Day 35: Portage La Prairie to Beausejour 169km

Well as you can see this is our record day for distance so far and we achieved it on a blistering hot day of 32 degrees C. The first part of the ride went well as we got to a good early start and the temperature was cool. We made around 95km before we stopped for lunch which was also another record. A very proud day you could say. Before lunch though we did end up going 5km up a gravel path in the wrong direction which was annoying but all part of the fun. The tour du Canada route map that we use was wrong for this section and missed off a whole town, which was very strange. We realised in time though and made it to Stonewell for lunch.
We found a motel restaurant for breakfast part 2 but as we arrived 1 minute after 11.30 they wouldn't make us breakfast and the waitress was an angry youth so we walked out after ordering drinks. We found a little place up the road for sandwiches and soup and plenty of tea so all was good. We tried to keep the break short as the day was getting very hot. The second part of the day was extremely tough and it took a lot of mental toughness to fight through those wicked last 20kms.
When we finally arrived at our campsite all was forgotten as they had a beach and swimming area on the lake with a slide, great times. Having a swim after a hot day cycling is almost better than eating after a hot day cycling. The campsite though had the most mosquito's of the trip so far and drove us crazy. Agnes must be tastier than i am as they bite her like crazy but generally leave me alone. They must not like foreigners so I am happy about that. We made a cracking meal and got an early night as we have a bigger day planned for tomorrow.

Day 34: Minnedosa to Portage La Prairie 134km

After that great ride into Minnedosa we had another pretty good day into Portage. The ride was smooth and no problems arose along the way which makes for a great day but an uneventful blog. We did stop in a little town for Breakfast part 2 called Gladstone. It wasn't a Canadian/Chinese place this time but a great breakfast was had anyway. We chatted to the woman running the place for a while and she gave us the meal on the house, which made our day. After feeling good about the free breakfast we cruised into Portage with no problems. The highway did get very busy when entering the town and there wasn't a paved shoulder so we were cycling in the road but all the traffic respected us.
When we arrived in the town it took some time to find the tourist information centre but they are usually hidden so that was nothing new. Eventually we got to the town campground which was located in the town park. It wasn't really a campsite but just an area where a couple of tents were and they had hot showers nearby so we were happy. When we got closer to the other tents we realised that they were both cyclists. There was a man on his own travelling west on one of those low to the ground car type bikes and an Australian couple travelling the same way we are. It was great to meet and chat with some fellow cyclists and exchange tips and stories. Also you can't go travelling and not bump into some Aussies as it wouldn't be the same. We went with the Australian couple to Mikes Bike shop. The shop was a small outfit in the back of a garage. The guy was very helpful and sorted Agnes gear problems out within about 5 seconds. We also had a go on some chopper style bikes that he had in stock which was a good laugh.
We managed to stop talking eventually and put our heads down for the night as we were planning a big day and a early start.

Day 33: Shoal Lake to Minnedosa 64km

We slept in today because I hadn't put the clock on my phone forward an hour, but we both woke naturally at 5.00am. This for me is a very strange feeling, not sure if i like it or not. The morning is great but so is sleep, its a tough one.
We planned a short ride today as Agnes was expecting an important call and we have laundry to do and a lot of the small places we pass through don't have the facilities. We set off at 7.30am after a good breakfast part 1 and we were flying. By the time we stopped for our first drink of water we had covered 22km. The road surface became even smoother as we went on and we were going as fast as we could. this is the first time I feel that I have gone flat out yet and it was a good feeling. We made it to Minnedosa in 2hours12Min's. It would have been great to carry on further today but we have things to do so hopefully tomorrow the weather will be the same and we will be as fast out of the blocks.
So until the next time I have Internet access, goodbye.

Day 32: Esterhazy to Shoal lake 123km

Another very successful day of smooth problem free cycling. We passed into Manitoba province number 4, which felt great. I get a great feeling of satisfaction when we pass into another province. As every province is the size of or bigger than most countries in Europe you feel as though you have conquered a country. In a sense you have as every province so far has been different in terms of landscape and people. Many people in BC told me that the prairies were boring and dull but so far they have been beautiful and the people have been fantastic. I think if you take the highway number 1 through the prairies it is very flat and the landscape doesn't change much but the route we took has been great. There have been times when it has become monotonous but that was only a few days of riding on the whole it has been great. Its interesting to see how life goes on in these very small communities along the way compared to large towns and cities that we are used to living in. i don't think i could live in the prairies but it is still worth a visit.
We arrived in Shoal lake nice and early. We popped the tent up and then Agnes went swimming and I went into town and bought groceries. The campsite was my favourite one yet as it was only 12 dollars and was situated on a beautiful lake with a sandy beach. Also the firewood was free and we had time to have a fire at last. I bought some hot dogs in town and we cooked them over the fire and with plenty of salad we had a great meal. once this deep cut closes up I'll be able to go swimming which will be awsome as it it very hot now.

Day 31: Fort Qu-Appelle to Esterhazy 143km

Finally we got going and heading towards the boarder. Esterhazy is still in Saskatchewan but is very close to the Manitoba boarder. My allergies held out for the day and my eyes were feeling normal so all was good. Nothing much to report for this day as we just cycled and got to our destination with no problems, hurray. The campsite was very cheap at 13 dollars and we made ourselves pasta and salad. Lets hope we can get out of this mini rut we have been in and get cycling for a few days.

Day 30: Fort Qu-Appelle 0km - Canada Day

I stayed in the room and hid from those lethal flowers til 11.00am to give myself optimum recovery time. It did the trick and I felt much better so we headed down for breakfast which was the best breakfast and the cheapest of the trip so far, bonus. By the time we had finished and got ourselves gathered together it was getting into the afternoon so we stayed in the town but up at the campsite. There wasn't any room as it was Canada Day so the owner let us camp under some trees to the side of the site for free. This made up for paying for the Inn the previous night. We went swimming in the lake as it was a scorching hot day. Fort Qu-Appelle isn't my place, in the lake I stepped on a sharp rock and cut the bottom of my foot. Luckily i had Agnes to the rescue once again as she managed to get the dirt from the cut and bandage it up. When we leave this town I'll have to do a bit of running around for Agnes I think.
As it was Canada day there were fireworks at the campsite and general party time.
Hopefully we will get a move on tomorrow as we thought we woupld be in Manitoba by now.

Day 29: Regina to Fort Qu-Appelle 76km

We woke around 5.00am to a cracking thunderstorm, which soon passed so we had to get up. We got gathered together and had a little surf on the Internet before we went. We bumped into Jim from Cory and Jim who we met in Drumheller. He was very impressed with the time we were making, we didn't mention we had been slacking for three days.
We hit the road at around 9.00am and got as far as 3km up the road. This time it was my bike, the arm which holds the left peddle decided to fall off. I managed to tighten it up enough and we headed back to the bike shop we had been in and out of for the last three days. I had to buy a new arm which wasn't to bad as it was fairly cheap. The guys in the shop attempted to fix Agnes' gears properly as they hadn't the other day but they still rub when she is in certain gears. Its nothing to serious and shouldn't prevent us from moving on.
We were ready to hit the road, yippee, at around 12.00. The sun was out but it wasn't very hot so we had a nice ride. We stopped for a cheap bite to eat at, you guessed it a restaurant run by a friendly Chinese couple. We usually go for breakfast and have the standard eggs and bacon type meal. This time we spiced things up and had a Chinese dinner, which was excellent. Since the start of the trip we have become a lot more laid back about time and distance and it has made the trip a lot easier. As we are so chilled about the whole thing now we had an ice cream and sat under a tree for half an hour.
the next part of the ride was not so great unfortunately, for me anyway. On the way in to Fort Qu-Appelle I had a crazy hay fever reaction, one of the worst i have had. My eyes and nose swelled up and my whole head was burning up, a pretty sight. As we approached the town it got worse and worse. I ran into the first campground we saw and splashed water on my face for a while, which made it better for about 2 minutes. That particular site was RV only so we headed into the town. The hay fever attack was getting worse and the thought of being outside all night was not a pleasant one. We headed into an Inn and payed the high price but it was very much worth it. I stayed in the room all night and tended to my swelling and Agnes went out and fetched food and locked the bikes up for the evening. I should thank Agnes for that as she would have probably preferred to save some dollars and camp.