If someone tells you that Saskatchewan is flat, they are lying. 

We unfortunately discovered this the second we crossed the AB/SK border. One minute we were happy as clams, soaring in the tailwinds of the Alberta plains, the next minute we were chugging up and down over these rolling hills. It didn’t make any sense. It went against everything we have been taught to believe about the middle of Canada. While the hills weren’t difficult, per se, they just never stopped. To make matters worse we were tiring fast, having just endured one of our first accidents.
Some time before the border we were cruising in the SW wind, when Benn, some ways up ahead of me suddenly went over the edge of the road’s shoulder and slid into the ditch. In a second’s distraction, he had veered too far to the right and the pavement turned to gravel which did not support his bike. He jumped up fairly road rashed and shaken, but luckily we weren’t too far from the town of Irvine, AB, where we procured some First Aid. Trooper that he is, he held it together for the last 60 or so kilometers until we made it to the first town in Saskatchewan, Maple Creek. (He is now healing up very well.) 

Since then, our days in Saskatchewan have not been easy. Between the never-ending hills, the draining heat, and the eerie emptiness of the land had taken its toll. Not to mention we’d pushed out about 500km in the last 3 days. Finally, passsing Moose Jaw, the landscape began to take on its mythical flatness (though I will maintain it has a distinct upward incline) and against a stubborn Northern wind, we stumbled into Regina totally exhausted and happy for a bed. 

All things considered, we are far from miserable. Tired and sore, definitely, but spirits are still high. During our stay in the tiny campsite of Chaplin, SK, we met a father with his two pre-teen sons also on a bike trip, though they are going all the way to St. John’s.  Such effort, as well as other stories we’ve heard of all the cyclists out there right now, working their way across the country despite the time and energy it takes, is really inspiring. Despite the hard times (and probably because of them) we have reflected on this trip as an amazing, life-shaping experience. 

That said we are still happy for the rest day. We have been taking Regina at a very low-key pace (NO BIKING!) and it has unfolded itself to be a pretty cool city. A stroll around the funky “Cathedral Area” (think Commercial Drive or Kensington Market) and picnic in Wascana park have really refreshed our spirits. 

We should be recharged by tomorrow to tackle 3 hard days of cycling (winds permitting, as one cheeky old lady in Maple Creek said: “The wind is usually good, Alberta blows and Manitoba sucks!” I am reserving judgement) and make it into Winnipeg for another update. Until then, enjoy some more photos I have updated to my Flickr!   

Love, 

Emma and Benn