Wheat Kings have all their treasures barried
All you hear are the rusty breezes....
- The Tragically Hip - "Wheat Kings"
Outlook to Craik - 119 kms / 73 miles
I am laying curled up in my sleeping bag, precariously balanced on my thermarest and listening to the rumbling of thunder from inside my tent. Brendan had checked the forecast this morning and it looks like the 60 percent chance of showers has now materialised. The rain sounds quite relaxing from inside of my tent but if the thunder and lightening that I see flash by is any indication of what lies in store then it might be a very long night. To make matters worse, the washrooms are about 500 metres away and there are skunks running around the campground so the combination of all of these factors – rain, lightening, a weak bladder, wild stinkey rodents - may make for an adventurous night. Plus I put my pjama pants in my laundry bag which is in the truck which is now locked. There is a family who have a tent (a palace) that is larger than a Bedouin tent just two sites down from ours… Brendan commented that he saw a camel go into it earlier this evening. If worst comes to worst I’m sure that I can sneak into their tent unnoticed and hide in one of their ensuites. I will have to find some pants first though.
The camp site is pretty quiet even though it is only about 9:30pm. Everyone is bunked down in their tents praying for tailwinds, eating (again) or reading and relaxing to the sound of the rain. Tomorrow we get to Regina – civilisation – and then we have a much needed rest day. Everyone is in good spirits and we all spend a lot of time laughing and joking but a break from the saddle – a collective break – is in order so that we can do laundry, tend to our sore butts, personal hygene (I need to do my nails!!) clean our bikes, restock on bike gear, energy bars etc. and just catch up on things. It will also be great to see Regina, the Capital of Saskatchewan, a city which I have never visited..! I must admit, I’m really looking forward to it.
The day was an enjoyable one – we left Outlook that morning bright and early as Brendan and Andrew were on Galley Duty that evening so we were keen to get into camp in Craik as soon as possible to have time to shower and prepare the meal.
Again, we were incredibly lucky with the wind which was blowing in our favour and breezed into Kenaston, the snow blizzard capital of Saskatchewan at around 11:30, just in time for brunch. Because it had such a strong ‘claim to fame’, we had initially expected Kenaston to be a thriving metropolis (even though none of us had ever heard of it..!). Upon arrival we discovered that it was basically a grid o
f 4 streets with one diner, a grain elevator and a giant fibreglass statue of a snowman (which was strategically posed next to the grain elevator). A fibreglass snowman statue... is that not the coolest town mascott or what...?!!!
I am laying curled up in my sleeping bag, precariously balanced on my thermarest and listening to the rumbling of thunder from inside my tent. Brendan had checked the forecast this morning and it looks like the 60 percent chance of showers has now materialised. The rain sounds quite relaxing from inside of my tent but if the thunder and lightening that I see flash by is any indication of what lies in store then it might be a very long night. To make matters worse, the washrooms are about 500 metres away and there are skunks running around the campground so the combination of all of these factors – rain, lightening, a weak bladder, wild stinkey rodents - may make for an adventurous night. Plus I put my pjama pants in my laundry bag which is in the truck which is now locked. There is a family who have a tent (a palace) that is larger than a Bedouin tent just two sites down from ours… Brendan commented that he saw a camel go into it earlier this evening. If worst comes to worst I’m sure that I can sneak into their tent unnoticed and hide in one of their ensuites. I will have to find some pants first though.
The camp site is pretty quiet even though it is only about 9:30pm. Everyone is bunked down in their tents praying for tailwinds, eating (again) or reading and relaxing to the sound of the rain. Tomorrow we get to Regina – civilisation – and then we have a much needed rest day. Everyone is in good spirits and we all spend a lot of time laughing and joking but a break from the saddle – a collective break – is in order so that we can do laundry, tend to our sore butts, personal hygene (I need to do my nails!!) clean our bikes, restock on bike gear, energy bars etc. and just catch up on things. It will also be great to see Regina, the Capital of Saskatchewan, a city which I have never visited..! I must admit, I’m really looking forward to it.
The day was an enjoyable one – we left Outlook that morning bright and early as Brendan and Andrew were on Galley Duty that evening so we were keen to get into camp in Craik as soon as possible to have time to shower and prepare the meal.
Again, we were incredibly lucky with the wind which was blowing in our favour and breezed into Kenaston, the snow blizzard capital of Saskatchewan at around 11:30, just in time for brunch. Because it had such a strong ‘claim to fame’, we had initially expected Kenaston to be a thriving metropolis (even though none of us had ever heard of it..!). Upon arrival we discovered that it was basically a grid o
f 4 streets with one diner, a grain elevator and a giant fibreglass statue of a snowman (which was strategically posed next to the grain elevator). A fibreglass snowman statue... is that not the coolest town mascott or what...?!!!We devoured a brunch served to us by the Chinese family who owned the one diner in Kenaston and then continued on our way.
I like the Prairies – whilst some people think the landscape is boring and there is little to see, I actually really enjoy the flats and the long, rolling fields of wheat and canola broken up by huge farm houses and farm machinery dealerships. We stop every 20 kms or so for a break which gives me the opportunity to take photos and take a break from the saddle. Sometimes we’re joined by some local wildlife. On one s
hort scenic break by the ‘Smiley Church’ we were chased for a few kilometres by a chocolate brown lab (which BC originally thought was a rottweiler!). I was pretty sure that the dog was after my sheepskin saddle... grrrrrrrr....
After the Kenaston stop we continued on Highway 11 onto Davidston. Highway 11 is a busy road but has a nice shoulder. We were joined by Terry and Dave and soon managed to form a double pace line – a new development for me so had some learning to do once again. I put on my ipod and peddled with the wind trying out the new formation. I must admit, I really enjoy pacelining, particularly through the Prairies. I find that it helps to judge the times and distances especially if everyone in the paceline does about 5 kms each. With 5 people it’s easy to cover 25kms with little to no effort and it feels like a bit of a ‘social migration’ rather than a commute from Point A to Point B. We stopped for an icecream and liquid break at a gas station just outside of Davidston where we met up wit
h John and Mick. Davidston’s claim to fame is a giant coffee pot at the main (only) 4-corners of the town… as well as the usual John Deere and Case dealerships.
About 10 kilometers outside of Craik there was a sudden war-cry and a blast of air nearly sent us flying sideways – arrrgh! It was the French Connection..! Andrew and Dave sped off to catch then and race them into camp leaving Brendan with a flat tire and me gasping for air trying to catch up with Yao who had abandoned Team London to try and catch up with the French Connection. I hit about 42 kms / hour on the flats trying to catch up with Yao with Terry drafting off of me and when we finally were neck and neck, made a wrong turn into the thriving metropolis of Craik (a grain elevator) leaving us to backtrack through to a long winding gravel road which led us down to the Regional Park campground. Our home away from home for the coming 15 hours in Craik.
I always have to chuckle when coming into the RV parks / campgrounds as there are generally between 30 – 40 super sophisticated camper vans, winabagos, etc. and then there are the ‘slums’ or ‘tent city’ where our 35 tents are colorfully erected. It is a funny site to see so many little shelters crammed together in a small grassy field, bordered by the large Ryder truck and a flurry of activity around the showers and laundry facilities. It is amazing how quickly the little ‘town’ is set up.
I like the Prairies – whilst some people think the landscape is boring and there is little to see, I actually really enjoy the flats and the long, rolling fields of wheat and canola broken up by huge farm houses and farm machinery dealerships. We stop every 20 kms or so for a break which gives me the opportunity to take photos and take a break from the saddle. Sometimes we’re joined by some local wildlife. On one s
hort scenic break by the ‘Smiley Church’ we were chased for a few kilometres by a chocolate brown lab (which BC originally thought was a rottweiler!). I was pretty sure that the dog was after my sheepskin saddle... grrrrrrrr....After the Kenaston stop we continued on Highway 11 onto Davidston. Highway 11 is a busy road but has a nice shoulder. We were joined by Terry and Dave and soon managed to form a double pace line – a new development for me so had some learning to do once again. I put on my ipod and peddled with the wind trying out the new formation. I must admit, I really enjoy pacelining, particularly through the Prairies. I find that it helps to judge the times and distances especially if everyone in the paceline does about 5 kms each. With 5 people it’s easy to cover 25kms with little to no effort and it feels like a bit of a ‘social migration’ rather than a commute from Point A to Point B. We stopped for an icecream and liquid break at a gas station just outside of Davidston where we met up wit
h John and Mick. Davidston’s claim to fame is a giant coffee pot at the main (only) 4-corners of the town… as well as the usual John Deere and Case dealerships.About 10 kilometers outside of Craik there was a sudden war-cry and a blast of air nearly sent us flying sideways – arrrgh! It was the French Connection..! Andrew and Dave sped off to catch then and race them into camp leaving Brendan with a flat tire and me gasping for air trying to catch up with Yao who had abandoned Team London to try and catch up with the French Connection. I hit about 42 kms / hour on the flats trying to catch up with Yao with Terry drafting off of me and when we finally were neck and neck, made a wrong turn into the thriving metropolis of Craik (a grain elevator) leaving us to backtrack through to a long winding gravel road which led us down to the Regional Park campground. Our home away from home for the coming 15 hours in Craik.
I always have to chuckle when coming into the RV parks / campgrounds as there are generally between 30 – 40 super sophisticated camper vans, winabagos, etc. and then there are the ‘slums’ or ‘tent city’ where our 35 tents are colorfully erected. It is a funny site to see so many little shelters crammed together in a small grassy field, bordered by the large Ryder truck and a flurry of activity around the showers and laundry facilities. It is amazing how quickly the little ‘town’ is set up.
I went through the usual routine – tent, reconnaissance, shower, journal, eat.
Whilst it hadn’t been an especially long day I was tired getting into camp and was very much looking forward to a good nights sleep. Brendan and Andrew’s Galley Crew were cooking dinner - an unusual combination of corn and pancake mix and some veggies. I can’t say it was my absolute favourite meal so couldn’t resist popping out to the local campground store at 8pm with BC to indulge in a gigantic cheery-cheesecake icecream and watch the clouds roll in. By 9pm everyone had bunkered down in their tents ready for sleep as the heavens opened and the rain came down. I was very much looking forward to Regina, the Capital of Saskatchewan and the rest day for the following day..!
Whilst it hadn’t been an especially long day I was tired getting into camp and was very much looking forward to a good nights sleep. Brendan and Andrew’s Galley Crew were cooking dinner - an unusual combination of corn and pancake mix and some veggies. I can’t say it was my absolute favourite meal so couldn’t resist popping out to the local campground store at 8pm with BC to indulge in a gigantic cheery-cheesecake icecream and watch the clouds roll in. By 9pm everyone had bunkered down in their tents ready for sleep as the heavens opened and the rain came down. I was very much looking forward to Regina, the Capital of Saskatchewan and the rest day for the following day..!
__________________
Guest Journal Entry from Ross
Outlook to Craik
It’s not that the prairies are boring it’s just that there is a lot of repetition, of relatively flat land, and farms growing many of the same crops.
Today was spectacular in that there really was nothing spectacular to write about. The wind was not really a factor today, and the terrain was realively flat, and the farms remarkably similar in appearance (see above). We stopped in some place (Kenaston) with a snowman statue and a small restaurant. Our group missed it. We sat with the French Connection and ate PB sandwiches and drank gatorade. Apparently had to go down a dirt road to find this “find”. The ambiance where we sat was small town SK. It was a recreation bldg (curling or hockey) that looked fairly well abandoned. I cleared away the broken glass before sitting down because I didn’t want to subject Graham (the tours personal emergency room physician…for real!) to picking glass from my ass while he is on holiday. Graham did perform some miracle of modern medicine on Laura who fell in the loose gravel. While Graham was busy tending to the wounded, Eric was busy putting pebbles into the back pockets of Grahams cycling jersey. Eric then decided that his helmet looked boring and picked some feathery plant and put them in his helmet. A variation of plume de guerre; more like a plume du velo. Around the corner from the front door was a small alcove that was used as the washroom area. I know this must be just scintilating reading, and is probably more information than you wanted to know about Kenaston. It is certainly more than I wanted to know.
The next stop was in Davidson. Obviously since these place names mean so much to you I shouldn’t have to relate too much about them. This is good because there isn’t much to relate about Davidson. The Co-Op gas bar convenience store seems to be the hub of this thriving megalopolis. After orange juice and a creamcicle, we (John, Mick & R) headed back to hwy 11. We did stop to take a picture of the large coffee pot that is the enticement for tourists to stop….unfortunately we never saw a coffee shop.
Arrived at Craik and there is nothing much to vouch for its existence. We are in a Regional campground across the highway. Apparently the grocery store has 4 isles so the hope of a laundry was dashed. This is 2nd hand information as we were so tired we didn’t bother scoping out Craik…I’m not devastated.
With 4 changes of cycling gear I needed a laundry tonight…no laundry facilities at the campground or at Craik… So tomorrow as I ride in Regina looking for a bike shop, I will be killing everything down wind of me. Not my problem as long as I can stand myself. After setting up my tent and sitting on my camp stool I heard rustling in the grass behind my tent. I was amazed at how calmly I got up and walked away as the skunk waddled its way through the grass and towards other tents. While I was releived that it didn’t decide that my tent was a good place to hang out, I am nervous about this evening. If there are any strange sounds in the middle of the night I’m going to do my very best impersonation of a dead person. I just hope that I don’t have to get up in the middle of the night for a bladder break.
Well that’s it for Ross’s journal for today. See you tomorrow. By the way there is no MEC in Regina, so will have to try the bike shops for a new rack bag. Think I will try to do this on my way through as we are apparently camping 20 km E of town.
PS Heather just showed me a picture of the Snowman, I’m not feeling the need for a return visit to Kenaston to see it…it’s about 12 ft high (4 metres if you are metricized) and is waving good bye which is what I will now say……
Outlook to Craik
It’s not that the prairies are boring it’s just that there is a lot of repetition, of relatively flat land, and farms growing many of the same crops.
Today was spectacular in that there really was nothing spectacular to write about. The wind was not really a factor today, and the terrain was realively flat, and the farms remarkably similar in appearance (see above). We stopped in some place (Kenaston) with a snowman statue and a small restaurant. Our group missed it. We sat with the French Connection and ate PB sandwiches and drank gatorade. Apparently had to go down a dirt road to find this “find”. The ambiance where we sat was small town SK. It was a recreation bldg (curling or hockey) that looked fairly well abandoned. I cleared away the broken glass before sitting down because I didn’t want to subject Graham (the tours personal emergency room physician…for real!) to picking glass from my ass while he is on holiday. Graham did perform some miracle of modern medicine on Laura who fell in the loose gravel. While Graham was busy tending to the wounded, Eric was busy putting pebbles into the back pockets of Grahams cycling jersey. Eric then decided that his helmet looked boring and picked some feathery plant and put them in his helmet. A variation of plume de guerre; more like a plume du velo. Around the corner from the front door was a small alcove that was used as the washroom area. I know this must be just scintilating reading, and is probably more information than you wanted to know about Kenaston. It is certainly more than I wanted to know.
The next stop was in Davidson. Obviously since these place names mean so much to you I shouldn’t have to relate too much about them. This is good because there isn’t much to relate about Davidson. The Co-Op gas bar convenience store seems to be the hub of this thriving megalopolis. After orange juice and a creamcicle, we (John, Mick & R) headed back to hwy 11. We did stop to take a picture of the large coffee pot that is the enticement for tourists to stop….unfortunately we never saw a coffee shop.
Arrived at Craik and there is nothing much to vouch for its existence. We are in a Regional campground across the highway. Apparently the grocery store has 4 isles so the hope of a laundry was dashed. This is 2nd hand information as we were so tired we didn’t bother scoping out Craik…I’m not devastated.
With 4 changes of cycling gear I needed a laundry tonight…no laundry facilities at the campground or at Craik… So tomorrow as I ride in Regina looking for a bike shop, I will be killing everything down wind of me. Not my problem as long as I can stand myself. After setting up my tent and sitting on my camp stool I heard rustling in the grass behind my tent. I was amazed at how calmly I got up and walked away as the skunk waddled its way through the grass and towards other tents. While I was releived that it didn’t decide that my tent was a good place to hang out, I am nervous about this evening. If there are any strange sounds in the middle of the night I’m going to do my very best impersonation of a dead person. I just hope that I don’t have to get up in the middle of the night for a bladder break.
Well that’s it for Ross’s journal for today. See you tomorrow. By the way there is no MEC in Regina, so will have to try the bike shops for a new rack bag. Think I will try to do this on my way through as we are apparently camping 20 km E of town.
PS Heather just showed me a picture of the Snowman, I’m not feeling the need for a return visit to Kenaston to see it…it’s about 12 ft high (4 metres if you are metricized) and is waving good bye which is what I will now say……
2 comments:
Dear Lipgloss & Lycra,
Love your blog, sounds like you are having quite the journey! And can't believe the distance. Adam & I are off biking in France for a few weeks in the vinyards and our max is 50k... you definately are more hard core and to think that you were in London only a month ago pondering about life. What an experience cycling the Canadian terrain, you look like you are in your element. Enjoy the rest of your journey and say hi to Brendan. Like the spandex look:)
Keep up the blogging...
SLx (aka - sparkles & spinning)
Hi Heather,
More of the same for a few more days. Things begin change towards Kenora. Im'looking forward to meeting up with you guys again.
Cheers,
James
Post a Comment