The extremely heavy rains of the previous month had made the roads surrounding Regina very uncertain, but in our anxiety to get as far as possible the first night we decided to take the road out by Dewdney Street and through Grand Coulee and Pense, which is slightly shorter than the main road and does not entail driving through the city. Unfortunately this proved a mistake, as we encountered very rough roads near Grand Coulee and about 5 miles further on the road was blocked by an impassable mud hole, necessitating a back track of about a mile and a half before a cross road to the main highway could be found. Once on the main road we made fair time, aided by the noticeable improvement in the road when a few miles beyond Pense.

Moose Jaw was reached at 4:30 slow time and from this Regina, or fast time, was abandoned for official purposes. A short stop was made here for the purchase of bread, since we expected to require three meals before reaching Maple Creek and we wished to avoid the inconvenience of hunting a place where it might be purchased on Sunday. Continuing westward we made good time over a rather indifferent road to Mortlach, passing on the way the place where the first night camp of the trip two years ago had been made. We were however, a good two hours ahead thanks to our earlier start. Shortly after passing Mortlach dismal howls from the hind seat advised us that one member of the party, to wit the kid, believed that the supper hour was approaching, this being supplemented by importunities to be allowed to drive when we reached the old railroad grade just beyond Parkbeg. This grade was maintained in splendid shape and is continued beyond Secretan by a Federal Government grade through the hills between Secretan and Valjean, with the result that a section of road which a few years ago was famous or infamous for it roughness is now one of the best stretches between Regina and the Alberta boundary. Over this stretch of road we chased and nearly caught another car of a superior make, but on reaching Chaplain stopped for gas, passing the same car about two miles further on when they were making a temporary halt. By this time the evening was closing in rapidly, so we decided to make for a spot where B. had made a lone camp on former occasions. This place in only about a mile and a half East of Ernfold, but quite private, being almost shut in by low hills. Of course there is no water or shelter, but thanks to its privacy it is as good as can be expected on the open and settled prairie.

As soon as we reached this spot L. commenced the preparation of supper, B. selected a place for the bed and the Kid was despatched to investigate the possibility of supplementing our very meager supplyt of firewood. Maudie who had bravely borne the strain of the 116 mile run, suddenly decided that she had no further use for the tack which she had wantonly picked up somewhere on the road and signified her refusal to proceed any further until provided with a change of socks. She did however, condescend to turn her bright eyes on the campfire, thereby simplifying the preparation of supper. After supper the kid persuaded L. to accompany him on a second trip for firewood, having discovered a supply somewhere over the hill where there had been a homesteader’s shack. During their absence B. darned Maudie’s sock and on their return after, for L. at least, a rather adventurous trip stumbling into the dark over hummocks and through weeds and buffalo brush, we sat for a short time round the fire reveling in the sense of freedom and discussing the run for the morrow, till as on a former occasion the soothing influence of Mrs. Hurd’s maxims inclined us to sleep. There is a certain restlessness about a first night camp, due to the fact that one is unused to sleeping out, but also increased by the knowledge that a long anticipated holiday has actually started and the excitement of the start has not had time to wear off. At any rate there is seldom any difficulty in getting away early in the morning. We believed that without undue haste we could reach Maple Creek in time for a late lunch, in which case, providing also that W. was ready, we could make camp Sunday night somewhere in the neighbourhood of Medicine Hat and possibly be in Crow’s Nest Pass by Monday evening, or on the evening of the first official day of our holidays, which we felt would be very creditable performance. Directly after passing Ernfold B. surrendered the wheel to the Kid, but sternly vetoed any higher speed than 25 miles per hour, even on the best roads. In this manner we progressed till some rough roads and mud holes west of Rush Lake made it advisable for B. to again take over. Swift Current, 50 miles from camp, was reached about 8:30 a.m. and here we stopped to make inquiries as to the best of the alternative roads West and to advise W. by phone of our progress and plans. In the excitement and rush of our departure we had failed to warn W. of our actual departure, although he had received due notice by the two cryptic messages "Get Set" and "Ready" some days before. He, it appeared, had been sitting on the sidewalk watching the road since the first streak of daylight and was quite peeved to find we were still some hours away. He insisted therefore that we drive straight through to Maple Creek where Mrs. W. kindly guaranteed to have lunch ready for us.

Leaving Swift Current by the North road, slightly longer but mostly sandy soil and consequently better traveling than the alkali flats followed by the main road, we made good time to Webb, but shortly after Maudie developed a cough and a short stop in Gull Lake to procure cough lozenges became necessary, after which we proceeded gaily till within 3 miles of Piapot, where in a deep old trail Maudie threw her knee-cap out of joint. About 10 minutes was required to render first aid, but a valuable hour and a half was lost in Piapot effecting more permanent repairs. Then on to Maple Creek by the North road, arriving about 2 hours overdue and very hungry. Two hours literally crammed with lunch and excited conversation, during which , everybody assisting, Maudie was repacked and we were ready for the real start. The 13 miles we could save by taking the shortcut to Walsh decided us to risk the chance of encountering a possible mud hole, especially as we believed the place could be got round even if it did prove impassable, so, driving slowly until B. became accustomed to the feel of the loaded car, we headed due west. The crossing of the Alberta boundary was duly saluted in passing making good time over excellent roads we passed through Irvine and, taking the main road, arrived in Medicine Hat as dusk was falling. W. and B. had camped some years ago along side the river, so we started out to relocate the place. In this we failed, as the river had washed away part of the trail, but after a strenuous search a place was found which appeared to meet our requirements, being close to water (very muddy), well sheltered and secluded. It was fine to note the way everyone dropped into their accustomed role of two years ago and in a very short time supper was ready, rather thin beds of sage brush were prepared and a supply of firewood gathered. L. and W. were both suffering from colds, W’s of some days standing, but L’s brought on suddenly by the cold and wind of the day’s drive and aggravated by a severe headache, to say nothing of the fatigue of our day’s travel of 212 miles. Still, when supper was over and cleared away it was good to sit round a bright willow-wood camp fire talking lazily of what the next day held in store for us or just watch the little flames eat up a new stick of firewood, first growing big and bright as they got a good hold, then slowly fading to little pale blue fitful flames round a glowing heart of charcoal, then one or other would lay on new sticks, so that the mournfulness of the last stage when slow cooling and disintegration into ashes takes place was decently hidden. Then to bed and to sleep.

We awoke to a clear morning, but a decidedly cool one. Fortunately the sun reached us fairly early and we were well sheltered from any wind. The Kid selected a sunny spot where the light was particularly bright and after a careful examination of his face in W’s shaving mirror decided that he ought to shave but could possibly go another day if necessary, wherein he differed from B. who felt that he ought to go another day at least, but would consent to shave if shamed into it by the habitual cleanliness of W. and L.

By 7 o’clock we were ready for the road and, only pausing at the Station to mail postcards, headed out of town for the run to Lethbridge. Just outside Medicine Hat we overran the turn South on the main road, but as the road we were on was quite good we continued almost due West till North of Winnifred, then South through that village to the main road and, making good time on through Bow Island and Burdett, from which latter place we had a distant view of two distinct and solitary peaks, probably the Sweet Grass Mountains in Montana, due South from the town, which were hailed with joy, as we did not expect to pick up the hills till beyond Lethbridge. There was a very cool wind blowing, although the day was otherwise fine, and L. and the Kid in the hind seat were getting the full strength of it and would have been much more comfortable with heavy coats, also smoking was practically impossible. At Taber we stopped for gas and oil and then on again, making good time and without incident to Lethbridge , where we made a short stop to purchase and mail more postcards. We then drove across the river to the West side where we camped for lunch on a flat off to the left of the trail. The Kid volunteered, with slight persuasion, to go for water and, as he was slow in returning, W. went to his assistance, whereupon the Kid reappeared unseen by W. On this flat we were partially sheltered by high banks and the sun was gloriously warm, a fact fully appreciated by all of us but to L. a perfect life-saver. We rather dallied after lunch, reveling in the heat and speculating on the height of the C.P.R. bridge, of which we had a good view and which we utilized as the subject for the first picture of the trip. Unfortunately we had not the time to wait for the chance of catching a train crossing the bridge. On reckoning up the distance, we were almost sure that, ber accidents, we could reach a campsite on the Old Man River of which we had very pleasing recollections, but in order to arrive there in good time deemed it advisable to push on with all speed. We had no sooner climbed out of the river valley than it became evident that we should be lucky if we escaped muddy roads, as a thunderstorm was coming up fast from the West. Fortunately the storm seemed to swing North and it was not until after we had stopped to again admire the view of the Belly River valley that all hope of missing the rain was abandoned and at a corner where the road turned North we were forced to put up the top, only just in time to escape the worst of a sharp squall of mixed hail and rain accompanied by a bitter wind. Quite soon after this the roads became very greasy and we caught up to two travelers in a Chevrolet, who in spite of the fact that they were using chains and we were not, twice took the ditch within the mile to Monarch. We did not actually go into this place, but stopped on the edge of the town to put on chain s before negotiating the hill down to the Old Man River and about half way down we were glad that we had done so. Here we found an Overland in the ditch and stopped to render what assistance we could, then, that car again on the road, continued down hill. We had watched the course of the storm very carefully and had hopes that as we got further South we might run out of the mud. These hopes proved well founded, for on reaching the top of the hill on the south side of the river we again found dry roads and were able to put down the top and take off the chains. Much cheered by this, but very cold, we called on Maudie to do her best, with the result that Macleod was soon reached and passed. Other landmarks, remembered from a former trip, were hailed and dropped in quick succession until near Brocket we came upon very rough and badly rutted roads. When passing through Brocket the suggestion was advanced that a short stop be made for the purpose of hunting up Mr. Giggle and his protégé Meat Face, remembered for their instrumentality in the recovery of a highly prized knife lost on a former trip and through them recovered. We were however afraid that the reverend gentleman would mistake us for either tramps or mad millionaires, and as we neither wished to be "taken up" or "shaken down" we decided to push on. At Pincher Maudie was fed and at the crossing of the Old Man between Pincher and Cowley was according to custom given her first drink of really clean Mountain water. Here the old bridge had been washed out during the floods of early Summer and a new bridge was being built. The force and volume of water which came down must have been very great, judging by the amount of debris, and it occurred to us what an excellent excuse would have been provided for a prolonged holiday, had we been on the other side at the time of the flood.

Time was getting on, so only a very short stop was made, then making what speed we could we passed through Cowley and Lundbreck across the North fork of the Old Man and up the hill known to us as the "Way in", a beautiful bit of scenery, but the light too poor and we too cold and impatient to reach camp to even try for a picture. From here on almost every turn and bend of the road, each patch of rock or clump of stunted firs were welcomed like old remembered friends till a chorus of "there she is" signaled the sighting of the beautiful little sheltered flat which we had in view for our camp. The turn into this place is almost one third of a mile from the point from which it is first sighted, then across an old coal dump near an abandoned mine, through a fence where we opened a gate and waited for a man driving a cow to pass out, the man staring at us with ox like wonder and evidently believing us quite mad, across the railroad track, the same pile of slabs which we had used two years ago to break the jar of crossing the rails being found exactly where we had left them, through the other fence on the South side of the track where a modern improvement in the shape of the second wire gate had been made, round the shoulder of the hill and across the flat to it’s western end, and we found a small pile of dead brush which had been our bed, a few stones arranged for a campfire and a few half rotten sticks of firewood just where we had left them two years ago. From any evidence to the contrary not a soul had visited this spot in the meantime. Truly it was like arriving home. Unfortunately the ground was rather wet, due to a recent shower, but as the soil was sandy this did not matter and a fire, rather smoky at first, was soon blazing merrily. Then while L. prepared the nightly beans, B. rustled spruce boughs for the beds in honour of the occasion. W., who sadly missed his faithful Dinah, departed in search of fresh milk and the Kid collected firewood. beautifully sheltered spot was well worth the 201 mile drive which we had made to reach it and we felt justly proud to be camping in the mouth of the Crow’s Nest Pass on the first night of our official holidays, having made the trip of 529 miles over roads, a large portion of which were below the average and including short delay, in the space of two and a half (a short half) days drive from Regina. Sitting around the fire after supper we congratulated ourselves and Maudie on this feat, and in accordance with pre-arranged plans vowed that from here on until the actual run home across the prairie we would stop whenever we felt like it at any time or any place that pleased us, lose no opportunities for photographs, and pay absolutely no attention to a daily schedule of mileage, but we did most earnestly desire a little warmer weather.