For cyclist friends and others...
Our Saskatchewan bike trips aren't only about millions of pedal revolutions. We often rode 70-80 kilometers a day, sometimes with long up-hills and nasty headwinds that brought tears to our eyes, but some days the rewards were huge... stretched-out declines that make you fly like a bird, and tailwinds, the bigger the better, surprisingly silent as they carry you along, smiles on every rider.
These photos bring back memories of our first club tour in 2008. We biked from Swift Current, through Cadillac to Ponteix, then to Val Marie and ending in Climax, where the sign says "thanks for visiting, please come again".
The 220 km, three day trip was so successful that Dave and his committee planned eight more in the following years.
The unexpected entertainment at the Val Marie arena had us swinging and laughing like hooligans, while the local kids waited in line for their turn on the merry-go-round.
Dave C. and Dave F. joined the local ranchers in the horseshoe tournament, and by evening's end had cleaned up the competition. Dave C. won top points for best style in the artistic horseshoe delivery category.
The biking is great but it's the fun and the friends that we remember.
Waiting out a rainstorm in the Cadillac gas station was just a nice little break, then back on the road again.
The uncomplaining Nancy F., usually one of our fastest and toughest, was hanging back a little. She said later she felt like she was hauling a piano behind her bike, turned out her disk brakes had been rubbing much of the day. Poor Nancy, sorry we all laughed!
Hotels and restaurants are few and far between so we can't be too fussy. There's no camping on these trips and we're happy to get a bed, a burger and a beer, and occasionally a full-course turkey dinner when we're really in luck .
The Nodge girls can't pass up a good garage sale, so the monkey and suitcase came along.
The bikes are packed tightly in the trailer and we all snooze in the van on the drive back to Swift Current. Dave will be thinking about possible routes for next year and everyone is ready to sign up for another Great Prairie Bike Tour.
