5 August - Saskatchewan. Hard to spell. Easy to draw.

Medicine Hat to Maple Creek 101km (2259km total).

I took a day off in Medicine Hat as I was feeling tired. Unfortunately I think my neck is going to be a problem for the rest of the trip. The physio in Canmore asked me if it was bad enough to stop me cycling, to be honest the thought hadn't crossed my mind. She also asked me if I had a support team, I guess I should have asked her if she wanted to join me for a few weeks!! It feels okay when I am not biking but the pain sets in pretty soon after I start now, I have tried some stretches she suggested, bought some hot packs and Sandra lent me a little ball that I can roll on. 

So I rested, stretched, skyped home, washed my bike clothes and made some music playlists. I didn't leave the motel until gone 6pm to find some food. I also bought a cheap foam camping mat in Canadian Tire, sometimes I just feel like lying down when I stop during the day but the rest areas in Alberta have been particularly poor with no picnic tables and often no washroom, but always a garbage bin and one for recycling in case you cannot wait to recycle that bottle!! I figured a brief lie down might be good for my neck too, I even trimmed it down a bit despite the fact it weighs hardly anything. I also bought a new toothbrush and as there is a small fridge in my motel room I made up some sandwiches and put my water in there to chill. 

After 2 baths in 2 days I can say with confidence I even have some colour on my legs now (it isn't just dirt!!). A number of people seemed surprised how little colour I have picked up from so many days on the road. What can I say, sunscreen does actually work, especially if applied regularly, I am already on my second bottle and it seems prudent as I am spending such a large amount of time in the sun. 

I have around 1100km to Winnipeg which will be about 9 days of riding although google suggested I could do it in 2 days 4 hours, guess I am not trying hard enough!!

Early in the day I got to enjoy another Alberta 'roadside turnout'. At least this one had a sign with some history to read, but with nothing to recycle I didn't dwell long.

It was a nice day, slightly overcast with mild winds and I made good progress. There was not much to break up my ride today except the Saskatchewan border!! 

A family came along and asked me to take their picture, then their kids climbed on the sign and said I should too. I wondered if this is the highest point in Saskatchewan?

The Prairies are very pretty and I can appreciate them more when I am not riding into howling winds. Here are some photos from today.

After 90km there was a very nice campground by the side of the highway and it comes well recommended by the guy who wrote the Biking across Canada bible but I have already camped beside the highway and although convenient the places tend to be noisy and lack character (I have to laugh as I write this as my campground is right by the train tracks and there goes another train!!). I knew Maple Creek was about 10km south of the highway and Laura and I had had a really good cooked breakfast there on the drive out. It is a nice little town with some history and character. Unfortunately the little cafe had since closed down which is disappointing and really the main reason I came!! The cloud had been gathering all day and I just managed to pitch my tent before the thunder started although there was not much rain. I had a good catch up with my old roommate Kriz over the phone before the rain really started and I am quite cozy in my tent as I write this. 

One last picture for the day, I think this was in Alberta, I assume it didn't actually mean at large? But I was somewhat grateful not to have bumped into him. And the title for this post came from a t-shirt in the visitor centre in Saskatchewan, I like the slogan!