Waking up in Lloydminster, AB. A late wake up again. And today started a bit different than the others. Everyone woke up on the wrong side of the bed. It was a very cranky start to the day. Packing was frustrating, everyone leaving their stuff out was frustrating, getting regular hygiene routines was frustrating…for everyone. We headed down to breakfast and were greeted by the nicest waitress. Even though it was a continental breakfast, she took our orders like a full-service restaurant and her smile never waivered. She was my favourite part of our stay. Her smiley presence, however, did not turn our tables mood. We sat and ate in silence, saved our pleasantries for our kind waitress. When finished we packed and loaded the car then hit the road in silence still. I think because we have now been crammed in a car together full time for 7 days, we have hit travel fatigue. We have hit full carload fatigue. We have hit close quarters fatigue. We have hit personal space fatigue. We stared out the windows watching the terrain change to fields of gold and hay bales. The mood in the car began to change slowly with the change in scenery. We turned Moose and Bowies attention to the vast horizon seen from all views of the car. No hills, no big trees, mostly fields, hay and the highway. Many farms have their own lakes and pond, some of which dried out show large amounts of salt! It was the reset we all needed to continue the day in a more positive and pleasant way. The change in energy was truly needed as this was THE driving day. Point A to B, with one stop in mind: Elfros, Saskatchewan. It was 4 hours and 57 minutes to Elfros from Lloydminster. A town that’s name barely comes up on Google maps but held such great significance to me.
Why such a detour for a blip on a map like Elfros, you ask? For my Nana and for me… It was somewhere I felt I must go. Not out of obligation but out of a want for connection. For our family history and for love. Elfros is an Icelandic settlement with a population of 90, no not an error, 90. This community is a part of my heritage, one that I am quite proud of and am continuing to explore and learn about. But more importantly Elfros is where my Nana was born and raised with her siblings; Lenore, Barney, Helgi and Sigrun. All children to David and Helen Johannson whose parents emigrated directly from Iceland. When Nana would tell us stories from her childhood, she would always smile when she spoke of her prairie days. From what I remember, they were of happy times filled with music and storytelling, farming and family. Though I now know tough times were had. They endured harsh winters and freezing temperatures, even freezing blankets.
Getting into Elfros we passed Quill Lakes. Big Quill Lake is so big, it was like having the ocean in the distance. We pulled off hwy 16 onto the dirt road. Took a left turn on Fjord Ave and found the hand-painted ‘Welcome to Elfros’ sign (est. 1909) surrounded by beautiful flowers and waving flags, Canada and Saskatchewan. Included on the sign were the directions to the Icelandic Pioneer Memorial: 3 blocks north, 2 blocks west. Now remember, the population is 90, so you cannot get lost. Elfros is a sweet, charming and incredibly well cared for village. The memorial has a large bronze statue of a family with a plaque below ‘Vatnabyggd’, the Icelandic Club of Saskatchewan. To the left of the statue is a list with many of the settlers’ names from the Lakes Settlement that is also mapped out and then a brief history of the Icelandic settlers who made Saskatchewan and Manitoba their new home. The memorial is surrounded by trees and a peaceful park area. For a small village, its lovely to know that this bit of Canadian history is not only preserved but maintained with care. Moose and Bowie played at the park for a few minutes on Olaf Street before it was time to go. I was about to pull back onto hwy 16…for some reason I wasn’t ready. I turned around and drove through the few streets one last time. Skol Nana.
Making our way to Emerald Park for the night we drove down a rural hwy. And every few farms we would watch those fields be tended to by a farmer as he drove the combine to harvest his crop. It was sunset when we arrived in Emerald Park, how lucky for us. A real Saskatchewan sunset. We checked into the Ramada hotel. Quickly unpacked, got dinner and then went to the pool. We all had a great time as there was 2 waterslides, a sauna, and a hot tub. Great way to end off a wonderful and special day
Goodnight for now xo Mel
Such a special day. Glad you had the opportunity to visit 😘❤️