Day 23 - Craik to Regina

126.0 km - Total so far 2,081.49 km - http://ridewithgps.com/trips/5138925

We have updated Day 22.

Before we tell you about today, we just want you to have a look at our setup last night. As I mentioned, we moved our tent inside the camp kitchen to stay out of the forecasted rain. In order not to sleep directly on the cement floor, we set up the tent on 3 folding tables. There is also a picture of me working off line on the blog for Day 22.

Daniel hammering away at the blog. It was pretty chilly and I am wearing a few layers.

Hélène inside the tent sitting on the table platform...it worked well at insulating us from the cement slab.

When we left the campsite around 7:12, it was 5 degrees with a breeze from the WEST. It was the coldest morning we have had since the trip started and we had to put on our arm and leg warmers as well as our long gloves (we have fingerless gloves as well). 

The road to Regina is well travelled and otherwise pretty humdrum. It does however have a village every 15 km or so. On the plus side, there are very many marshes, and when there is no vehicle traffic your can loudly hear the sounds of life.

My bike having a rest on the side of the road. 

Have you ever been chased and pushed off the road by a house? Well just as some other questions we have asked in the past, Hélène and I can answer in the affirmative. I was following Hélène and a truck with a 'Wide Load Sign' slowed right beside me and I knew exactly what to say and do "Get off the road". Within seconds another warning truck passed and as we turned around we saw the house coming at us. It was quite a sight. 

Can't even sneak by on a bicycle

We pedaled at 25+ kph and by our first stop at 9 am, we had covered 30 km. We stopped in Chamberlain and after the mandatory elevator picture, we had coffee at 'Twisted Sisters'. We also took pictures of the hay wagon with a 'surveyor'. Along the 'Louis Riel Trail' as Hwy 11 is called, there are a number of these two sculpture arrangements but only this time was it close enough for us to get a hands on view. 

Makes for an eye catching billboard

Sculpture of surveyor, the wagon and yourstruly dressed as for a fall bike ride....brrrrrrrrr

Next stop was Lumsden, 30 km from Regina. We had a quick lunch and debated what route to take to Regina. After 100 + km, one gets tired of hearing the sound made by vehicle tires as they roll by you at 110 kph. Google maps gave us a number of options that put us on secondary roads. What it doesn't tell you is that the roads are covered in loose gravel, which is extremely demanding to pedal on. We sucked it up and once again headed down Hwy 11, but before heading down we had a nice little climb right after lunch.

Great way to warm the muscles after a light lunch (Hwy 11 coming out of Lumsden)

We made it to the bike shop (found by Ginette) in Regina to pick up the tire (arranged by Yvette). Todd was not there but we still got the tire. Hélène also picked up tubes of ladies and original Chamois Butt'r. While there, we also chatted with a lady who is planning an 8 week trip down the Western coast of the US and is still at the early stages of training and preparing. We gave her a card so that she could read on about our experience getting ready for this trip.

We tried to find ourselves a cheap and cheerful motel to spend the next 2 nights but we quickly discovered that cheap motel is not so cheap in Regina. 

 Tomorrow is laundry and walkabout Regina!

78.29 miles - Total so far 1,296.38 miles