Oyen, Alberta to Kindersley, Saskatchewan
101.0 km td 2,060 km
A day of milestones- into a new province, and into the 2,000 km range. We celebrate with a beer and grilled cheese and fries at the first diner in Saskatchewan- it is only 10:30 AM!
The day heats up to near boiling. The wind is at our faces. The hills are endless. We meet more interesting, and friendly, characters. We play hopscotch with the kiwis. We arrive in Kindersley exhausted- only 100 km today. Another typical day on the prairies.....
Kindersley to Outlook
161.4 km td 2,221.4 km
Conditions are the same today- hot, hilly, and headwind, so we are on the road by 5 AM to try and beat the heat. We pound through the morning, arriving in Rosetown by 11:30. For the afternoon we hide out at the local pool, along with every kid in town-standing room only. The thermometer reaches 33 degrees. By 5 PM we are back on the scorching road. As the evening passes the temp slowly cools. Farmers come out to the fields to turn crops and pick up hay. Thunderheads build on the horizon. As we coast into the last 15 km to Outlook, the sun sets behind us, lighting crashes far ahead, the clouds glow red- the skies really do go on forever out here. We startle 5 mule deer as we drop down and over the South Sask river valley and arrive in Outlook- It has been a glorious evening. We stumble on our Kiwi friends at the local campsite, and share compare notes over a late dinner, before finally passing out, exhausted, but content.
Outlook
A beautiful place to take the day off, I garnered a sense of appreciation for the beauty of the prairies today. Ancient American Elms shading the campsite. A casual float down the crystal clear South Sask river as we cool off- a truly Canadian moment. Watching the sunset from the 3000 feet long footbridge- longest in Canada, and seemingly miles above the river valley. We finish the day with a six course barbeque over an open fire, truly a great day off.
Outlook to Nokomis
153.4 km td 2,391.2 km
We are on the road by 5:40 AM, powering through 91 km by noon. The day is one prairie thrill after another, from the giant snowman in the 'blizzard capital of Sask' (Kenaston), to flying pelicans, to real cowboys on real horses, to endless roadkill. All interspersed with endless fields. The road turns to gravel for some sections, oh what fun on my alum frame and 90 psi 32 mm tires. Andrea has a stern talk with the wind gods in the morning, and by 1 PM, after 5.5 days of headwinds, we officially have a 'favourable crosswind' that speeds up our finish to Nokomis. This town is on the decline, it feels like a ghost town in waiting- no children on the streets, no entrepreneurial businesses, no spark. It is a quiet night in the primitive campsite.
Nokomis to Ituna
138.8 km td 2,530.0 km
We ignore a detour sign in the morning and end up on six miles of sketchy gravel and huge construction machines barreling around us. We find solace in yet another cafe for yet another huge breakfast. Some child tries to lift my bike in Leross and nearly puts his back out. We end the day at a swimming pool, soaking our now leather skin back to life. A random windstorm blows apart our campsite, yet there are no clouds above us. Only in Saskatchewan....