I made it to Saskatchewan on the fourth NW headwind day in a row. With 697 miles logged in so far, I am a bit behind where I wanted to be at this point. More days on the prairies mean less to spend in the northern mountains. The frustrating thing about bicycling into the wind is that it is like going uphill all the time, with no end in sight.
In any case, I chose to bike the whole route because there is a certain grandeur to the endless prairies, the vistas, the sunsets, and the friendliness of the people who live here. I have made the transition from the corn belt to the wheat belt, with intermittent grasslands where trees are few and far between and cattle watch suspiciously as I glide by. Ahead lies several days in Saskatchewan's agricultural heartland, continuing to angle northwest.
Other than the wind, things are going smoothly. The bike and other gear are working fine, the paved shoulders on most major roads- roads that were lonely 2-lanes in 1967- make it possible to mostly tune out the traffic. The first mishap of the trip happened today arriving in Estevan, when I pulled into a parking lot, couldn't get my pedal cleat unsnapped fast enough and down I went, skinning my elbow.
More thoughts later, before I leave town.
Saturday Morning: Sunny, lighter west winds, so far. Regina newspaper forecast shows more cloudiness tomorrow and rain Monday-- maybe this stubborn weather system is going to finally move on. anyway, I'm off, into some of the flattest country on the planet, to see what the day will bring!
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