranch-photo-essay/#comments</comments> <pubDate>Thu, 08 Dec 2011 14:50:41 +0000</pubDate> <dc:creator>Corbin Fraser</dc:creator> <category><![CDATA[Camping]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Photo]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Saskatchewan]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Sightseeing]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Wildlife]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Accommodation]]></category> <category><![CDATA[big river]]></category> <category><![CDATA[bison]]></category> <category><![CDATA[blogsherpa]]></category> <category><![CDATA[buffalo]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Canada]]></category> <category><![CDATA[horseback]]></category> <category><![CDATA[prince albert national park]]></category> <category><![CDATA[SK]]></category> <category><![CDATA[tipi]]></category> <category><![CDATA[tour]]></category><guid isPermaLink="false">http://ibackpackcanada.com/?p=3748</guid> <description><![CDATA[If you&#8217;re from Saskatchewan, chances are there&#8217;s a little cowboy running through your blood. Be it the whimsical nature that we seem to have when it comes to long road trips (ie &#8220;It&#8217;s only an 8 hour drive, easy as pie!), or the general love affair most prairie folk seem to have with country music. [...]<p><a href="http://ibackpackcanada.com/horseback-riding-prince-albert-national-park-sturgeon-river-ranch-photo-essay/">Horseback Riding in Prince Albert National Park with Sturgeon River Ranch [Photo Essay]</a> is a post from: <a href="http://ibackpackcanada.com" title="I Backpack Canada">I Backpack Canada</a></p> ]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>If you&#8217;re from Saskatchewan, chances are there&#8217;s a little cowboy running through your blood. Be it the whimsical nature that we seem to have when it comes to long road trips (ie &#8220;It&#8217;s only an 8 hour drive, easy as pie!), or the general love affair most prairie folk seem to have with country music. Everyone from this little prairie province loves to claim they&#8217;re a little more cowboy than the next guy or gal. You wouldn&#8217;t believe how many arguments I&#8217;ve heard where people are arguing who&#8217;s hometown is smaller. No matter how cowboy you might think you are, chances are you&#8217;re not even playing in the same league as Gord Vaadeland, owner and operator of <a href="http://www.sturgeonriverranch.com/" rel="nofollow">Sturgeon River Ranch</a>.</p><p>This past Thanksgiving was hands down one of the most memorable I&#8217;ve ever had. I convinced my old man to take some time off work and join me up north for some fall horseback riding in the boreal forest. The goal was to catch sight of the 400+ free range plains bison that roam Prince Albert National Park. Little did we know how close we&#8217;d end up getting.</p><p>These brick-walls of beasts have had a tough go, yet despite their near extinction, they seem to be thriving in Prince Albert National Park since their re-introduction in 1969. They&#8217;ve come a long way since the first 50 were brought back. That&#8217;s partly due to the preservation efforts of Gord Vaadeland, Founder and Executive Director of the <a href="http://www.bisonstewards.ca/" rel="nofollow">Sturgeon River Plains Bison Stewards</a>. That&#8217;s only one of his gigs, he&#8217;s also the ED of CPAWS-SK and Watershed Awareness Coordinator for Provincial Council of Agriculture Development and Diversification. Say that 3 times fast&#8230; (Can&#8217;t be done!)</p><p>I got in contact with Gord while I was still in Halifax and asked if he&#8217;d be keen on showing me around his parts. He gladly obliged, and within weeks we had a unique tour of the area setup, which included Horseback Riding the western part of Prince Albert National Park in search of the bison, and sleeping in a traditionally built tipi at Ness Creek.</p><p><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-3760" title="horse-back-riding-saskatchewan-sturgeon-river-ranch-1" src="http://cdn.ibackpackcanada.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/horse-back-riding-prince-albert-national-park-saskatchewan-sturgeon-river-ranch-1.jpg" alt="horse-back-riding-saskatchewan-sturgeon-river-ranch-1" width="900" height="598" /></p><p>A short 6 hour drive from Regina got us near Big River Saskatchewan. We pulled into Sturgeon River Ranch and were finally introduced to Gord. I soon learned that his skills extended beyond being an outfitter, a cowboy, and a bison steward. Turns out he&#8217;s also a bluegrass musician, and a bit of a TV Celebrity (What&#8217;s up <a href="http://youtu.be/LtEBVuaunYU">Mantracker</a>!?). We all hit it off and it wasn&#8217;t long before we had the horses in the trailer and ready to roll.</p><p><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-3761" title="horse-saddle" src="http://cdn.ibackpackcanada.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/horse-back-riding-prince-albert-national-park-saskatchewan-sturgeon-river-ranch-2.jpg" alt="horse-saddle" width="900" height="598" /></p><h3>Welcome to Prince Albert National Park</h3><p>We pulled up to the edge of <a href="http://www.pc.gc.ca/pn-np/sk/princealbert/index.aspx" rel="nofollow">Prince Albert National Park</a> and saddled up. It&#8217;d been a couple years since I&#8217;d ridden horse, but I managed to shake the cobwebs after the first mile or so. Gord led us through trails that wove through birch and spruce, our horses powered through the thick. Watching Gord lead us slowpokes, I couldn&#8217;t help but think &#8220;Shoulda found a cowboy hat!&#8221;. That thought was interupted as I was forced to dodge a low hanging branch. I chuckled to myself, &#8220;Keep cool Corbin, pay attention&#8230;&#8221;</p><p><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-3752" title="Horses-Spot-Bison-Prince-Albert-National-Park" src="http://cdn.ibackpackcanada.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/horse-back-riding-prince-albert-national-park-saskatchewan-sturgeon-river-ranch-3.jpg" alt="Horses-Spot-Bison-Prince-Albert-National-Park" width="900" height="598" /></p><p>Our horses began to slow down, and suddenly became a bit nervous. You could feel the tension in the air. These horses knew something was up a ways. We all stopped in our tracks. A gentle breeze blew through the trees, the sound of rubbing leather mixed with the loud breathe of the horses made that moment feel like it lasted a lifetime. Gord whispered &#8220;They&#8217;re up there. You hear that?&#8221;. Large crunching snaps echo&#8217;d back our way.</p><p><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-3753" title="Gord Vaadeland - Sturgeon River Ranch" src="http://cdn.ibackpackcanada.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/horse-back-riding-prince-albert-national-park-saskatchewan-sturgeon-river-ranch-4.jpg" alt="Gord Vaadeland - Sturgeon River Ranch" width="900" height="598" /></p><p>We slowly pressed on, nobody said a word. We didn&#8217;t know if we&#8217;d get a second chance to spot the bison up ahead. As we continued through the trail, the bush got thicker. Gord lead us in the direction of the breaking trees. We slowed down again, and Gord explained &#8220;We usually recommend people keep a safe distance from the bison. If you can cover them with your thumb, you&#8217;re close enough. But since you&#8217;re with me, we&#8217;ll be using our elbows and putting that thumb a little closer to your face, which means we&#8217;ll be getting a bit closer. Hope that&#8217;s okay!&#8221; I nodded my head with a huge smile &#8220;Of course!&#8221;.</p><p><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-3754" title="Wild Free Range Bison Saskatchewan Prince Albert" src="http://cdn.ibackpackcanada.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/horse-back-riding-prince-albert-national-park-saskatchewan-sturgeon-river-ranch-5.jpg" alt="Wild Free Range Bison Saskatchewan Prince Albert" width="900" height="598" /></p><h3>Spotting the Wild Plains Bison</h3><p>The sound of snapping trees got louder, but the bush was so thick you could hardly tell how close you were. Gord offered to hang onto our horses to see if we can get a clear photo. I climbed off Applejack (a trustworthy steed if I may say so) and nervously moved toward the sound of wild bison. My old man was right behind. Creeping towards the bison soon became a game of &#8220;Oh yea? I dare you to keep going!&#8221; I&#8217;d take one step, my Dad would take two. Soon we were lookin in the eyes of at least eight free ranging plains bison (there may have been dozens more behind them). We couldn&#8217;t have been more than 30 feet away from the small herd.</p><p><a href="http://cdn.ibackpackcanada.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/horse-back-riding-prince-albert-national-park-saskatchewan-sturgeon-river-ranch-11.jpg" class="thickbox no_icon" title="Blue-skies-Birch-Trees-Saskatchewan"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-3759" title="Blue-skies-Birch-Trees-Saskatchewan" src="http://cdn.ibackpackcanada.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/horse-back-riding-prince-albert-national-park-saskatchewan-sturgeon-river-ranch-11.jpg" alt="Blue-skies-Birch-Trees-Saskatchewan" width="900" height="598" /></a></p><p>A final tree snap stopped me dead in my tracks. I looked at my old man and made eye contact, implying &#8220;If they move, I&#8217;m so out!&#8221; Several grunts and loud thumps on the ground forced me to take a step back. Then two. I looked up and blue skies and birch trees surrounded us, making a fast escape nearly impossible. Their noises progressively got louder, and I decided I had enough of playing chicken with thousand pound bisons. Another grunt &amp; crack, and I was out! &#8220;Only gotta be faster than the guy behind you&#8221; I remember hearing. We laughed as we got back to our horses, blown away with what we&#8217;d just done. Needless to say my Dad gave me a hard time for backing out before him.</p><p>I was completely speechless as I tried to thank Gord. &#8220;Awesome. Wow!&#8221;. He laughed and said &#8220;I didn&#8217;t realize how close you guys were!&#8221;. He laughed as he handed us back our reins. Had that been anyone else I&#8217;m sure he would have Clint Eastwood stared us so bad for getting that close. But Gord seemed to trust us. Nothing like having a cowboy on your side!</p><p><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-3762" title="Long meadow prince albert national park sk" src="http://cdn.ibackpackcanada.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/horse-back-riding-prince-albert-national-park-saskatchewan-sturgeon-river-ranch-9.jpg" alt="Long meadow prince albert national park sk" width="900" height="598" /></p><h3>Long Meadow &#8211; Prince Albert National Park, Saskatchewan</h3><p>We pushed forward, following a few rough trails. Gord warmly told us about the history of the bison and shared some of the incredible preservation work being done with bison. This man is clearly passionate about his work. Who else but a Saskatchewan Patriot would come out on Thanksgiving Day to show a couple outta-towners around. As the conversation died down, the scenery opened up. A natural clearing called &#8220;Long Meadow&#8221; greeted us.</p><p><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-3756" title="Horseback riding prince albert national park moose antlers" src="http://cdn.ibackpackcanada.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/horse-back-riding-prince-albert-national-park-saskatchewan-sturgeon-river-ranch-7.jpg" alt="Horseback riding prince albert national park moose antlers" width="900" height="598" /></p><p>It was a breathe of fresh air to see the flatlands again and to set my eyes on the big blue sky. As we entered the meadow a White-tail deer skipped back into the cover of the trees. We followed Gord and picked up our pace. Just a few prairie boys wandering the land by horse. We stopped a mile or two up the meadow as Gord pointed out some moose antlers. A mile up and he stops to point out another sign of wildlife. The remains of a bison.</p><p><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-3757" title="Bison-skull-buffalo-bones" src="http://cdn.ibackpackcanada.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/horse-back-riding-prince-albert-national-park-saskatchewan-sturgeon-river-ranch-8.jpg" alt="Bison-skull-buffalo-bones" width="900" height="598" /></p><h3>Bison Remains</h3><p>He explained what makes Prince Albert National Park so different from all the rest with one word. &#8220;Predation.&#8221; There&#8217;s a couple wolf packs in the area that hunt the weak, injured, and the old. It&#8217;s a common sight in the park. It&#8217;s pretty wild to think that something could actually take a bison out.</p><p><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-3758" title="Horses-grazing-Saskatchewa-Prince-Albert-National-Park" src="http://cdn.ibackpackcanada.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/horse-back-riding-prince-albert-national-park-saskatchewan-sturgeon-river-ranch-10.jpg" alt="Horses-grazing-Saskatchewa-Prince-Albert-National-Park" width="900" height="598" /></p><p>We stopped for lunch in the middle of Long Meadow and Gord continued to share stories. The mans got a bunch, but you&#8217;ll have to book him yourself to hear them all. The horses fueled up on wild grass while we gorged on sandwiches and some of the best home made cookies I&#8217;ve ever had. Then it was back in the saddle.</p><p><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-3763" title="Wild-Bison-Spotted-Saskatchewan-Prince-Albert-National-Park" src="http://cdn.ibackpackcanada.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/horse-back-riding-prince-albert-national-park-saskatchewan-sturgeon-river-ranch-13.jpg" alt="Wild-Bison-Spotted-Saskatchewan-Prince-Albert-National-Park" width="900" height="598" /></p><h3>Another herd of Bison</h3><p>A few miles up we had our second encounter with another small herd of bison. Once again they were hidden in the trees. If my camera had a fist, it would have been shaking it vigorously at them. I wanted to see them in the wide open, but I suppose it wasn&#8217;t meant to be! More the reason to come back again!</p><p><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-3764" title="horseback-long-shadows-sask" src="http://cdn.ibackpackcanada.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/horse-back-riding-prince-albert-national-park-saskatchewan-sturgeon-river-ranch-12.jpg" alt="horseback-long-shadows-sask" width="900" height="598" /></p><p>It was coming on the 5th hour of riding, and the sun was just beginning to set. We had one last leg of trails to hit before calling it a day. We found our way onto a rough dirt road. Gord explained that a lot of these roads were actually started by the Bison. When people started showing up in the area, they picked up where the bison left off and turned the rough trails into drive-able roads.</p><p><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-3765" title="Stoney Plain Meadow Prince Albert National Park - sturgeon river ranch" src="http://cdn.ibackpackcanada.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/horse-back-riding-prince-albert-national-park-saskatchewan-sturgeon-river-ranch-14.jpg" alt="Stoney Plain Meadow Prince Albert National Park" width="900" height="598" /></p><h3>Stoney Plain Meadow &#8211; Prince Albert National Park, Saskatchewan</h3><p>Our fearless leader wandered into rougher terrain. Steep hills and fast slopes was the name of the game. Rocks, trees, and the odd patch of mud reminded our horses not to stumble. The horses pulled through with ease, and we soon found ourselves on top of a hill, overlooking Stoney Plain Meadow. Gord pointed out where his family&#8217;s land was and we enjoyed the start of sunset. Good company, great ride, and one helluva view. The definition of a great way to end the day!</p><p><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-3766" title="Sturgeon River Ranch, Saskatchewan" src="http://cdn.ibackpackcanada.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/horse-back-riding-prince-albert-national-park-saskatchewan-sturgeon-river-ranch-15.jpg" alt="Sturgeon River Ranch, Saskatchewan" width="900" height="598" /></p><h3>Back at Sturgeon River Ranch</h3><p>We loaded up the horses and dropped them off at Sturgeon River Ranch. I bid farewell to my new four legged friend Applejack and thanked Gord for sharing his wealth of expertise. He gave us directions to Ness Creek and said he&#8217;d meet up with us shortly. We drove 20 minutes on gravel roads and eventually found the right road.</p><h3>Ness Creek Awaits</h3><p>As we pulled into the Ness Creek grounds, you could see that it was a place for artists, free thinkers, and eco-friendly community leaders. The craftsmanship in everything from the signs, to the cabins, to the pieces of outdoor art located throughout the grounds make you stop and think &#8220;I wish I did more stuff like this!&#8221;</p><p><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-3767" title="Sunset-tipi-saskatchewan-ness-creek" src="http://cdn.ibackpackcanada.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/horse-back-riding-prince-albert-national-park-saskatchewan-sturgeon-river-ranch-17.jpg" alt="Sunset-tipi-saskatchewan-ness-creek" width="900" height="598" /></p><p>We turned the bend and saw our accommodations for the night. Standing in the middle of a field was a traditionally built dakota tipi. The wooden poles pierced the orange sky, a light breeze blew the doorway gently. I stopped in my tracks to stand and take it all in before snapping a photo. Wild bison, a full day of riding in the boreal forest, and now a night under the stars. I thought to myself &#8220;I have this moment to be thankful for.&#8221;</p><blockquote><p>Big thanks goes out to Gord &amp; the Gang at Ness Creek for showing me around their little slice of heaven. If you want to see more wildlife photos be sure to check out the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/bison.stewards">Bison Stewards Facebook Page</a>. Same goes with the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/sturgeonriverranch">Sturgeon River Ranch Facebook page</a>! Stay tuned for an upcoming post on Ness Creek, in the mean time, check out <a href="http://youtu.be/LtEBVuaunYU">Gord Vaadeland&#8217;s appearance in Mantracker</a>.</p></blockquote><p><a href="http://ibackpackcanada.com/horseback-riding-prince-albert-national-park-sturgeon-river-ranch-photo-essay/">Horseback Riding in Prince Albert National Park with Sturgeon River Ranch [Photo Essay]</a> is a post from: <a href="http://ibackpackcanada.com" title="I Backpack Canada">I Backpack Canada</a></p> ]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>http://ibackpackcanada.com/horseback-riding-prince-albert-national-park-sturgeon-river-ranch-photo-essay/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>4</slash:comments> </item> <item><title>Sunday Canadian Travel Video: What is Canada to the United States of America?</title><link>http://ibackpackcanada.com/sunday-canadian-travel-video-what-is-canada-to-the-united-states-of-america/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=sunday-canadian-travel-video-what-is-canada-to-the-united-states-of-america</link> <comments>http://ibackpackcanada.com/sunday-canadian-travel-video-what-is-canada-to-the-united-states-of-america/#comments</comments> <pubDate>Sun, 20 Nov 2011 18:30:58 +0000</pubDate> <dc:creator>Corbin Fraser</dc:creator> <category><![CDATA[Blog]]></category> <category><![CDATA[History]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Video]]></category> <category><![CDATA[America]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Canada]]></category> <category><![CDATA[sunday canadian travel video]]></category><guid isPermaLink="false">http://ibackpackcanada.com/?p=3628</guid> <description><![CDATA[There are few relationships that go as deep as those between America and Canada. Which is why I highly recommend if you&#8217;re going to be backpacking Canada, you&#8217;d be a fool not to consider backpacking America as well. I stumbled upon this video yesterday after spending a full day working through another weekend (Who does [...]<p><a href="http://ibackpackcanada.com/sunday-canadian-travel-video-what-is-canada-to-the-united-states-of-america/">Sunday Canadian Travel Video: What is Canada to the United States of America?</a> is a post from: <a href="http://ibackpackcanada.com" title="I Backpack Canada">I Backpack Canada</a></p> ]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>There are few relationships that go as deep as those between America and Canada. Which is why I highly recommend if you&#8217;re going to be backpacking Canada, you&#8217;d be a fool not to consider backpacking America as well. I stumbled upon this video yesterday after spending a full day working through another weekend (Who does that!?). The beautiful scenery and strong words remind me that us Canadians, we&#8217;re pretty okay people. And we&#8217;re probably alright neighbours too. We can be a little sensitive at times, a little loud at others. Sure, we apologize often, and clearly have a need for everyone to like us. But whatever, we are who we are.</p><p>So allow the tire pumping to begin!</p><p><object width="580" height="325" classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><param name="src" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/bV_041oYDjg?version=3&amp;hl=en_US&amp;rel=0" /><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /><embed width="580" height="325" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/bV_041oYDjg?version=3&amp;hl=en_US&amp;rel=0" allowFullScreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" /></object></p><p><img class="alignright size-full wp-image-3647" title="sunday-canadian-travel-video" src="http://cdn.ibackpackcanada.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/sunday-canadian-travel-video.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" /></p><p><a href="http://ibackpackcanada.com/sunday-canadian-travel-video-what-is-canada-to-the-united-states-of-america/">Sunday Canadian Travel Video: What is Canada to the United States of America?</a> is a post from: <a href="http://ibackpackcanada.com" title="I Backpack Canada">I Backpack Canada</a></p> ]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>http://ibackpackcanada.com/sunday-canadian-travel-video-what-is-canada-to-the-united-states-of-america/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>3</slash:comments> </item> <item><title>Chasing Prairie Skyscrapers across the flatlands of Saskatchewan [Photo Essay]</title><link>http://ibackpackcanada.com/chasing-prairie-skyscrapers-across-the-flatlands-of-saskatchewan-photo-essay/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=chasing-prairie-skyscrapers-across-the-flatlands-of-saskatchewan-photo-essay</link> <comments>http://ibackpackcanada.com/chasing-prairie-skyscrapers-across-the-flatlands-of-saskatchewan-photo-essay/#comments</comments> <pubDate>Thu, 17 Nov 2011 04:24:45 +0000</pubDate> <dc:creator>Corbin Fraser</dc:creator> <category><![CDATA[Blog]]></category> <category><![CDATA[History]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Photo]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Saskatchewan]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Sightseeing]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Canada]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Farm]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Grain Elevator]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Photo Essay]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Photos]]></category> <category><![CDATA[SK]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Video]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Wheat Pool]]></category><guid isPermaLink="false">http://ibackpackcanada.com/?p=3604</guid> <description><![CDATA[The dry, arid winds of Saskatchewan hammer against my left arm. My hand is curved into a wing-like shape as I hang my forearm out the driver&#8217;s side window. I entertain myself with the magic of lift. It&#8217;s late September and I&#8217;m watching the yellow dashed lines extend into the horizon. The highway is empty and the [...]<p><a href="http://ibackpackcanada.com/chasing-prairie-skyscrapers-across-the-flatlands-of-saskatchewan-photo-essay/">Chasing Prairie Skyscrapers across the flatlands of Saskatchewan [Photo Essay]</a> is a post from: <a href="http://ibackpackcanada.com" title="I Backpack Canada">I Backpack Canada</a></p> ]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>The dry, arid winds of Saskatchewan hammer against my left arm. My hand is curved into a wing-like shape as I hang my forearm out the driver&#8217;s side window. I entertain myself with the magic of lift. It&#8217;s late September and I&#8217;m watching the yellow dashed lines extend into the horizon. The highway is empty and the land is flat. I stare at the small formation of clouds in what has to be one of the worlds biggest skies and breathe in the smell of gravel roads and fresh cut fields.</p><p><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-3610" title="flatlands-prairies-saskatchewan-canada" src="http://cdn.ibackpackcanada.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/flatlands-prairies-saskatchewan-canada-1.jpg" alt="Flatlands of the Saskatchewan Prairies" width="950" height="632" /></p><p>Driving through the Saskatchewan prairies can at times feel like you&#8217;re completely alone in the world. You begin to notice things. Things you might have overlooked, things you might take for granted. You notice your head swivelling slowly, scanning the horizon and looking for something, but you&#8217;re not sure what. When your eyes spot it, you pull over. Jutting out of the miles of flatlands is a wooden skyscraper.</p><h2><img class="size-full wp-image-3611" title="Moreland-Grain-Elevator-Saskatchewan" src="http://cdn.ibackpackcanada.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Moreland-Grain-Elevator-Saskatchewan-2.jpg" alt="Moreland-Grain-Elevator-Saskatchewan" width="855" height="639" /></h2><h2>The Saskatchewan Grain Elevators</h2><p>While they may not break any world records for building height, and they sure aren&#8217;t the most sophisticated pieces of architecture. They&#8217;re different. And they&#8217;re disappearing one at a time. The Grain Elevators of Saskatchewan are an endangered species. What was once a common sight across Saskatchewan has now become an opportunity to see an era fade into the history books. Something people may someday see in pictures but never get the opportunity to see with their own eyes.</p><p><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-3620" title="Kinistino-Saskatchewan-Elevator" src="http://cdn.ibackpackcanada.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Kinistino-Saskatchewan-Elevator-1.jpg" alt="Kinistino-Saskatchewan-Elevator" width="950" height="632" /></p><h3>Chasing Prairie Skyscrapers</h3><p>During my recent travels throughout Saskatchewan I made an effort to find as  many of these dying creatures as I could. The Grain Elevators of Saskatchewan offer a unique look at an important time in human civilization. These wooden castles helped feed the world. Before elevators, grain was hauled in bags and towed by horse and carriage. The idea of modern farming we see today didn&#8217;t begin until the late 1800&#8242;s with the invention of the Grain Elevator.</p><div id="attachment_3614" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 865px"><img class="size-full wp-image-3614 " title="Wood-Mountain-Grain-Elevator-Saskatchewan" src="http://cdn.ibackpackcanada.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Wood-Mountain-Grain-Elevator-Saskatchewan-1.jpg" alt="Wood-Mountain-Grain-Elevator-Saskatchewan" width="855" height="569" /><p class="wp-caption-text">Wood Mountain Elevator</p></div><h3>The Elevators are in my blood</h3><p>My Grandpa was one of the thousands of labourers who helped construct the Grain Elevators in Saskatchewan throughout the mid 1900&#8242;s. He died at a fairly young age due to lung complications caused by breathing in mass amounts of grain dust throughout his life. This was a danger that was unknown back in those times. While I never really got to know him, I do know that some of the elevators built with his hands still stand today. Others he worked on have met their fate on the ground which they proudly stood over for decades.</p><h3><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-3615" title="Prairie-Skyscraper-Saskatchewan-Elevator" src="http://cdn.ibackpackcanada.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Prairie-Skyscraper-Saskatchewan-Elevator-1.jpg" alt="Prairie-Skyscraper-Saskatchewan-Elevator" width="855" height="569" /></h3><h3>The Grain Elevators Are Vanishing</h3><p>In the 1930&#8242;s there was said to be over 3,300 grain elevators in Saskatchewan. That number has plummeted to roughly 450 in recent years. It&#8217;s my hopes that more will be done to protect and preserve these unique pieces of Saskatchewan history. Unfortunately they&#8217;re being demolished at an alarming rate due to concerns for safety and cost of maintenance. Some call them Tinder Boxes, others call them an Eye Sore; however, there is growing support to save them. Many communities are coming together to protect them.</p><h3><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-3616" title="Wood-Elevator-SK-prairie-Sentinals" src="http://cdn.ibackpackcanada.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Wood-Elevator-SK-prairie-centinals-1.jpg" alt="Wood-Elevator-SK-prairie-Sentinals" width="855" height="569" /></h3><h3>Protecting the Prairie Elevators</h3><p>It&#8217;s an uphill battle, but the local Saskatchewan community is coming together to try their best to protect the grain elevators. The Western Development Museum in North Battleford currently has a working 1920&#8242;s elevator on display. Several small communities have also converted their elevators into museums and restaurantes. Rural communities with a strong enough voice continue to partner with the Saskatchewan Heritage Foundation to save their local elevator. This problem of the disappearing elevators isn&#8217;t unique to Saskatchewan. Alberta &amp; Manitoba face the exact same problems.</p><div id="attachment_3618" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 865px"><img class="size-full wp-image-3618 " title="Morse-Grain-Elevator-Saskatchewan" src="http://cdn.ibackpackcanada.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Morse-Grain-Elevator-Saskatchewan-1.jpg" alt="Morse-Grain-Elevator-Saskatchewan" width="855" height="569" /><p class="wp-caption-text">Morse Elevators</p></div><h3>The Prairie Skyline is Changing</h3><p>Time is running short for the prairie skyline. Most of the wooden-cribbed grain elevators are showing wear and tear. The province of Saskatchewan is changing fast. Rural areas are growing smaller and smaller while the 5 urban city centres of Saskatchewan continue to grow each year. In response to this exodus, ghost town&#8217;s continue to be born.</p><p><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-3619" title="Prairie-Grain-Elevator-Saskatchewan" src="http://cdn.ibackpackcanada.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Prairie-Grain-Elevator-Saskatchewan-1.jpg" alt="Prairie-Grain-Elevator-Saskatchewan" width="950" height="632" /></p><p>I fully understand that there is no way for all of the elevators to be saved. Times will always be changing, and newer elevators are needed in order to meet the demand of a growing population. However, these elevators are a piece of the past, and a past that in my eyes is worth preserving. There is really no time like the present to see and photograph what&#8217;s left of the Prairie Skyscrapers. Chasing them can become an addiction and can easily be the basis to one of the greatest Saskatchewan road trips you&#8217;ll ever take.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/1Esrf5dGeVk?rel=0&amp;hd=1" frameborder="0" width="800" height="437"></iframe></p><blockquote><p>For more about the problems facing the Grain Elevators check out the National Film Board&#8217;s documentary &#8220;<a href="http://vimeo.com/11947028">Death of A Skyline</a>&#8220;. I managed to find it online on Vimeo, and while it&#8217;s a little dated, you do learn a lot more about the locals plight. Be sure to check out some of the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vMRithjcuWY">demolition videos</a>, its oddly depressing to <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&#038;v=1Esrf5dGeVk">see them fall</a>.</p></blockquote><p>&nbsp;</p><p><a href="http://ibackpackcanada.com/chasing-prairie-skyscrapers-across-the-flatlands-of-saskatchewan-photo-essay/">Chasing Prairie Skyscrapers across the flatlands of Saskatchewan [Photo Essay]</a> is a post from: <a href="http://ibackpackcanada.com" title="I Backpack Canada">I Backpack Canada</a></p> ]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>http://ibackpackcanada.com/chasing-prairie-skyscrapers-across-the-flatlands-of-saskatchewan-photo-essay/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>5</slash:comments> </item> <item><title>Exploring The Big Muddy Badlands &amp; Castle Butte [Photo Essay]</title><link>http://ibackpackcanada.com/exploring-the-big-muddy-badlands-castle-butte/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=exploring-the-big-muddy-badlands-castle-butte</link> <comments>http://ibackpackcanada.com/exploring-the-big-muddy-badlands-castle-butte/#comments</comments> <pubDate>Tue, 08 Nov 2011 18:57:40 +0000</pubDate> <dc:creator>Corbin Fraser</dc:creator> <category><![CDATA[Photo]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Saskatchewan]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Sightseeing]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Badlands]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Big Muddy]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Castle Butte]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Cowboys]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Prairies]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Sam Kelly]]></category> <category><![CDATA[SK]]></category><guid isPermaLink="false">http://ibackpackcanada.com/?p=3559</guid> <description><![CDATA[Over the years I&#8217;ve become quite good at explaining to others what Saskatchewan looks like. It&#8217;s more than just 7 hours across and a whole bunch of farmland. If you take the time to get off Highway 1 you&#8217;ll find yourself in one of the most unique and beautiful provinces in Canada. Case and point, [...]<p><a href="http://ibackpackcanada.com/exploring-the-big-muddy-badlands-castle-butte/">Exploring The Big Muddy Badlands &#038; Castle Butte [Photo Essay]</a> is a post from: <a href="http://ibackpackcanada.com" title="I Backpack Canada">I Backpack Canada</a></p> ]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Over the years I&#8217;ve become quite good at explaining to others what Saskatchewan looks like. It&#8217;s more than just 7 hours across and a whole bunch of farmland. If you take the time to get off Highway 1 you&#8217;ll find yourself in one of the most unique and beautiful provinces in Canada. Case and point, drive south to the Big Muddy Badlands and see what I mean.</p><p><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-3565" title="Prairies-in-Saskatchewan" src="http://cdn.ibackpackcanada.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Prairies-in-Saskatchewan-1.jpg" alt="Prairies-in-Saskatchewan" width="950" height="632" /></p><h3>Country Roads, Take Me Home</h3><p>On my recent trip back to my home province of Saskatchewan I decided it was time I get photographic proof of my explantations. My solo mission through Saskatchewan was to be a rediscovery of my home province. I made sure to take in parts of Saskatchewan I hadn&#8217;t seen in years, and some I&#8217;d never seen at all.</p><p><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-3563" title="Saskatchewan-Prairie-Fields" src="http://cdn.ibackpackcanada.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Saskatchewan-Prairie-Fields-1.jpg" alt="Saskatchewan-Prairie-Fields" width="950" height="632" /></p><h3>Drive South on HWY 6</h3><p>Driving south from Regina will gradually take you through a sequence of topographies. Now you might be laughing at the use of the word &#8220;topographies&#8221; while describing Saskatchewan. &#8220;<em>Isn&#8217;t it pretty flat there?</em>&#8221; is the typical response from someone who&#8217;s never seen much of the prairies. Sure, we&#8217;ve got a few hundred thousand square kilometers of flatlands, but there&#8217;s more to it than that.</p><p><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-3564" title="Rolling-Hills-Prairies-Saskatchewan" src="http://cdn.ibackpackcanada.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Rolling-Hills-Prairies-Saskatchewan-1.jpg" alt="Rolling-Hills-Prairies-Saskatchewan" width="950" height="632" /></p><h3>Rolling Prairie Hills</h3><p>After roughly 2 hours of driving south, you&#8217;ll come across the rolling prairie hills. They&#8217;re still farmed like the flatlands, and still feel like &#8220;Saskatchewan&#8221;, but these hills have an uncanny ability of stealing your attention. As you continue driving, these rolling hills turn into something totally different. The fields of wheat, canola, and barley begin to disappear as you arrive in one of my favourite regions of Saskatchewan. The Big Muddy Badlands! Even saying it aloud makes you feel like a cowboy.</p><h3>The Big Muddy Badlands</h3><p>The Big Muddy Badlands are located along the Big Muddy Creek and extend all the way to Montana. They&#8217;re located inside the Big Muddy Valley. This unique valley is 55 kilometres [34 mile] long, 3.2 kilometres [2mile] wide &amp; 160 metres [520 feet] deep. It&#8217;s one of the driest and most rugged regions of Saskatchewan.</p><p><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-3566" title="Saskatchewan-Badlands" src="http://cdn.ibackpackcanada.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Saskatchewan-Badlands-1.jpg" alt="Saskatchewan-Badlands" width="950" height="632" /></p><h3>What Goes on in the Big Muddy?</h3><p>Bandits! Well, there used to be bandits. Back in the late 1800&#8242;s and early 1900&#8242;s the Big Muddy Badlands formed the northern tip of the Bandit Trail. This trail was used by world renown horse bandits Sundance Kid, Dutch Henry, Pigeon Toed Kid, Coyote Pete, and my personal favourite, Sam Kelly (more on him in a later post).</p><p>Nowadays the Big Muddy is known for its Horseback riding, cattle ranching, farming, and some of Saskatchewans most exciting highway drives. The rocky cliffs and carved out valleys are so foreign after hours of flatland, that its hard to believe you&#8217;re actually still in Saskatchewan.</p><p>It&#8217;s easy to get distracted in the Big Muddy. I had to remind myself that I was here for a reason. I was trying to find Castle Butte, a 70 meter relic from the ice age; similar to Uluru (In Australia), only on a smaller scale. I had stumbled upon it years ago online and decided I had to check it out.</p><p><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-3567" title="Big-Muddy-Badlands" src="http://cdn.ibackpackcanada.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Big-Muddy-Badlands-1.jpg" alt="Big-Muddy-Badlands" width="950" height="632" /></p><h3>Finding Castle Butte</h3><p>One would assume that it&#8217;d be easy to spot, but it&#8217;s actually surprisingly tricky to find. Highways in this part of Saskatchewan can be tough to navigate, signs tend to be few and far between. While some may find this to be a minor inconvenience, I quite enjoy getting lost and finding my way back onto the correct path. It typically leads to a few self deprecating laughs.</p><p>Turning onto <strong>Highway 34</strong>, south of Bengough, I finally see a sign indicating I&#8217;m on the right track. I drive through a texas gate, and begin to wonder if I&#8217;m trespassing on someones property. I ignore that thought and continue on. <em>Signs don&#8217;t lie, do they?</em></p><p><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-3568" title="Castle-Butte-highway-34" src="http://cdn.ibackpackcanada.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Castle-Butte-afar-1.jpg" alt="Castle-Butte-highway-34" width="950" height="632" /></p><h3>Thar she be!</h3><p>As the gravel road curves, I spot it. Looming over the dry pasture land is Castle Butte. I snap a few pictures from afar and continue on. As I drive up the winding road a welcome sign greets me. I park my car at the base of the ancient monument and look up.</p><p><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-3569" title="Castle-Butte-Sign" src="http://cdn.ibackpackcanada.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Castle-Butte-Sign-1.jpg" alt="Castle-Butte-Sign" width="950" height="632" /></p><h3>Welcome to Castle Butte</h3><p>Gazing up at this massive prairie goliath I laugh in excitement. I start by doing a full lap around the perimeter of Castle Butte, deciding whats the best route to begin the climb. As I complete the full 360 degree circle I realize that the first walkway up was the best. Before setting out to climb, I decide to check out some of the small caverns that have been erroded into the sandstone &amp; clay.</p><p><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-3579" title="Castle-Butte-Big-Muddy-Badlands" src="http://cdn.ibackpackcanada.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Castle-Butte-Big-Muddy-Badlands-1.jpg" alt="Castle-Butte-Big-Muddy-Badlands" width="950" height="632" /></p><h3>A Small Saskatchewan Cave</h3><p>I climb into the darkness, using the flash of my camera to see how far this Saskatchewan cave goes. It appears to narrow out at about 12 feet at which point it stops. The cave juts in and out at all angles, making for an awkward crawl. I bump my head twice and rub the location of impact. I&#8217;m clearly not cut out for spelunking.</p><p><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-3578" title="Castle-Butte-Cave" src="http://cdn.ibackpackcanada.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Castle-Butte-Cav-1.jpg" alt="Castle-Butte-Cave" width="950" height="632" /></p><h3>Ryan Was Here</h3><p>I feel my way out and spot several carved names inside the cave. Looks like &#8220;Ryan&#8221; beat me here. I exit the tiny cave and breathe a sigh of relief for not being crushed to death by Castle Butte. The sun is still shining and this giant piece of rock is calling my name.</p><p><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-3580" title="Castle-Butte" src="http://cdn.ibackpackcanada.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Castle-Butte-1.jpg" alt="Castle-Butte" width="950" height="632" /></p><h3>Commencing the Climb</h3><p>I began climbing, carefully stepping between crevices, hoping with each step that I don&#8217;t lose my grip and roll to the bottom. The first half of the climb is mostly just a steep walk. As I get about halfway up it picks up in difficulty. While it&#8217;s by all means not the toughest climb, there are a several spots that require all four limbs and a decent balance.</p><p><a href="http://cdn.ibackpackcanada.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Castle-Butte-SK-From-Top-1.jpg" class="thickbox no_icon" title="Castle-Butte-SK-From-Top"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-3581" title="Castle-Butte-SK-From-Top" src="http://cdn.ibackpackcanada.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Castle-Butte-SK-From-Top-1.jpg" alt="Castle-Butte-SK-From-Top" width="950" height="632" /></a></p><h3>Pause &amp; Picture</h3><p>I paused to catch my breathe and snap a couple photos as I approached the top of Castle Butte. Looking back down below provided an incredible view of the Big Muddy Badlands. I smiled and pushed on.<em> &#8221;Only 15 feet or so before I&#8217;m able to comfortably stand and relax.&#8221; </em>I thought to myself.</p><p><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-3582" title="Corbin Fraser Hiking Castle Butte" src="http://cdn.ibackpackcanada.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Castle-Butte-Hiking-Corbin-Fraser-1.jpg" alt="Corbin Fraser Hiking Castle Butte" width="950" height="713" /></p><h3>King of the Castle</h3><p>I reached the top of Castle Butte and pulled myself up. As I regained my posture I commenced the first among many 360s. The vista that was before me was a mix of prairie flatlands, harsh rocky cliffs and badlands. The blue sky above shined down on what had to be one of the warmest fall days in Saskatchewan history.</p><p>I snapped a few photos and found a spot to place my backpack. Just as I was about to relax my phone began kicking off in my pocket. I laughed to myself &#8220;<em>Looks like I&#8217;m back in cell phone reception</em>&#8220;. I opened a newly received email from my Grandma. <em>&#8220;Hows the trip going?&#8221;</em> she asks. I decided to take advantage of the reception and send her a few photos and explain exactly where I am, knowing she&#8217;ll get a kick out of it. Bernice is awesome that way!</p><p><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-3583" title="Castle-Butte-Drive" src="http://cdn.ibackpackcanada.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Castle-Butte-drive-1.jpg" alt="Castle-Butte-Drive" width="950" height="632" /></p><p>I must have spent nearly an hour on the top of Castle Butte. During that hour I didn&#8217;t see a single human soul. Not even one car drove by. The closest thing to company was a small herd of black angus cattle a couple miles away who would occasionally hollar out &#8220;hello&#8221; to me. Sitting on the top of Castle Butte I said a quick thank you to the last ice age for being so awesome and carving this giant monster out of the prairies. This relic of a landmark is hands down one of the coolest places I&#8217;ve ever been to in Saskatchewan.</p><blockquote><p>Note: Castle Butte isn&#8217;t pinned on Google Maps yet  so I managed to use my phones GPS to grab the coordinates and mapped them below. This might be the only modern<strong> map to Castle Butte</strong> so use it wisely. If you get lost there are a few service stations in the area that might be able to offer directions. The town of Coronach is the tourism hub for this region so they should be helpful as well.</p></blockquote><p>&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><a href="http://ibackpackcanada.com/exploring-the-big-muddy-badlands-castle-butte/">Exploring The Big Muddy Badlands &#038; Castle Butte [Photo Essay]</a> is a post from: <a href="http://ibackpackcanada.com" title="I Backpack Canada">I Backpack Canada</a></p> ]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>http://ibackpackcanada.com/exploring-the-big-muddy-badlands-castle-butte/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>12</slash:comments> </item> </channel> </rss>
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