Before I went to bed in Saskatchewan Landing, I decided to make good use of the firewood mountain and cook as many meals as possible without using my stove. After waking up at 6 am and making a quick trip to the nearest bush, I got a fire going and began making preparations for breakfast. A nice leisurely morning spent boiling water on the campfire and reading was followed by an 8 am departure.
It was straight up a 5 km long hill, and then ups and downs all the way to Swift Current, 50 km away. While the ride went quickly enough, I was having trouble with hunger and a general fatigue in my legs.
I decided that the happiest solution was to simply up my calorie intake and take it a bit easy for a bit.
So, I indulged in a nice lunch break at Swift Current, followed by some excessive grocery shopping (now carrying almost enough food to make it clear to Manitoba). Heading east again, I had a tickle of headwind but it was nothinf awful and I made myself ride to a comfortable pace, rather than a specific speed.
A nice (but hot) afternoon saw me into the town of Morse just before 4 pm, where I settled into the campground. I took the chance to even out my tan on the grass of my site until a casual back scratch revealed the hidden tick menace (tick count up to 2 so far but no bites yet). I abandoned the sunbathing in lieu of actual bathing and took my first shower in days.
As I started dinner, a group of fellow cyclists rolled in. They would eventually be introduced as the Grandpas Across Canada (I hope thats right). These guys have it figured out. They are supported and have an RV following them with meals cooked nightly and an astounding variety of booze. Luckily I was invited to join them for pasta and wine and beer and whisky.
And also some good conversation too.
Eventually though, the grandpas partied me out and I headed to a late bedtime at 10:30 pm.
I will definitely have to keep an eye out for these guys in the future. Beers on me next time!
Between the late bedtime and occasional trains going by 100 ft away, it took me a while to get into bike touring mode the next morning. Finally got on the road around 8 am.
The first 30 km weren't so bad, but then I hit the 5th consecutive day of headwind and began a slow, gradual, 30 km climb. Very interesting considering Saskatchewan is supposed to be flat and with tailwinds.
By the time I battled into Moose Jaw, my legs were just about completely drained. I accepted my cousin Paige's offers of a ride into Regina, partially motivated by the 30$ charge for tent camping I would have paid otherwise. Settling in at the Tim Hortons, I made use of the free wifi (I may have gone a bit overboard on mobile data...) to kill time and calculated that I have biked 775 km since I left Calgary 6 days ago, with most of that distance going into a steady headwind. No wonder I'm so demolished.
At least Paige lives walking distance from most of Regina's breweries, so I should have a decent rest in Regina before cutting away from the Trans Canada southeast into Manitoba.
Men in Kilts to the rescue!!
ReplyDelete