#3: [09-May-04]

#1: [10-Aug-01] (incomplete)

09-Feb-2002 -- If at first you don't succeed ... try again! Last August we could not get to this confluence because it was out in Martin's Lake. Either we had to get a boat or we had to wait for Mother Nature's assistance. We waited for Mother Nature. She froze the lake. The ice was good and thick and the weather warmer than the -30°C of the previous week. It was time to try again.

At 7:38 AM we left Regina in darkness for the 370 km trip north. At first light it was cloudy and dull, then there were miles of thick fog. Thankfully by the time we reached Martin's Lake the sun had burned through the fog, the sky was blue and the views were beautiful. Instead of parking by the highway and walking a kilometer as we did last August, we took the Regional Park road which took us around the lake, past the golf course and to the cottages on the west side of the lake.

We parked on the cottage road 166 meters from the confluence and walked out onto the lake finding the spot without difficulty. About fourty meters from the confluence a truck was parked beside an ice fishing shack. The two friendly fishermen explained their set up and let us take their photo by the fishing shack. The yellow cover over the hole drilled through the ice is visible in the foreground (see picture #6). When a fish is hooked the red flag pops upright to alert the fishermen of a catch. Just as we finished taking the confluence photos I spotted something silver grey flopping and flailing on the ice. We went over to have a look and sure enough they had caught a small Jackfish. It was about to get fried up for lunch. Talk about fresh fish! There were several ice fishing shacks on the lake. Some were reached by truck and some by snowmobile. Recreational snowmobilers were also riding around on the lake. The sun was bright but the wind was cold. The temperature was -10°C but it felt much colder.

We drove back around the lake to the golf course to get overview photos of the lake and confluence site. The photo of the southeast end of the lake is taken from the same location as the August photo. The same trees and the same part of the lake are shown but there is quite a contrast between summer and winter.

Back in our van we decided to take the gravel highway to Marcelin. The drive through the prairie farmland was picturesque. We found a progressive little town with some lovely homes and the stately St. Joseph Catholic Church. The drive home was uneventful, except for the beautiful sunset occurring at 6:05 PM. At 6:50 we were home, pleased and satisfied to have been successful on the second try.

In Martins Lake, about 80 m from the lakeside.