Saskatchewan Pt. 1(2)

Saskatchewan was lovely!! Mostly. We found the #1 highway to be a much better experience than the #3 we had taken through BC and Alberta which had narrow and sometimes no shoulder at all.  

The Trans Canada highway through Saskatchewan has broad paved shoulders with no debris, and we felt much safer riding well wide of the traffic.  

No joke, drivers with Saskatchewan plates were giving us a full lane width as they passed, including the transport trucks. There is a LOT of space out here!!

The ride through the gentle rolling hills is a pleasure.  Light winds make the cycling easy and we can log big kilometres past modern grain elevators and quaint towns along the highway. 

The trope that there are no hills or trees in the prairies is false. There are plenty of both. 

And from the crest of the long risers you can see forever. The sheer expanse is something you can only feel in person, and on a nearly silent bicycle in between light spells of traffic the big calm is mesmerizing. 

Saskatchewan is chill.  We think the prairie ride should be considered a “must do” and is every bit as enjoyable as BC was, albeit very different. 

We stopped for a lunch at the viewing tower in Morse, where we have fond memories of stopping in years past with our big ol’ dog Onyx. That rascal had run pell mell into the lake to chase the gulls and made the ensuing car ride an immersive experience in odour of wet doggo.  Can smell that even now actually…..

“Land of living skies” is truly apt.  The movement of cloud and changing of shapes by the minute, every kilometer brought an entirely new landscape in the sky. 

The sky story had become more ominous through Herbert and Morse, and by Chaplin we thought we better get the tent set up before it rained. 

The sunset under the rain clouds was as spectacular as anything we’ve seen and as the storm came over us we buckled in for the night hoping our old tent would keep us dry. 

It poured all night and gave us our first experience with substantial rain on the trip so far.  The tent barely held together with a few drops getting in. 

The next day’s ride was a mad race against a black sky.  We had a light tail wind and we were able to maintain 27-28 kph for most of the day. 

That dark sky of doom chased us all the way across the plains at the same speed, hovering behind in the rear view mirrors with clear intent. 

At Parkbeg the tail wind suddenly became a strong headwind as the storm sucked us in. 

Emergency alerts went off on our phones warning of tornado possibilities in the area and we looked for cover as the storm caught us for real.  

Of all the things one researches and prepares for, tornado was not on our list. There is no such thing as tornado spray.

No way we were going in this old tornado target!! 

Better to hug onto a tree and hope for the best.  

We soon became quite wet, and a flat tire was not making this our most fun riding day.  

The patch and glue refused to hold in the wet and we hobbled in to the town of Mortlach to find a hot meal and some shelter.

We must’ve been quite the sorry sight. Bedraggled and forlorn we found an open diner with the name RESTAURANT above the door and hoped on all hope they’d have burger and fries on the menu.

They did! And even better, beer for 4 bucks. Yes, $4 in 2025.  We obviously sampled a few of those liquid carby snacks while we waited for the rain to quit. 

The locals were so fun. Warm and hospitable, with tips on where we could stealth camp along the road and they seemed to have a great understanding of the plight of the weary cycle tourist.  

We asked to fill our water bottles, and they warned of many new pregnancies in town and suggested we best not drink the water. It did seem risky so we ordered some more four dollar beers. Lots of chuckles.

Patched up and cheered up we set out towards Moose Jaw, with the possibility of more rain in the offing.  

We briefly contemplated making the run for Regina while we stopped for supper in Moose Jaw, but 80 more kilometres would bring us in an hour or so after dark, and that’s IF everything went right. 

Better judgement prevailed and we found a great wild camp spot at the end of a closed road just outside of town.

More rain that night, all night, finally did our tent in.  Everything was soaked through. Sleeping bags, mats, clothes.  Nelson took on a little water as we used him to paddle out of there. Oy.

Luckily we head for Regina next day where we are anticipating a long break with a warm bed and visits with dear friends and family, 

Rolling into Regina, on bicycles that we rode here on from Victoria, BC, is a totally surreal experience. We head for our old neighborhood straight off the highway.

And past our little old house to make the rounds and inspect the fence. ;)

Out front of the legislature building (pronounced “Ledge” in Regina) we took a minute to contemplate what we had done.  Totally surreal.

Regina’s wonderful Wascana Park. A huge part of our lives from our time living in this city.

They happened to be setting up a food truck festival just as we arrived.  Perfect.  Our dear friend Renee met us for lunch and hugs.  Totally surreal. 

After lunch we continued through the park headed for the East End and to Sherrie’s mum’s place where we’ll spend at least a few nights.  

At only 1800 kms from Victoria, we’ve not even achieved a third of our intended kilometers, but nevertheless, arriving in our old city, on bicycles, from the West Coast, is totally surreal and we are high as kites. 

READ NEXT:   Saskatchewan Part 2.