The Flight of Bear Canada
Day Three - July 3rd
Gull Lake, SK to Regina, SK via Dog River, SK
The day was off the a good start. The weather was nice and the traffic was good. I started to relax and start being a tourist. It is a problem especially if you love to ride. As a rider you tend to enjoy the ride a bit too much and you can put on some mad mileage. The hitch is that you don't really get to see anything beyond the saddle. And in the prairies, that can be boring. The morning went off to a good start. The tiny campsite at Gull Lake was quite good. They did have showers . Or at least I call them showers, they could be easily called the working end of a pressure washer. I can't complain. The shower was hot and did blast off the sweat, road grime, bug repellent and a layer of skin.
Big Teepee in Swift Current. SK
Another thing to for travelers to note is that even if a town is marked on the map, it may not be big enough to have a gas station. This is advice I heard at a Horizons Unlimited meeting, but I thought that only applied to the third world. I guess that definition applies to Saskatchewan fueling stations. Who knew. I do have to thank a nice lady at a corner store in Parkbeg, SK. The pump at her place last dispensed gas when it was 75 cents a liter.
Little House on the Prairie
I did check out Moose Jaw, In Moose Jaw I checked out the Tunnels of Al Capone. The tour was good with some actors playing out the role of bootleggers and gangsters in prohibition era Moose Jaw. However I am disappointed that I didn't to belt out a piece on the ol' Chicago Typewriter (AKA Thompson Sub-Machine Gun.)
Dats One Farking Big Moose!!!!
Then I rode a little south to Rouleau. I thought the Trans-Can was straight. Well the road to Rouleau was arrow straight. I mean they calibrate lasers on this road. But after 40km I arrived in Rouleau, the town with an identity crisis. To some it's Rouleau, to others it's Dog River, SK, home to the TV show "Corner Gas".
Corner Gas
Me in Dog River. Typical location for an outlaw biker like me, eh?
Onto Regina for an early camp. I got a campsite with a power hookup and then banged away at the computer trying to do this ride report, process some photos and do the PN site. Some fellow campers offered me some food. They said it would be better to give it away than throw it away. It's glad to see there are some nice people around. My environmental side said it was a good form of recycling. My cynical side said I was just being used as a garbage disposal. My skeptical side was worried about food poisoning. Fortunately I silenced all these voices in my head and said thank you, when I returned the clean dishes.
Day Four - July 4th
Regina, SK to Shady Oaks, MB
I did backtrack from my camp east of Regina to hit up the RCMP Heritage Center. It was cool with a multimedia presentation of the force's early history (kicking damn Yankees out of Fort Whoop-Up!) and a taste of the modern day force and its duties. The displays are cool, touching upon the early history of the RCMP, then called the NWMP. They played a role in opening up of the Canadian Prairies, dealt with the indians, established peace during the Klondike Gold Rush and other efforts.
RCMP Patrol Motorcycle.
RCMP Dogsled team for patrolling the North. (But hey, where are the red and blue lights?)
A bit more modern northern patrol car.
I did have a stupid traffic story to share. This one is a bit different from the clueless BC'er or the belligerent Albertan. I was riding out of Regina in the slow lane since I was doing the speed limit. An old local was dogging it in the fast lane. Well someone got tired of than and came to pass me on the right. I waved my hands in the gesture of "what the?" (no profanity) and I got the middle finger in reply. for an hour later I was contemplating the installation of some sort of cannon or other piece of destructive hardware. I hate a-holes!
The rest of the day was riding east. I think the bad nights of sleeping are starting to take a toll. I recall downing a can of Rockstar energy drink to snap myself awake. Well that worked for about half an hour. The monotonous roads and the heat (high 30C) are damn annoying. Also the fact that Manitoba time is two hours ahead of BC time is a bit of a factor as well. I wonder how messed up I'm going to be when I get to St. John's. Aren't vacations supposed to be relaxing?
Well onto Winnipeg tomorrow. I'll get to raid some historic sites in the AM and then head east again in the afternoon. I could even be in Ontario.(and think I still haven't reached the half-way point.)
I also did run into a fellow BC rider from Kelowna riding his Harley to St. John's as well. I did notice that he was decked out in typical Harley attire. (T-shirt, sweatpants, beanie helmet and sunglasses) I do wonder looking at my own bug splattered attire on how someone can ride dressed like that. Mind you he doesn't have the heat issues like I do.
I also got nailed by a particular big and messy bug in the right eye. I'm glad I shop for sunglasses at Home Depot.
Onwards to Day Five...
Contents Copyright (C) Michael Fodor 2012.