Day 30

Looking back at fifty, I remember Day 30 as a test of sheer mental endurance. It started with a breakfast in Wolseley that felt like a gift—pancakes buried under strawberries and whipped cream. It was exactly the kind of fuel we needed for what turned out to be a 124-kilometre slog across the eastern edge of Saskatchewan.

The scenery was the definition of prairie monotony. The only landmarks were the grain elevators that appeared on the horizon like distant lighthouses, ten kilometres before you ever reached the towns they belonged to. We were pushing hard to make up for the time we'd lost to the storm in Wolseley, but the rain eventually caught up with us again. By the time we hit the outskirts of Moosomin, we were cold, wet, and thoroughly exhausted.

I remember Wendy and I wanting to push even further to reach Fleming, but Shayne—quite rightly—put his foot down. He didn't want to sit through dinner cold and drenched, and he was right. We settled into a tiny motel where the owner let us store our bikes in a back room, and then we headed for the Red Barn. It was billed as "Canada's Best Kept Secret," and while I can't speak for the whole country, that chocolate malt shake and the chance to dry out made it feel like a five-star resort that night. Sometimes the road is just about making it to the next warm shower.

We had a very good breakfast before replacing my rear tube and hitting the road. If yesterday seemed unexceptional, today is even more so. The only source of entertainment is anticipating a road sign advertising what the next town will be. We are trying to make up some of the distance we lost yesterday due to the rain and stopping early.

Over the course of the day, the sky changes from sunny to cloudy and it eventually starts to drizzle. As we ride, the rain gradually starts to get heavier and heavier. By the time we get to Moosomin, we are quite wet and cold. We decide to stop for supper at the Red Barn. Blue and Wendy want to keep going after supper to try and reach Fleming. After being unable to find any motels listed in the phone book and my complaint that I did not want to be cold and wet while I ate supper, they changed their minds.

After checking in at a motel, having some warm showers, and getting into dry clothes we head over to the Red Barn hoping this recommendation will prove as good as the last. I enjoy a tasty chocolate malt shake. We spend the evening relaxing in our motel room watching television and reading.