Jeff Stock has the best summer job ever. Or, at the very least, he has the best summer job in Saskatchewan. For a single 22-year-old, it's a dream job. Jeff is the Saskatchewanderer. He gets paid to travel in style across Saskatchewan. His purpose this summer, is to experience all that can be experienced in our beautiful province and to post journal and videos on his blog, Saskatchewanderer.ca.
Jeff began his journey in early May and on June 12, he visited Weyburn. He had stayed the previous night at the Harbour View Bed and Breakfast at Mainprize Lake, following a day spent touring the energy facilities and Roche Percee in Estevan.
"We grabbed our hard hats and goggles and jumped in the white van that for the next few hours shuttled us around for a tour of the coal mines, the Boundary Dam Power Station, and the Shand Power Station," Stock wrote on his blog on June 15.
Jeff works for the Government of Saskatchewan, Ministry of Tourism, Parks, Culture and Sport. He said he heard about the job through word of mouth from a friend.
"It looked like pretty much the perfect job," he said.
The special skills required to do the best summer job ever include writing and blogging, organizing time and data, video editing, interpersonal commun-ication and a general love of people and trying new things. Stock is a creative type, originally from Maple Creek. His background is in design, which translates well to his new job.
Before Stock headed into southern Saskatchewan, he had just picked up a new Ford Edge compliments of Bennett-Dunlop Ford in Regina.
The Saskatchewanderer's fuel is sponsored by CAA Saskatchewan, who presented Stock with $1,700 worth of Husky and Mohawk gift cards. Of course, they also have him covered for unlimited roadside assistance with a CAA RV Plus membership.
Jeff attended a meet and greet with the public at the local CAA Saskatchewan branch at City Centre Mall on June 12. It was his first official CAA event of many for the upcoming summer.
With his tour guide Lorena Squires, Travel Manager at the Weyburn Branch of CAA, Stock toured Weyburn's attractions.
After meeting the media for photos with the Tommy Douglas statue, Stock and Squires visited the Tommy Douglas Centre and toured its grounds. Stock was excited to learn more about Tommy Douglas and even wrote about the influential Weyburn legend on his blog.
While touring the Soo Line Historical Museum, Stock enjoyed perusing the Charlie Wilson Silver collection as well as the Souris Valley display. He and Squires also took a tour of the old Souris Valley grounds. Along the way, they stopped by the Courthouse.
"He was quite impressed with the new Courthouse refurbishment," said Lorena Squires.
On Jeff's blog, he has posted a number of videos of interest, including his May 10 visit to Ogema's Southern Prairie Railway, where he boarded for the revived passenger car's inaugural run down the track.
There is also a post about Kite-boarding on his blog that is quite entertaining. Stock said that the experience was so far the most exciting thing he had done, because it was fun and it was uniquely Saskatchewan, due to the 'wind and wide open spaces.'
"I update my facebook and twitter every day," he said. "It gives people a chance to follow along and be more interactive with me."
Stock said that he is going to try to take in as much as he can, culturally and historically, so that he can share his experiences with those in the province and beyond.
"Our whole goal is to break stereotypes people have about Saskatchewan," said Stock, who added that he is excited to go up to northern Saskatchewan at the beginning of July.
