• Ensign
• Gronlid

On September 20, a group of twenty members and friends of the Tisdale Chapter of the Superannuated Teachers went out for lunch at the Bear’s Den in Gronlid. After a tasty lunch we had the chance to look around at the western memorabilia and listen to a short history of the place by “Bear”. Then it was off on a scenic drive to the Outerbanks Vacation Chalets led by our guide Anchen Bodenstab.

The road from Gronlid to the Outerbanks was a short 17 kilometres, with a quick turn left off the road just before the Wapiti ski hill. The road wound up to the home of Sean and Natalie Bodenstab, the owners of the Outerbanks guest houses. But the road to the chalet, where the retired teachers gathered, was yet further down the road.

From the chalet, which sleeps 15 and is tiered into the landscape, the view is breathtaking. Since the shrubbery has just begun to colour, a glance to the bridge across the Saskatchewan, the Wapiti ski resort, and the placid river became postcard-perfect. The view is beautifully balanced by the chalet itself with its fireplace and screened porch offering a panoramic view.

Margaret Mehler, who had been to the Outerbanks only weeks before at the Tisdale Visual Artist’s painting retreat, explained the geography of the area. Then it was time to pile back into cars and head down the sandy short-cut to return to the highway.

The weather was perfect, and the retired teachers thoroughly enjoyed the September outing.