I haven't gone on a major trip since my journey to Riding Mountain National Park last autumn, so I booked off a week to travel out west. However, things didn't work out as I had planned, and my vacation turned more-or-less into a staycation.
Thankfully, it wasn't all for naught. I managed to get away one day, and I did a couple of little day trips throughout the week too. The day I got away I wanted to go as far north as possible, and I chose the Cochin Lighthouse.
The Cochin Lighthouse is just north of the Battlefords and it is the only lighthouse in the landlocked province of Saskatchewan. It sits on the top of Pirot Hill in the village of Cochin and shines a light out onto the nearby Jackfish Lake – or as locals call it, the "Cochin Ocean".
The lighthouse sits on land owned by Don Pirot – whose name looks like "pirate", but isn't pronounced that way – and is leased to the village for 99 years. It was on his request that the hill was named "Pirot Hill". The lighthouse was constructed in 1989 and in 2017 it received a facelift following decades of graffiti.
The lighthouse is fully equipped with a working spotlight, and functions, like any other lighthouse you'd find on the coast. The biggest difference between those lighthouses and this one is that you can't go inside. I think this would be an excellent place to have a museum or gallery but by itself, it is still very impressive.
The lighthouse may be visible from Highway 4, but don't let it fool you. To reach the lighthouse you need to climb 152 (some say 153) wooden stairs, and these stairs are absolutely gruelling. When I got to the top, I felt like Rocky after climbing the stairs of the Philadelphia Museum of Art – and to think, he only had to climb 72 of them!
Before I attempted the climb, a gentleman at the bottom told me to climb up beside the stairs, on a little beaten path. I wanted bragging rights to say I climbed them so I ignored his advice, but I think it would have saved me a lot of pain had I just listened.
If you plan to visit the Cochin Lighthouse, it is a four-and-a-half-hour drive from Regina, or about a two-hour drive from Saskatoon. If you need a bite to eat, there is a nearby restaurant called The Lighthouse Café. I didn't have time to visit it since it closes at 8pm, but next time I'm going through the area, I'll make that a priority.
Have you ever visited the Cochin Lighthouse and the nearby "Cochin Ocean"? What other attractions should one visit while in the area? Let me know in the comments below.
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And, as always, a big thank you to my sweetheart Jessica Nuttall for proof reading a countless number of my articles. I couldn't do any of this without you. I love you.
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I haven't gone on a major trip since my journey to Riding Mountain National Park last autumn, so I booked off a week to travel out west. However, things didn't work out as I had planned, and my vacation turned more-or-less into a staycation.
Thankfully, it wasn't all for naught. I managed to get away one day, and I did a couple of little day trips throughout the week too. The day I got away I wanted to go as far north as possible, and I chose the Cochin Lighthouse.
The Cochin Lighthouse is just north of the Battlefords and it is the only lighthouse in the landlocked province of Saskatchewan. It sits on the top of Pirot Hill in the village of Cochin and shines a light out onto the nearby Jackfish Lake – or as locals call it, the "Cochin Ocean".
If you've been driving around Regina any time the past few months, you've probably seen the signs for Summer Bash. At only three years old, this annual festival seems to be the talk of the town and has taken the southern community of Regina by storm.
This past summer, Summer Bash has rolled out five free movies, from July 4 – August 22, as well as a Summer Market on August 11 and their main festival this upcoming August 25.
Their main festival at the end of the summer is Harbour Landings answer to the Cathedral Village Arts Festival in May, which marks the beginning of summer. Because of the huge success of CVAF and its legacy in the city, Summer Bash is using them as a model to promote local businesses, vendors, musicians and artists.
It would probably astound you how many people pronounce my last name wrong. If they're spelling it out, they will probably spell it wrong too. Whenever somebody looks for my name up in a computer, it usually takes several attempts. Is there a space? No space? Try searching just "Jong"? I get weekly emails and letters addressed to "Mr. Jong" all the time. Potential employers even admitted they were surprised to see me walk through the doors, as I am as far away as an Asian man as one can get.
But in a small country on the coast of Europe, my last name is as common as North America's "Smith". In fact, "de Jong" is the most popular last name in the Netherlands, and I have a lot of extended family living out there. As fate would have it, earlier this year I was even lucky enough to meet one of these relatives while she was in Regina.
As a gift, I mailed her a FLAT Bunnyhug, and she mailed me back a box of various Dutch chocolates and candy. I've always enjoyed trying sweets from other countries, so I figured I would make an article about them.
