Trip 1: Entry 2 - Moose Jaw, SK

About 720kms so far.

Belated Happy Mother's Day. I left Swift Current with a nagging feeling my butt was getting sore. By that evening it was obvious problems had developed and on Sunday the 120kms to Moose Jaw were quite uncomfortable. I have decided it is best to hang out here a couple of days, apply various ointments and buy a different saddle. Hopefully this will work. History repeats itself: I was held up here in 1995 (on my cross-Canada ride) due to a bout with giardia. I left here very strong and hope the same will be true this time.

Otherwise, I have felt great. The weather has been very sunny and so far I've had 2 days of headwinds and two of mostly tailwinds. The longest day on the saddle was 8:15 and that got me 245kms. Other than my butt problems, I feel like I could average 30kms/hr for at least 8 hrs a day. There is still lots of time to get past this hiccup and build to longer days towards the end. Unseasonably warm weather will be good training.

It is only as you near Moose Jaw that the prairie becomes much flatter. On a bike you feel every little hill to that point. The grass is green and many birds can be seen and heard as you ride. The roads were excellent in Alberta, but have deteriorated somewhat in Saskatchewan. It is the trips into towns that are the greatest concern in terms of flats and sharp pot holes that could wreck the wheels. I had one flat on the open highway Sat. morning. The mosquitoes are out and vicious, so this precludes long breaks on the road.

I usually stop at a gas station first thing for coffee and other needs. I have started a habit of a mid-day meal of the 'double cheeseburger value meal', with extra salt on the fries. Oddly I haven't felt overly hungry and suspect I'm loosing some of the pre-trip extra weight.

Hope everyone is doing well. I'll try to leave early tomorrow morning.