Coffee at the Crossroads - Blaine Lake - July 16

No summer political tour of Saskatchewan is complete in my books without a stop in Blaine Lake. And while most people whom have passed through it have done so on their way to one of the lakes up north, I have a much deeper connection as it has been the hometown for both sides of my family since they immigrated from Russia in 1899 (in fact my brother and I are the first generation from our family not to grow up in the Blaine Lake area).

Blaine Lake sits on the juncture between highway 12 that goes north from Saskatoon and highway 40 that connects North Battleford and Prince Albert. Because of this, Blaine Lake is often known as one of the gateways to the northern lakes and in the summer time it is not unusual to see many RVs and campers passing through town on their way to their northern Saskatchewan vacation destination of choice. So aside from the large Saskatchewan Liberal Party decals on our RV, our visit to the Petrocan highway restaurant for coffee and lunch was very similar to the pilgrimage that many make over the summer months.

About a dozen people came to visit with Ryan and get the opportunity to learn a little bit about his background. A number of people were pleasantly surprised to learn that he is no stranger to the area as aside from having grown up and worked in North Battleford his Baba is in fact from Hafford – just about 40km down the road.

After re-fuelling ourselves with some coffee, good food, and good conversation (and of course re-fuelling the RV as well!) we continued to head north on highway 12 as we made our way up to our destination for the evening, Ness Creek.