Thursday, July 21, 2005

Day 24 – Distance: 120.82 km
Outlook to Craik, SK

We pulled out at around 10:15 a.m., and checked in with a woman at the local gas station. She warned us that the road conditions of Hwy 15 on the other side of Hwy 11, which would take us down to Regina, would deteriorate considerably; the shoulder was bad, it was quite hilly, and truckers use that route as it is a shortcut to the Manitoba border (which was why we were considering it). So, we went back to plan A, which was to head down to Regina.

It was an amazing day, wind wise; it was in our back the whole way, and we reached Craik by about 3:30 p.m. The campsite was great, and located near an “eco-centre”, a building which is the clubhouse for a nine-hole golf course, and which is built entirely from recycled and eco-friendly materials. The toilets are compost-types, and the heating and cooling systems are tube types. The concepts were especially interesting to Cassie, who is undertaking this bike ride to raise awareness about climate change. The restaurant there was really good too, so we decided we would pack up in the morning, and then have breakfast there.

Nights have been quite cool (cold…); I got up around 1:00 to answer a call, and saw a huge full moon looking down at me. I thought there was a new planet or something below it, but realized later it was only a light from a building. I didn’t take the time to see if there were any constellations that were unfamiliar – my warm sleeping bag was calling me, and my brain obviously wasn't functioning yet.