Day 20
Outlook to Craik, Saskatchewan
Distance: 125km
Temp: Rainy in the morning and hot afternoon

Since we were on galley duty breakfast this morning we were last to leave (today being a genuine excuse for leaving late.)
Due to our hammer-fest yesterday, our legs begged for mercy; we had no other choice this time but to defer.
I was feeling pretty good, but Lewis had had the biscuit and was feeling somewhat meditative and wanted to ride alone.
I rode with a guy who had been riding with us for quite a while in the Rockies; he is on our galley duty, and was the one with whom I had a falling out over regarding the galley duty.
We had both been sulking and playing the ‘silent treatment’ game, but had hashed it our and made up this morning.
Nothing like being on a trip where your physical and mental boundaries are pushed passed their known limits to bring about emotional outbursts, and resolution.
I don’t think therapy would be as successful as this-but who else would subject themselves to such extremes other than those who need it most?
Needless to say we discussed how our feelings were hurt, how it reminded of us of when we were 6 on the playground when Billy/Sally/Tina did X, and made is cry/sulk/freak-out/punch another kid, but how we’ve worked through it now and it’s all better.
Until next time.
Anyhow, we push each others buttons, but its good, as what is life without buttons being pushed?
So we rode together for most of the day, glad that we’d had the chance to tell the other how much of a pain in the ass the other one is/was.

We went through quite a few towns that are like ghost towns, with buildings boarded up, or very run down; it’s quite sad to see.
I’m so used to being in Ontario, where even on lonely roads you will happen across some corner store or gas station, but out here we came across nothing, making all the girls become quite adept at hiding in the short grass on the sides of the road for bladder relief.

In another town that we didn’t go into, but heard about from the Aussies, that they were looking for a place to have some tea; it was about 2:30 on a Thursday when they rode through this dusty abandoned looking town and noticed one place looked semi-open (but no cars or telltale signs, no people on the streets,) they went in to a pub and the place was full with people smoking and drinking (at 2:30 on a Thursday afternoon.)
They went up to the bar and asked for tea, (they didn’t serve tea.)
Could they have some hot water, they have their own tea? (No, they don’t have hot water.)
So they left.
One of the other riders asked if anything else had happened in that town, to which they answered, “yes, the dog rolled over.”
That about sums life out on the prairies as far as we can tell.

In one town we came across a rather obtuse, sad looking snowman, who’d lost his right hand.
Some thoughtful person improvised and stuck a pilsner onto the end of his arm, giving him a drunkard, lopsided look.
And true to the stereotype there wasn’t much in town, save for a Chinese/Canadian Restaurant (Ed: good milkshakes and burgers, and child labourers clearing the tables i.e. the eight year-old son of the owner).

Interesting to note about Saskatchewan is that it is very unlike Alberta in its political and social views; Alberta is the hot bed of the Conservative government, whereas Saskatchewan is where the NDP started, and the home of Tommy Douglas of national healthcare fame.
I noticed in the few stores that we did come across in Sask, that there were signs for organic farms, and music festivals held in hemp fields.
Also the campground we stayed at was near an Eco-Café, run by the Craik town mayor and his wife.
The café was supposed to be run on solar energy and used all kinds of innovative environmentally friendly tools to run.

If interested you can view the past 9 albums (scroll down to 'browse all albums) :
http://www.kodakgallery.com/Slideshow.jsp?mode=fromshare&Uc=w1ru7rm.4ztpohlq&Uy=-wrhhtg&Ux=0