Saskatchawan, land of the buffalo

Hello fellow followers, I am in Regina and will rest here for a few days. The beginning of the story is in the last post, in french. So it is friday evening, after a long day of riding into the wind, I decide to stop in one of the farms that clutter the empty plain.

Maple Creek, SK, the ranch

I see one in the distance, get there, and not knowing what to expect, knock on the front door. An older man opens, and seems very friendly right away. He tells me to pitch my tent between the trees, sheltered from the wind. After I built my little home, and cooked some yummy dinner, he came and invited me inside, where we sit down and had a good conversation. Dave is a cowboy, and his ranch has been in the family for generations. His daily life revolve around his 180 cattle. They graze on the abundant grass of the prairie and roam freely in the massive fields. Every year, in october, he sells the calves to feedlots. He also raises ranch horses. Most of the work is done the old fashion way : on his horse, using lassos. And he knows how to use them, he is the 2008 canadian champion. He showed me some of his best, made by his son from stretched cow leather strips woven together. I really liked his personality. We don't only share the same name. I found that we had lots of values in common. He likes natural stuff, i.e. he doesn't give his cows growth hormones when he could. He let them calf by themselves, but he's always watching just in case. I like how minimalist he is, how he takes pride in his low impact lifestyle and how he cares about his land. In the morning, him and his wife invited me for some pancakes and bacon before I left. I will always remember the look on his face when he was looking at the prairie in the morning and said "you know, this view is the reason why I love it so much here and will never live in a city". It's good to feel such happiness and completeness. I thank them both for hosting me and making me dream a little.


I left this morning with a full belly and a tail wind. The first hour, my average speed was above 30km/h. Then it all went downhill. The wind turned and became easterly. I wanted to go past Swift Current that day, but it got really bad and it was draining me physically and mentally. After some hours of beating up, I had a hard time finding the drive to keep going. I would scream at the wind and the only answer would be a fresh gust in my face. A few times, I sat down on the side of the road, decided to stop for the day, and then realized that there is only fields as far as I can see and nowhere to camp. So I would reluctantly get back on my bike and pedal some more. When I got to Swift Current, my mind got distracted with the rows and rows of agricultural heavy machinery for sale. John Deere, Case III, New Holland, Caterpillar, they were all displaying their latest models. I resupplied my pantry and tried to find a place to crash for the night. Well, I picked the worst one ever. The dude I talked to almost reluctantly told me to pitch my tent by his barn, disappeared inside his house and I never saw him again. The Canadian Pacific rail passed on the edge of his property and the numerous trains would wake me up in a world-ending rumble. And he had a dog with, I assessed, a negative IQ. He heard some coyotes in the distance, and barked at the prairie for hours. then in the middle of the night, he heard me move in my tent. From 3am to 5am, he barked at my tent without stopping a second. Needless to say I couldn't sleep. At 5am, I angrily decided to pack up and hit the road.

I had a good day that day. The winds were not too bad and at 10am I had done more than 80k. I stopped in Chaplin, a small village to rest and did some maintenance on my bike. I replaced a broken spoke on my rear wheel, and truing the wheel took some time, but I was satisfied with the result. I left happily and visited a few ailing communities where most of the stores where empty building for sale. I stopped in Mortlach for lunch, and was surprised to see a lively village with actual people walking on the sidewalk. Bathing in the sun and eating a can of sardines was so delightful. Crazy how such little thing can thrill me. And I keep going, hoping to camp near Moose Jaw. It never happened...Shortly after I resume pedaling, a van pulls over in front of me and someone gets off and wave at me. It was a cycling club from regina. They bike downwind and go back home in a van, so that they never have to go against the wind. "cheaters" I thought. But anyway, Ron was a rather friendly folk and we talked for 10 minutes. He kindly offered to lend his tools if I needed any and showed great interest for my adventure. It felt good to feel part of a biking community.

Caronport, SK, and its guru 

I was about 20k from Moose Jaw and I see someone biking on the side of the highway. It was the second time only that it happened, the first time being Garry near Hope, BC. Excited, I speed up and catch up with it. Rod was on his way home and kindly invited me to stay at his place for the night. Of course, I said yes. He is retired from his teaching job in a high school, and live to help the community. I called him the guru! He's the chief fireman at the local volunteer fire station, maintains the dirt roads, and fixes bicycle that he sells for close to nothing to students and friends. A bunch of schools, from kindergarden to seminary, sustain this town. Faith hold it together and it felt good to see everybody being friend with everybody. Rod took me along for a tour, and his keys could open any building. We watched a hockey game at the local rink, got into the empty schools and he's so respected that he can walk into people's houses without knocking on the door. I got honored that evening, to be introduced to all kind of very nice people. The mayor was super friendly, the president of the high school very curious about my trip and one of his friends gave me a tour of his wonderful veggie garden.  Such a good time and good people. His wife made her world famous meat balls, so good with the gravy, I had two servings.

Next morning, after a copious breaky, I jump on my Brooks saddle and go. The objective was regina, only 90km away. The prospect of seeing my friend Tamara and spend a few days relaxing kept my spirits high trough the day, in spite of the strongest headwind so far and rain. In order to reduce my drag, I crunch on my bike, keeping my head down and sometimes resting my elbows on my handlebar. My average that day was the lowest so far, only 16km/h, and my lower back hurt after hours without rest.

Regina, Eat and Relax

Non Marion, y'a pas d'alcool la dedans

I have been here 2 days now, keeping my physical activity at the lowest, eating junk food and regaining my strength. I feel ready to hit the road tomorrow, and I know it's gonna be against the wind again. Cross your fingers some more please. Tamara is a wonderful host and keep me occupied all day. The first evening we decide to go to the pub, and I didn't know what to say when the waitress ask me if I want a drink. Remember, I don't drink alcohol. Fortunately, they had a delectable locally crafted root beer. Next important stage will be winnipeg, 630km away.

Thank you all for your comments and your support and take care.
last uploaded pics here
David