Before we left Hafford, SK, hubs and I took a stroll down the single block of Main Street that would have once been known as “downtown”.

We noticed that the street signs were in both English and Ukrainian. This was the first time we had noticed bilingual street signs anywhere in our province.

The next thing we found interesting was the idea of steps leading into this old hotel/bar. Hubs laughed and said, “I wonder how many people took a tumble down those steps over the years!”

All of the buildings on Main Street, except for the grocery store, appeared to be original structures, but now abandoned.

One place we sadly didn’t visit near Hafford was “The Crooked Bush”. We didn’t realize this quirk of nature existed until after we arrived home. This is the one thing I dislike about impromptu road trips. Although the spontaneity is fun, so many good things can be missed without advance research. Oh well … I guess it gives us a reason to return.

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According to Tourism Saskatchewan, “The Crooked Bush is called a botanical mystery by the Friends of the Crooked Bush and was declared one of the ’54 Wonders of Canada’ by CBC’s ‘Morningside’ show. This trail tours a small cluster of aspen trees that are atypical as they do not grow towards the sky; instead, the branches twist and turn in horizontal and downward directions, giving the grove an eerie and, yet, mesmerizing appearance.”

To play catch on an evening, to smell the river, to hear the train pass. These little towns were once the bold ramparts meant to shelter just such peace.”

Marilynne Robinson