Beechy Sandcastles

Drive 20 minutes southwest of the small Saskatchewan town of Beechy and you'll think you're in a whole other country, not smack dab in the middle of the Canadian Prairies.  Whitney and I hopped in her trusty burnt orange jeep (lovingly named Juan Pablo) and made the 200km drive from Saskatoon to see for ourselves what the north shore of Lake Diefenbaker on Treaty 6 Territory has to offer.

A few km's after passing the town of Beechy, we turned left onto Howendale School Road and followed it to a Hutterite farm.  There we turned left once more and continued south, eventually entering onto the private land where the sandcastles are located.  There are small signs along this rough seasonal road (Juan handled the terrain well but I'm not sure how my little Ford Focus would have held up) pointing in the direction of the breathtaking views.  We even ran into the new landowners who were making a few adjustments to the road alongside the previous owner.  We expressed our gratitude for the work they've done and are continuing to do in keeping the area accessible and they warned us to keep an eye out for their cows grazing in the hills as we were exploring. 

Because our time was limited (and I waited to do my "research" until 1am the night before) we didn't make it all the way out to the main castles you can see top centre in the photo above.  We still enjoyed spectacular views in every direction, however, and had a fun afternoon hiking down to the lake for a swim.  The unique landscapes were a treat to photograph and I'm already scheming my return - which I think will have to include an overnight stay.

Music: New Sunglasses by Matt Epp & the Amorian Assembly