Livin' On A Prayer

“Whooah, we're half way there 

O-ooh, livin' on a prayer

Take my hand[lebar] and we'll make it, I swear”

Somewhere between Saskatoon and the Manitoba border, I'm sure I passed my halfway mark. I should be able to make it home in about three weeks, at least I hope so.

I finally found some spare inner tubes in Yorkton which has given me a bit of security moving forward. I had used up my last good one, although since I changed my tires in Saskatoon, I have taken a belt-and-suspenders strategy of putting a tire liner inside the new Schwalbe Marathons which has made my troublesome rear tire virtually puncture-proof. I might not even get a flat again on this trip, fingers crossed.

With a name like that I just had to stop for some Saskatoon berry crumble cake

Said goodbye to Saskatchewan and entered Manitoba near Russell. I was pleasantly surprised to see a nice paved shoulder — up until the campground at Binscarth, anyway. That night I was held hostage inside tent by mosquitos, I'm sure they have half a pint of my blood as my ransom release.

This family was travelling with a lamb doll which they photographed with the milestones. they were kind enough to snap the photos of me below.

I found a really quiet road as an alternative to a yet-to-be-improved section of the highway, and it was nice to virtually have it to myself. With the wind at my back it was like sailing across a sea of green fields. It's hard to capture it in photographs, the day was just a nice satisfying bike ride.

The Assiniboine River Valley

A bit of climbing to make the day interesting

I had this road to myself

Got into Minnedosa in good time in the afternoon, but I found the campground packed because of a music festival. I did score a sweet lakeside spot that someone had reserved for tomorrow, though. There was lots of free firewood so I decided to grill myself a nice steak, and generate some smoke to drive away the mosquitos. The earplugs I brought finally came to good use, as the partying kept on until the wee hours.

Eating a steak with a spork and a Leatherman knife is possible.