It was getting late. I placed the book I was reading on the nightstand and looked over at my partner who was fast asleep after a long day. I wasn’t ready for slumber just yet though … the night was calling.

And I was staying in a place famous for it.

Grasslands National Park in southwest Saskatchewan is the darkest dark sky preserve in Canada. After hours, as the gradient sunset fades to black, the sky becomes a glittering tapestry of stars and visible planets, the scale of which merits nothing short of awe. It is perhaps the best place in the country to humble one’s self and get a sense of the grand scope of our shared universe.

As part of a late summer road trip, we made our way to the village of Val Marie (population 126)—the gateway to Grasslands—and stayed overnight in a converted church named The Sanctuary Inn. As soon as I stepped inside, I was taken aback by how quiet everything was. There was no ambient noise from vehicular traffic. No TV for distraction. Just the sound of our own conversation and birds chirping outside. After a summer shaped by loss and hardship, it was the peace we needed.

Our first full day at Grasslands, we did the self-paced ecotour scenic drive and back country loop. At 140 kilometres long, I didn’t expect it to take as long as it did but in total our prairie safari lasted over seven hours. The adventure was exclusively on gravel roads (some more maintained than others). Beyond epic prairie landscapes, we also observed coyote, vast colonies of prairie dog, and several herds of bison roaming free … and even spotted a lone bison, whom the visitor centre staff informed me was “kicked out of the herd” during this rutting season for not being strong enough. I was assured, however, that his time-out would be over in a few weeks when he could return.

On the back country roads were a few isolated homes and ranches and I wondered what the occupant’s lives must be like with no immediate neighbours and any type of services literally hours away. A life in isolation can occasionally be appealing to me, especially after this pandemic, but the reality of it would be far different than my idealization. We do need others. Even if reluctantly.

I tiptoed to the entrance in an attempt to not wake him. After turning off the inside and outside light, I opened the door and was met with complete, enveloping darkness. It was the blackest night I have ever experienced. It was another world.