Day 30, 31, 32: Moose Jaw

Our 3 days of R&R were mandatory (as we were awaiting the arrival of my laptop in Moose Jaw) but were more than welcome. There was so much stuff to do that we were entertained the whole time, and we still left intriguing activities that are sure to draw us back.

We discovered the beautiful Crescent Park that encompasses 8 city blocks. Once, literally, a garbage pit, it was transformed into a park in the 1920s. Inspired by FDR's "New Deal," the Mayor hired 200 men for $0.25 a day (which they were happy to take over unemployment) to clean, sculpt and plant. Every tree, shrub and flower in the park was planted by hand.

There are 36 murals in the city depicting moments in its history. We made it to about half before getting muralled out and giving up. We revived ourselves with what turned out to be the best gelato either of us have ever had.

Walking around looking at the architecture is an event in itself; especially when equipped with a camera. We captured many a picture of schools, churches, banks and the liquor store (formerly a CPR station). We had great photos so share with you. You may have noticed that we have not shared any with you, in fact not since pre-Medicine Hat. On the night of July 5th at approximately 9:30 pm Brandon's camera was stolen right out of our tent. Luckily we managed to salvage 51 of our pictures from the computer at the Medicine Hat tourism office where we had last updated before the theft. Unfortunately no one will ever see the comical sequence of Brandon bumping his head and almost falling off of the "Saskatchewan Naturally" sign which welcomes visitors across the Alberta/Saskatchewan border. Nor will anyone see the many photos of the Moose Jaw architecture taken with the camera (Katie has some too though so not all is lost). Most importantly though, no one will ever see the photo of our makeshift outhouse, a cylindrical hay bale on the side of highway.

Despite one bad experience, Moose Jaw still remains near the top of our highlights list thus far. We recommend Moose Jaw to anyone! Who knew?

B&K