The most interesting thing on the entire trip back was our stop in Piapot, Saskatchewan (pronounced PYE-a-pot). On the way back from the last tour in June, we’d driven around its half-dozen unpaved streets out of curiousity, and with the vague hope of finding a hotel. It looked like a ghost town from the old west, and we did see a “guesthouse and saloon” but didn’t really know what to make of it, so we kept on. Marcus wanted to come back here someday for a beer, though. So that’s just what we did.

Nothing in the town appeared to be open apart from the saloon, which had a handful of cars in front, most sporting stickers that read “Where the HELL is Piapot?!?” I wasn’t quite sure what to expect, but I figured it’d be something along the lines of grizzled cowboys staring at us suspiciously like we were circus freaks. Still, I was up for it.

So I was a bit surprised to learn that the Piapot Guesthouse & Saloon is run by a young couple from Calgary, Glenn and Nicole, formerly working in IT and commercial radio. The bar had been closed for two years before they found it - not from lack of business, but for various legal infractions. They bought the building initially as a fun weekend escape for themselves and their friends, and then decided to try out the small-town life and actually open it up again. The grand reopening was only this past May. They’ve put a lot of effort into fixing it up and giving it that Old West feel. It’s decorated with cattle brands and Glenn’s artwork (he is also a professional photographer). They even keep a blog.

We’re definitely going to stay there on one of our next trips. They’re even talking about putting a recording studio into one of the other buildings they bought. Horseback riding nearby, an escape from regular life… it could be quite the experience…

We drove on through Alberta and the mountains, which are as stunning and beautiful as always, and we got gorgeous weather. We stopped for lunch in Field, which is another teeny town but considerably more tourist-oriented, being as it is nestled in the Rockies. The cafe was called Cherchez La Vache, which made me giggle, as a Monty Python fan and all.

And now we’re all back home. It hasn’t quite sunk in yet that I’m home, personally; it feels more like Vancouver is another stop en route. Should take a few days for it to dawn on me that I can settle in again.

All in all, it was a good tour, although mellower than the last one. There weren’t as many hilarious adventures or running jokes. We didn’t even see half as much wildlife. I think the last tour started just as spring was beginning to kick up its crazy heels across Canada, whereas this trip led into calm autumnal solemnity. Plus, we’re more familiar now with more of the towns and venues, and knew what to expect. But that experience led to better shows and crowds overall - which is really what it’s all about!

Our next shows are November 7 at the Media Club in Vancouver and November 8 at Doc Willoughby’s in Kelowna. So we’ll be on the road soon, but it’ll barely register as travel, compared to the past month away. I’ll post a l’il something here just to keep you all informed.

Thanks for reading and following along! I hope it was almost as good as being there. As a parting note for this round of escapades, I’d like to leave you with a new video we made while on the road, for “Through the Spaces". If you’d like to download a higher-quality Quicktime version, you can get it from Vimeo, through this link. We hope you enjoy it!

See you soon,

Kirsten / ARCTIC