Saskatchewan Review

Not gonna sugar coat this, Saskatchewan suckkkkked (except Regina, which was nicer than expected).
Here's the roundup from what seemes like an eternity trapped in the Land of Living Skies.

Days spent in Sask: 8
Days pedalled: 6
Kilometers pedalled: ~680
Hours spent cycling: ~54
Hours spent cycling in headwind: ~48
Beers drank: ~ 14
Beers drank outside Regina: 3
Favourite small town: Carnduff I guess

What sucked the most:
Constant headwinds. And by constant , I mean literally every day I was in Sask. I had maybe 2 hours of various tailwind when I turned north briefly and about 4 hours of crosswinds.

What else sucked: It was hot, and the small towns and even some bigger towns (cough cough Kindersley) had very little interesting going on to see or do so I ended up just riding long days. The scenery was also quite monotonous, leading to periods of boredom and impatience.

The not so sucky: I came to develop an attachment to Coop gas bars. They were a fixture in most small towns and often had a great selection of reasonably priced snacks, clean bathrooms, and friendly staff. Best of all, they almost always had a place to refill my water bottles.
There were also some decent people in the small towns of the southeast, who showed an interest in my bike tour and weren't too overbearing.

Side note, municipal campgrounds: Just about every small town in Saskatchewan had a campground run by the local town. Amenities varied but usually you could get power, water and access to free showers for about 20$. I relied on these little spots both as overnight destinations and to top up my water during lunch breaks.
Some issues with the municipal campgrounds: Often situated 100 feet away from busy train tracks, expect sleep disruptions. Drinking water occasionally has a weird taste, never got sick though. And finally, these campgrounds are some of the most productive mosquitoe factories I have ever come across. And keep in mind I've been to the North Slope.

Overall thoughts: I have always tried to drive through Saskatchewan as quickly as possible on past road trips and decided to give it a little more patience this time around. However, my standard approach seems to be the best one; just get through Saskatchewan as quickly as you can, but visit Regina. Moose Jaw looked cool too but I was too pooped to explore.