Murray Wood: Drought or deluge, it's Saskatchewan weather
Murray Wood notes that while we have seen years with "perfect" weather in the province, they aren't that commo...
Pike Lake Provincial Park opened its gates for the 2019 summer season on Thursday to welcome another year of campfires, roasted marshmallows and fond memories.
The park was one of nearly 200 parks across the province that opened in time for the annual throng of May long weekend campers.
Vicky Wood has been coming to Pike Lake for the past 10 years. There’s no place she’d rather spend her first long weekend of the spring and summer months.
“This is the day I look forward to all year,” she said as she set up her campsite for the season. “You have your home family, and you have your lake family — it’s just fun.”
Conditions were vastly different than the start to May long weekend in 2018 when temperatures were hovering below double digits during a steady rainfall.
It’s the weather that helps get Tyler Stolz keeps his daughter entertained during vacation times.
“Once she sees all the other kids playing around, laughing, she’s right in there, ” he said. “Not that electronics are an issue, there’s just so much to do here. The temptation isn’t even there.”
Misty Green chose to take advantage of the park’s close proximity to Saskatoon — around 30 kilometres — so she can maximize her weekends.
“Every weekend that you get to go camping is the best,” she said. “When you get a chance to go camping, what’s not to love about it?”
Putting a damper in weekend plans is the annual alcohol ban for the weekend, this time running until Monday. While cannabis is now legal, it too has been included for the ban in place across all provincial parks this weekend.
Campers at Pike Lake were nearly unanimous in saying the ban will not affect their weekend plans.
“For me, it doesn’t matter. My peace is waking up in the morning, having a fire, watching the trees, going to the park, so it doesn’t really faze me,” Stolz said. “It’s nice to have a beer here and there, but it’s not going to affect me too much.”
The ban began in 2006 after years of unruly behaviour to start the season became too much for the Ministry of Parks, Culture and Sport to deal with.
This year, a $5-per-day discount is being applied to campsite reservations that are made between now and June 24.
