Another weekend in Waskesiu

Saturday, July 17, 2004
Got up at 06:15 and started packing up before my ride arrived at 07:10. Threw in a sleeping bag, a pillow, a tripod, a camera, and some clothings into Julian's truck.
 
After a two and a half hours on the road we arrived Waskesiu. We were on one of the beaches to start off with lunch at around noon time. Played and relaxed on the beach till 17:00 when rain clouds were already setting in. Some of our guys said that there was going to be a thunder storm in this place earlier but nobody seemed to be bothered by it too much because the sun was scorching our skins earlier and at this time it would be been deemed to be an impossible phenomena. Skies were clear and cotten-candy clouds painted the blue skies pretty. Man, I even got a mild sun-burn.
 
A group of people went to town for a shower while a few more stayed back. I stayed back for some sun and photo-shootings (scantily clad girls in bikinis perhaps?). At around 16:45, Leonard, Raymond, and Jotham Gan have all gone to the campsite to pitch up our tents leaving behind Josephine (Jotham's mother), Melissa Gan, and myself at the beach side. They came back 20 minutes later and I must say their timing were excellent. We would be under water had they not. All of a sudden, winds up to probably 56 km/h were constantly blowing for more than 5 minutes. It's not like a gush of wind for a second or two but a constant flow of air so strong that it would have perhaps moved the lid of the hibachi sideways. Waves on the waters became violent. The six of us pack up stuffs in haste and headed out to our campsite. No rains yet but we were already expecting one.
 
It started rainning already when we arrived at our campsite and since there were 11 of us in total, we had to pitch up another tent. Four of us got out leaving behind Josephine and Melissa in the van to do just that. Each of us held a corner of the tent and stretched it out to lay it on the ground. As soon it the tent was on the ground, something dropped from above  and hit on the tent right in front of me and I thought the tree bore some kind of interesting seed or fruit as it was white in color. The second I picked it up it didn't take me long enough to know that that is an ice ball. About an inch in diameter and half and inch in height and looks like an UFO's flying saucer (oval).
 
"Hey guys! It's a hail!! This is ice!", I exclaimed.
 
Already [half] drenched in the rain, we must have unanimously agreed in our minds to get into the tent that was already pitched because somehow we believed that that one piece of hail that fell off the sky had a purpose.
 
Those 3 guys quickly crumble-folded the tent and walked towards the tent. They were confused as they did not know where to put the tent -- back into the van or bring it into the tent that was dry on the inside. I shouted to get them into the tent and they did. As we hurried in, the rain just got heavier. We opened the 'window' of our tent and we can see Josephine and her daughter stucked in the van on about 10 feet away to our front left side. A minute later (17:40) there wasn't much rain but this time little hails poured down.
 
We sat/knelt in the tent and stared at each other in consternation just watching one of mother nature's powerful force unveiling her wraths. The  grounds were beginning to look like a floor of white sago seeds rolling in all directions as water droplets hit them. The hail got worse. 5 minutes later, the sound of hails that hit out tent grew harder and louder. We looked outside once again and we were telling each other to look how the size of the hail changed. They were no longer the size of sago seed but now the size as big as foosball and golf balls. It size of it all were just mind-boggling. 
 
Josephine later on relate to us her experience to be inside the van during the hail. It's like somebody playing a drum kit's snare and you're trapped inside it. She got so worried that those hails would crack her windshield so without much hessitation she switched on the wipers at max speed hoping the pair of wiper blades can bat the thousands of hails pouring down on her van and on us. We thought the movie we watched a few weeks ago--The Day After Tomorrow-- is not simply just a movie but some kind of manifestation as prophesied in that movie.
 
The hail storm lasted about 20 minutes and it is the first hail storm I have experienced to date. Alas! That first hail that dropped on the tent we were going to set up has served as a warning to us all -- "GET IN!! Or else you'll be hurt!!".  If that's the work of God, He must have been gracious to have warned us! Glory to be Him!!
 
The rest of the people finally arrived at the campsite at around 18:10 when it the hails were already over. I bet they have had hell of a ride to here. One by one came into our tent. We sang and played the guitar. Jean, from Taiwan, is apparently quite talented at strumming the strings and singings as well.
 
The storm subsided 20 minutes later, 18:35-ish. Mosquitoes came out! Great!! Why didn't we have a break from mother nature? I have seen those mosquitoes the size of a twoonie coin (2$ Canadian coins). Here is a pic of that coin: . When one of those blood-sucking pest lands on your back, you had better slap on it fast and hard when its stomach is still empty or you're gonna get your own blood splattered all over its land site. God knows what kind of viruses/bacteria it carries. I learned that mosquitoes only detects carbon dioxides that our skin pores and breath emits. They don't have those super high tech heat sensors or was it called a thermal goggles, no, no shiats like that. Products like insect/mossies repellents sprayed onto the skins prevents CO2 from emitting into the air. really effective! I've seen a wandering mossie buzzing close by my left arm confused whether or not to land on its land of milk and honey.. but hessitated and landed on my shirt (where I didn't spray anything on it) to meet its death. 
 
Great! Now that rain has subsided, firewoods were wet and we can't start a fire! How can we have dinner? Soon I realized that the woods were wet on the outside but dry on the inside so I began splitting them using a 20" axe and violà, we made FIRE!!
 
Kevin drove Josephine, Mariata, and I to Waskesiu's town for shower. We left at 20:40. Just 3 minutes before we arrived town four of us got the opportunity to catch the breath-taking sunset on the horizon of Waskesiu's lake. I asked Kevin to pull over so that I could capture that rare moment. It reminds me of some arts we used to draw during our elementary years in schools where the bright orangy-red sun sinking down into the sea or behind some mountaineous humps or both. The reflections of the sun on the water is not missed too. The sensation was so... oh, so wonderful! Magical if I can say?
Anyway, the shower facilities in town were closed. We arrived 20 minutes late. So, I suggested that we sneaked into another campsite that has shower facilities. That campsite is electrified, but ours are not. Mission accomplised! Feel so refreshing!
 
It was already dark then. It was 22:00. When we were back at the campsite, all were already gathered around the hibachi warming up, singing and having fun.
 
By midnight, most have gone to bed. Those who were still up were:
Jotham, Leonard, Jean, Char Mei, and I.
Leonard, weilding his digital camera, and I decided to head out to the lake nearby (~2 minutes walk) to be away from the trees and to get a better view of stars. The Big Dipper (Ursa Majora) was really, really big in the clear dark skies.  

We walked down several steps in half a circle before we came to a landing. It was low tide then and it was 01:40. The second we landed on the platform and looked up the skies (that's what we were there for anyway), we beheld something else we never would have thought we'd see. Jotham, Leonard, and I were "Taken away" in spirit just by looking ahead of us. We were facing north as Polaris was just right above and in front of us. For 30 minutes, Leonard and I rushed each other for the one tripod we brought with us taking turns shooting at the amazing showdown on earth -- Aurora Borealis or commonly known as the Northern Lights.
 
Not wanting the other 2 lass to miss the show, we decided to call them, who I believe are still playing the guitar and singing around the hibachi, over to join us to watch the show.
 
We stayed up till 03:15 before hitting the sacks.
 
Sunday, July 18, 2004 
More meat for breakfast. They have, I think, done quite a good job in taking care of the food part. We were all fed quite well and energized for the day's activities. So, kudos to those who have prepared and thought out for the meals.
 
Packed and headed out to town by 12:30noon. Most of us went into the water. The sun was at its peak heat and I could literally feel it scorching on my skins as though I have my arms just over the electric stove set on max temperature. Well, guess what? For the first time in Canada, I got sun burn. I had one yesterday but this time I thought I could really want to burn myself. Frolicking under the heat of the sun at the beach and later sun bath for 40 mins did a lot of burning. I'm now... an African Chinese!
 
Left Waskesiu at 16:10. Still hot! To be in the van with only a window that opens a crack is stifling and perhaps a torture!
 
Had good dinner at the Mandarin Restaurant when we arrived Saskatoon.
 
That's that!
The pictures of this trip are up next. They are photoblogged!