Saturday July 18, 2015

Did you see how many ks we rode today 176 kms over 109 miles.

Now I know a lot of my Canadian friends are going to say well Saskatchewan is flat, so you can cycle 100 miles on flat roads. Well we climbed over 354 metres today.

Today was one of those days where everything was right: the legs, the weather, the route and most importantly the wind.

We left Swift Current under grey skies, cool temperatures and the winds coming out of the west at 35 kph. We were heading east, those winds pushed us for most of the day. Ralf said we only peddled half of the distance.

It was a lovely route, the shoulders were wide and for the first 40 ks or so Ralf and I were riding side-by-side and chatting.

We got to Chaplin which was going to be our overnight stop at 10:45 am 80 kms done. There was no real campsite, no shower, or potable water. Only the gas station with limited supplies. We decided to carry on to the camp site near Mortlach. We were both feeling really good and strong.

We got to Mortlach and turned down the gravel road to the Provincial campsite at Besant 135 kms. The campsite had signs saying no potable water – just a precaution, the lady at the office said. Campsite would have cost $25.00 plus $2.00 per shower. There was also a gospel jamboree happening – hallelujah Jesus!

We called Keri our warmshowers host for tomorrow and told her that we were making really good time, and asked if she would be able to host us tonight. She kindly said yes so we carried on.

176.06 ks later we arrived in Moose Jaw feeling remarkably fresh and strong. What an awesome day.

Keri invited us to go with her to a folk festival and dinner with friends. We went for the dinner but decided not to go to the folk festival.

Although we cycled 176  kms and averaged 25 kph, we enjoyed the scenery and took the time to stop and enjoy the views.

Today we passed two large lakes. One was called Reed Lake, it is part of a migratory path for over 40,000 birds in the fall and spring.

We also passed an area where brine and salt were being processed.

We passed a sign saying the Ice Road was closed.

Coming into Moose Jaw we pulled into the rest area to check the City map.

Welcome to Moose Jaw.