From the Grande Coudée to the Rivière du Bras

(Saskatoon-Regina) (Suggested duration: 2 to 3 days, depending on the addition of excursions)

In the plains of Saskatchewan, landmarks tend to be more valley-like than mountain-like. Along Highway # 11, leaving Saskatoon towards Regina, you will see an artificial mountain - Mount Blackstrap – created in 1970 by the Canadian government for the Canada Winter Games of 1971, reaching a modest altitude of 623 meters above sea level.
At Davidson, you can turn west on Highway # 44 and head to the friendly vacation spot of the village of Elbow on the shores of Lake Diefenbaker. The lake was named in honour of the former Prime Minister from Saskatchewan, who was not fluent in French but very popular then. Created in 1967 following the construction of the Gardiner hydroelectric dam, it is 225 kilometres long and offers 800 kilometres of magnificent shores of sandy beaches. It's Saskatchewan's paradise for sailing sports, as evidenced by the pretty marina of Elbow, nestled in one of the many protected branches of the vast lake. Elbow is so named because of its strategic location at the "bend" of the lake.

Back on Highway #11, continuing south, you will see to the east, shortly after Davidson, a deep valley that the road will follow for about 100 km. It is the Bras River valley, a small Qu'Appelle River tributary known today as the Arm River. This deep valley with steep sides was formed 11,000 years ago during the retreat of the last glaciation. In his diary, the explorer Augustus J. Thibodo recounts losing a good mule from his caravan in 1859 (according to Carol Léonard's directory of toponyms, "Memory of names"). At least one settler had built a makeshift sod house on the side of the valley in the style of the pioneers, whose cast iron stove was still visible a few years ago at the height of Aylesbury. Even today, when a sudden heavy rain causes the water level to rise above the road crossings, lake whitefish seize the opportunity to cross the road on this improvised waterway, much to the delight of those lucky enough to witness it.

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