The Lonely Tree

Your ride begins at Wascana Trails and takes you along gravel roads that crackle beneath your bicycle tires, crossing the Saskatchewan prairie. The route takes you past fields of gold and abandoned farmhouses that lean into the wind as if still waiting for families to return who have left generations ago. Soon the gravel gives way to a dirt road that stretches toward a tree towering above the fields like a green lighthouse in a sea of canola and wheat. Its massive trunk and sweeping branches seemed almost impossible on a landscape so open and exposed. Standing alone beneath an endless sky, it looks less like a tree and more like an old prairie giant, rooted deeply in the earth and holding its ground against a century of wind, drought, storms, and bitter winters.

People call the tree lonely, but the tree never thinks of itself that way. The prairie wind is its oldest friend, bringing news from distant fields and songs from migrating birds. The sun keeps it company by day, the stars by night, and every cyclist who makes the journey to it adds another story to its collection. The tree knew that solitude and loneliness were not the same thing.

Some cyclists stop to hug the tree, while other cycists would leave its shade and disappear down the dirt road. The tree watches them grow smaller against the horizon, then turns its attention back to the wide Saskatchewan sky. After all, it wasn't just the destination that drew people there. It was the journey. The Lonely Tree simply stands along the road, patiently reminding everyone that some things are worth seeking out, even when they stand alone.