Wanuskewin Heritage Park
Also in Saskatoon, at the entrance to Wanuskewin Heritage Park, you can see a series of sculptures that tell the story of the aboriginal peoples of the Northern Plains and how they hunted the bison that populated Saskatchewan. In fact, they were hunted to their doom at the end of a cliff, where tribesmen waited below to harvest the bodies (and kill the survivors), then used every part of the animal for survival needs (food, tool-making, etc.).
ENS Toyota amd its 1977 Corolla
The group then visited ENS Toyota, a dealership that has been offering the brand's products for over 50 years and is an important player in the community. It was also an opportunity to admire some of the vintage vehicles on site, including some old Land Cruisers, as well as this superb 1977 Corolla.
Hydrogen
It's no secret that Toyota continues to believe in hydrogen. The group visited Edmonton Airport, where they learned about the airport's efforts to transition to hydrogen, with Toyota products powered by this source.
Rowley, Alberta
Located just south of Drumheller, the small village of Rowley today has a population of 12. In the 1920s, it numbered 500. Today's residents prefer to call their burg a “historic village” rather than a “ghost town”.
The village boasts a garage, church, bank, store, bar, community hall and three grain silos. Most of these assets belong to the locals, so it's important to explore them with that in mind. In summer, organized tours are available to visitors. Pictured here is one of the vehicles added to the convoy for this wave, the Tacoma van, redesigned for 2024.
Grain silos
In Rowley, participants were able to admire the grain silos, designed for the preservation of cereals. The heritage value of the Searle Grain Company grain silo complex lies in its association with the development of grain handling and shipping facilities in the province. Today, it is a signature of the region and a reminder of the province's history.
Drumheller, Alberta
The town of Drumheller is associated around the world with dinosaurs. It’s located in the Badlands region of Alberta, a unique geological area that contains one of the highest concentrations of dinosaur fossils in the world. A visit to the region had to include a stop there.
Drumheller
The Toyota Crown Signia is pictured here in front of the largest dinosaur on the planet. It’s possible to enter and climb the 106 steps that lead up to the inside of its mouth, for a breathtaking view of the region. Tyra (the dinosaur's name) is 86 feet high and weighs 145,000 lb, and its mouth can accommodate 12 visitors. Construction began in 1999, and the structure was completed in 2000.
Toyota Camry
The Toyota Camry is getting a facelift for 2025, and that new version was presented to us last April. It was part of this fifth wave of the trip.
Gasoline Alley Museum
The Gasoline Alley Museum, located in Calgary's Heritage Park, was the first stop on the sixth wave of this cross-Canada tour. As it happens, the museum was also celebrating its 60th anniversary in 2024. It boasts one of the largest publicly accessible collections of vintage vehicles dating from before the 1950s, as well as restored artifacts related to oil and gas, the driving force behind Alberta's economy.
