Two retired cousins set out on the trip of a lifetime as they ride in their horse-drawn carriage all the way from Frontier, Saskatchewan to Virden, Manitoba.

Left to right: Derwin Clarke and his cousin Joe Alexander sit in front of their wagon and two horses. (captured by Denis Conroy)

The roughly 660 kilometre trip is also a historical adventure for the two men as their grandfather embarked on the same trip more than 100 years ago in 1918.

Both men grew up in Birch River, Manitoba but currently live in Balzac, Alberta with many ties in Saskatchewan.

"We go on a small trail trip every year and after last year we got talking about our grandfather and we figured since it's been more than a hundred years since then that we would try the same trip that he did," told Derwin Clarke. "So here we are and going down the road. We're just two guys going for a wagon ride."

The two men put their own money, time, and hard work into preparing for their multi-week trip across the two Canadian provinces and said that they have run into several kind-hearted individuals who wanted to help them out.

"A very gracious woman who was a few years older than me stopped when we were in Weyburn and gave us four muffins and I lost my glasses so I asked her where I could buy reading glasses and she said that she'd go get some," shared Clarke. "She brought me the glasses and she wouldn't take any money for them. We've had people stop and give us doughnuts and some even brought food for our horses. So it's just been really humbling to experience along this trip. The people have all been amazing."

Clarke said that he has had his two Percheron horses Cole and Elmo for three years now and stated that they have been easy to work with throughout their long-distance trip across the province.

Before retiring he was the pastor of a church for 25 years and his cousin Joe was a carpenter by trade before his recent retirement.

"It's hard to describe and put it into words but the people have really been incredible to us during this trip," expressed Joe Alexander. "It's just so great to see the landscape. You look around and see everything that you don't see in a car driving past at a high speed. This way you have lots of time to get a good look at all of Saskatchewan. But then I have to go back to the people because they have been fantastic."

Both men shared that the drivers that have passed them as they have been slowly making their way east on Highway 13 have all been friendly and supportive. They had no negative experiences to report and said that they were not expecting to receive so much kindness from complete strangers.

The two cousins planned for their arduous journey for roughly a year before putting everything together and finally embarking on their exciting historical adventure.

Clarke shared that he had to rebuild the wagon before it was roadworthy and added on lights and mirrors to ensure everyone's safety.

They shared that the rain and cooler mornings have been their biggest obstacle so far but said that they were happy to see more moisture in the area as they know that the farmers will need it.

"Before we left home we decided that if anybody stops that we'll stop to talk to them and we have been stopping four to six times a day and we take the time to chat," added Clarke. "It's getting to the point where people need some form of normalcy where they can talk and share by getting together. So this wagon has been a point where people can gather around. We invite more strangers to stop and say hi because so far it's all been really good."

The cousins hope to reach their destination in Manitoba by July 27 which would make their trip roughly three weeks in total.

Anyone heading east on Highway 13 is welcome to pay the men a visit if they happen upon them during the rest of their journey and they hope to encounter many new people that would like to exchange stories with them.

Below you can view our video of the men shortly after they passed the Weyburn area heading towards Griffin.