This weekend, I traveled to Red Deer for what are only mildly interesting reasons, mostly to see my parents.

It turns out that Red Deer is roughly due West of Saskatoon, and that the most direct route involves going through Stettler, Alberta.

As you approach Stettler from the East on Highway 12, you pass by an industrial slough (perhaps a naturally occuring pond which happens to be in the industrial part of town). This body of water has what amounts to a pile of rocks sticking out at one point, which somebody has carefully crowned with an old tire. I call this formation (wait for it . . . ) Stettler's Island, despite the fact that it looks rather small and unpopulated.