10-Jul-2001 -- We started the day with ambitious plans to visit three confluences in one day - this one, 52°N 106°W, and 52°N 107°W. We left Regina at 8:00 AM and headed north. A two hour drive up Highway 20 took us to the town of Lanigan where we followed grid roads to get close to our destination. On the grid road system we drove 17 km north of Lanigan then 1.8 km west to within 200 meters of the confluence. We walked carefully through the grain field so as not to destroy plants - this was accomplished by keeping our feet in the furrows between the rows. It is easier to do so this year as Saskatchewan is experiencing its worst drought since 1988 and many crops are sparse or burning up. Crop prospects and the fate of the family farm are bleak for many farmers.

By 10:30 AM we were taking pictures of the GPS reading and of each direction. Back at our van on the side of the grid road we were proud to look back to see that no trace of our trek through the field was visible. Posing on the grid road with our trusted Wheaten Terrier Max (who does not accompany us into the fields, but stays inside the van to "guard" it) we took a photo of ourselves with a canola field in background. The area seemed devoid of interesting picture opportunities - the nearest farm was a couple of kilometers away, it was all grain field after grain field - but about 3 km from the confluence we found a little country church to photograph. The name plate over the door is not clear in the photo but reads "Sacred Heart Ukrainian Catholic Church". It is surrounded by trees and has a cemetery near the back of the property.

Beside the church to the north is an abandoned one room school. We took a picture of it as well. On our confluence trips we've seen many abandoned one room schools or plaques marking the place where schools once stood. Children now travel by school bus into larger towns to attend well equipped modern schools. As former teachers we wanted to peek into this abandoned school but the rickety steps up to the door looked unsafe.

Back in Lanigan we found "King's Pizza and Subs" on Highway 16 (Yellowhead Highway) and had subs (sandwiches) made to take away. As we drove west out of town we took a picture of the grain elevator and Highway 16 beckoning us on to 52°N 106°W.