Canada Coast To Coast

1. British Columbia
2. Alberta
3. Saskatchewan
4. Manitoba
5. Ontario
6. Quebec
7. New Brunswick
8. Prince Edward Island
9. Nova Scotia
10. Newfoundland

  This year Canada is celebrating its 150th year of Confederation.  We are lucky enough to have seen the country from coast to coast.  We have been to all ten provinces and even touched the tidal waters of Nunavut from Churchill, Manitoba.  The territories are on our travel wish list.  Below is a list of just one of our favourite things from each province.

1 ) British Columbia

BC has the animals, the Pacific Ocean and so much more. One of our favourite things was tea at The Empress Hotel in Victoria. Read More

2 ) Alberta

Alberta shares the Rocky Mountains with BC, but Alberta has Jasper, Banff and Lake Louise.  We fell in love with the snow capped mountains. Read More.

3 ) Saskatchewan

Yes it is flat, but the fields with rolls of hay and the blue skies have a feel all their own.  It also seemed to have a never ending sunset as we drove westward. Read More

4 ) Manitoba

This is the furthest north we have ever been in Canada.  Our favourite thing in Manitoba is the polar bears of Churchill. Read More.

5 ) Ontario

We spend most of our time in the province of Ontario.  Algonquin Park is our favourite place to really get away from it all. Read More.

6 ) Quebec

Hotel de Glace is built each winter just outside of Quebec City.  We spent a night inside this palace of ice. Read More.

7 ) New Brunswick

The Hopewell Rocks are formed by the high tidal fluctuations that occur in the area.  You can walk down beneath the unusual rocks and 6 hours later the water has returned and filled everything back in. Read More.

8 ) Prince Edward Island

Our brief two day visit to PEI was 48 hours of rain.  We did enjoy getting to and from the island.  First we drove across the marvel that is Confederation Bridge and then we saw the red soil when we left on a ferry.  We will return.  Read More.

9 ) Nova Scotia

Nova Scotia has Peggy's Cove and Cape Breton Island.  One of our best days in the province was spent at the Halifax Public Gardens. Read More.

10 ) Newfoundland

Iceberg Alley passes right around the top of Newfoundland.  We were lucky to see these gigantic 10,000 year old pieces of glacial ice as they floated in the Atlantic Ocean. Read More.

Ten provinces and ten wonderful memories.  

HAPPY 150th BIRTHDAY CANADA !!

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Map of Our World
Banff Gondola , Saskatchewan , Hopewell Rocks Park , Halifax Public Gardens , Witless Bay
Empress Hotel , Hotel De Glace , Confederation Bridge
Tundra Buggy Tour , Algonquin Park (Lake Opeongo)

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Post # 181

Dog River (aka Rouleau)

Location: Rouleau, Saskatchewan, Canada
Address: Main Street
Date: Oct 2014
Website:  www.cornergas.com

  The fictional town of Dog River, Saskatchewan is where the television show Corner Gas takes place.  A set was built for the show in the very real town of Rouleau, Saskatchewan.  The set which consisted of the Corner Gas station and The Ruby Cafe was recently torn down.  All of the other buildings used for filming are real places that are still standing in this small prairie town (well, maybe not the FOO  MAR  T).  Anyway, let's pay a visit to Dog River.

The Grain Elevator

  Most small towns proudly have their name painted on the grain elevator as this is the first thing you see as you approach the town.  The Rouleau grain elevator has been re-painted so that it reads Dog River.  Despite the show ending in 2009, the grain elevator was never painted again.  On the show, you can see the elevator in the background just behind the Corner Gas station and The Ruby Cafe.

The Howler

  Most of the Corner Gas action takes place on Main Street in Rouleau.  The Dog River Howler is the town's newspaper and is sort of a hard hitting tabloid with bad spelling.  Some example headlines are "New Tree Attracts Boozy Element", "Cattle Killed By Werewolfs" or "Cop Nabs Barely Thief".  The Dog River residents rely on the Howler to get the real scoop on what is happening in town.

The Dog River Hotel

  The Dog River Hotel is home to Phil's bar.  The residents of Dog River hang out here to enjoy a drink after work.  In Corner Gas: The Movie, Brent buys the bar in order to help try and save the town.  Wanda once threw herself a birthday party in the bar because she convinced everyone else that she hates parties.  The Dog River Hotel is located directly across the street from The Howler.

Dog River Municipal Office

  A little further along the road is the Dog River Municipal Office.  This is where local law enforcement, Davis (Lorne Cardinal) and Karen (Tara Spencer-Nairn) can usually be found.

  According to the sign on the door it is home to Mayor Fitzy as well as the Police Office and Public Works.  It was just outside of these offices where Lacey filled in a pothole and speeding became rampant on Main Street.

Oscar and Emma's House

   The main character of Corner Gas is Brent Leroy.  Oscar and Emma are Brent's parents.  They are played by Eric Peterson and Janet Wright.  Oscar is always getting worked up over one thing or another and Emma is the one who takes charge.  Their house is located just a few blocks away from Main Street. Davis and Oscar spent one entire episode stuck up on the roof of this house as they kept letting their ladder fall over.
  We enjoyed our visit to Dog River (aka Rouleau) and it reminded us of how much we enjoyed watching Corner Gas.  We hope you found our blog post informative.  Now we don't know the same things you don't know about Dog River.

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Map of Our World
Dog River Grain Elevator , The Howler , Dog River Hotel , Dog River Municipal Office , Oscar & Emma's House

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Post # 146

Corner Gas Set

Location: Rouleau, Saskatchewan, Canada
Address: 1st Ave. & Weckman Drive
Date: Oct 2014
Website:  www.cornergas.com

  You think there's not a lot goin' on?  Unfortunately, there seems to be even less with each passing year.  As fans of the television show Corner Gas, we are glad that we paid a visit to the town of Rouleau, Saskatchewan when we did.  The show aired from 2004 to 2009 and was very popular all across Canada.  In the summer of 2014 they filmed Corner Gas: The Movie in Rouleau.  We arrived in the fall of 2014 after filming of the movie had finished and before the movie was released.

   Many of Rouleau's actual buildings were used for the filming of Corner Gas and make up the fictional town of Dog River.  Just one month before we arrived, the building that was used as the "FOO  MAR  T"  (that's FOOD MARKET with a few letters missing) burnt down.  You can see the damage in the photo above.

  The FOO  MAR  T isn't the only building that no longer stands in Rouleau.  On November 4th 2016 the long standing set from Corner Gas was torn down.  This building was erected specifically for filming of the show.  It consisted of the gas station that was run by Brent Leroy (Brent Butt) and the Ruby Cafe that was run by Lacey (Gabrielle Miller).  When we visited, the main signs and embellishments had been taken down and all the windows were boarded up. 

  You could see from the back that this building was never intended for longevity.

  The gas station scenes were filmed on location. You can often see vehicles heading down the road in the background while Brent, Wanda and Hank are having discussions in front of the cash register.  Brent is the owner of Corner Gas and Wanda (Nancy Robertson) works there, or tries not to.  Hank (Fred Ewanuick) just always seems to be hanging around.  Thankfully, there is an actual gas station in town just in case the set fooled a driver into pulling off of the highway.

  When the residents of Dog River are not at Corner Gas they seem to spend all of their time inside the Ruby Cafe.  The show's success comes from its writing. The characters are all likeable and their banter back and forth is hilarious. As the theme song, by Craig Northey of Canadian band The Odds, says
"And that's why you can stay so long where there's not a lot goin' on."

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Map of Our World
Corner Gas Set , FOO MAR T

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Post # 144

Downtown Saturday Night

Location: Kipling, Saskatchewan, Canada
Address: 6th Avenue
Date: Oct 2014
Website: townofkipling.ca

  The town of Kipling, Saskatchewan has a population of about 1100 people.  According to the town website it was named after author Rudyard Kipling who wrote The Jungle Book.  Being a small town it has a strong sense of community.  A mural by Janet Blackstock is painted on the corner of 6th Ave and Main Street.  It depicts the town coming together on a typical Saturday night.  Children play in the street as the adults gather in groups around their vehicles.  The crowds all seem to be headed towards one building which is painted red like the town's famous paper clip.  The words Downtown Saturday Night are written on the side of the building.  We actually visited Kipling on a Saturday, but needed to be back in Winnipeg, Manitoba that evening.  While we were taking pictures of the mural, the sun was already starting to set and was making quite a glare on the wall.  By the time the sun fully set across the prairies we were already well on our way to Winnipeg.  We may never know what actually happens in Kipling on a Saturday night, once the sun goes down.

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Map of Our World
Downtown Saturday Night

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Post # 105

World’s Largest Paper Clip

Location: Kipling, Saskatchewan, Canada
Address: Bell Park 6th Avenue
Date: Oct 2014
Website: townofkipling.ca

  The small town of Kipling, Saskatchewan has the world's largest paper clip on display.  The paper clip is over 15 feet tall and and weighs 3043 lbs.  The paper clip represents a series of internet trades that also made it into the Guinness Book of World Records.  When we drove from Regina, Saskatchewan to Winnipeg, Manitoba we specifically detoured in order to check it out.
   It all started in 2005 when Kyle Macdonald traded a red paper clip online for a fish shaped pen.  He then traded the pen for a door knob and so on and so on.  Eventually, he ended up trading a KISS snow globe with actor Corbin Bernsen.  KISS is a band best known for their painted faces, stage pyrotechnics and Gene Simmons' tongue.  Corbin Bernsen is best known for appearing in the Major League movies or as Arnie Becker on the television show L.A. Law. As a result of all this trading Corbin now has a star in front of the giant paper clip.

  The snow globe was traded for a movie role.  This is where the town of Kipling finally became involved.  The movie role was offered online and the town of Kipling traded the house at 503 Main Street.  One of the residents of Kipling acted in Corbin Bernsen's movie Donna On Demand.  The trading was complete and the big red paperclip was erected in Bell Park.  It now joins a long line of world's biggest items that draw tourists like ourselves to small towns like Kipling.  Not many of them can boast such a story as this one red paper clip.

  One question we have is if a paper clip is defined by its shape or its function?  While this giant red steel bar has been bent into the traditional paper clip shape one wonders if it would be capable of actually holding paper.  Aside from the fact it would need giant sized pieces of paper, we wonder who or what would give it that slight bend needed in order to slide some paper into place?

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Map of Our World
World’s Largest Paper Clip

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Post # 104

Rusty The Elephant

Location: Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada
Address: 2311 12th Ave.
Date: Oct 2014
Website: esask.uregina.ca

  Behind the Regina Public Library near the corners of 12th Avenue and Smith Street stands Rusty.  Rusty is a life sized elephant made out of iron bars.  He was given his appropriate name by some elementary students from a local school.  You would be rusty too if you were made out of metal and left out year round in the rain and snow.  Russell Yurisity is the Saskatchewan artist who created this piece back in 1981.  Poor Rusty is feeling hollow inside since he only consists of a wire frame.  This gives him a sadness, which it could be said that all elephants possess.  His hollow frame also often makes him hard to see depending on what is happening on the street around him. There is still something about elephants, including Rusty, that makes them endearing.  This would explain why Rusty has been a welcome site to Regina visitors for over 30 years now.

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Map of Our World
Rusty The Elephant

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Post # 82