Despite the fog and the highway having a lack of shoulder for a lot of the way we made good time. We stopped about 30 km in because Arlen skipped breakfast in a diner that was just off the highway. The waitress was very in hospitable but the food came quick and we were on the road again in 30 minutes.
Our next stop was Bethune where we grabbed a drink and Arlen ate a banana and an oreo ice-cream sandwich. As I was waiting for Arlen I managed to strike up some conversations with the locals. They told me that Bethune has a population of 400 and it rained 5 inches the other day when we got rained on. I over heard a couple of ladies talk about a broom ball game. One gentleman said the he had ridden from Regina to Saskatoon but that was 35 years ago. Another said that there was a potash mine opening up soon and the town was going to grow.
We didn't stop anywhere else the rest of the way as we wanted to get there asap. A tailwind really helped us obtain a 10 minute 5 km pace which is quite fast. Well we took one small break when I had to fixed a flat. I told Arlen that I could do it in 12.5 minutes and he didn't quite believe me. I did it in 8.5 minutes and he was surprised.
We rocketed down a hill into the Qu'Appelle Valley and then slogged up the other side. The hill was really not too bad but we had only had a 50 meter elevation gain. It was just a reminder of what we had done in the past. This is the prairies. It is not completely flat but it does some hills, small ones.
At 12:30 we saw the sign for Regina and were happy with the time that it took to do the 110 km or so. We didn't follow the cue sheets and later riders were saying that they weren't really happy with the route. The highway turns into Albert Street and the bike shop was only a couple blocks away from it.
The shop called Dutch Cycle was very well equipped and it had everything that we were looking for. I was interested in tires, cleats, quick link, chain, and having a mechanic look at my rear derailure cable and getting my chain replaced and shifting adjusted.
Arlen was hungry but I still had 3 peanut butter sandwiches left but we still went to Mr. Sub that wasn't too far away. We ate and then got a cab to the campground which was 8 kms away. A lot of people are interested in going to the shop so Arlen and I plan on going to pick up our bikes at 9 and 4 others will be joining us. More will follow on bikes a little later as they may want to sleep in.
Dinner was Mac and cheese plus which was the best meal I ever had, while in Regina in July. Really it wasn't too bad. Meals always taste better after a 100 + day. In the last 5 days we have done 145, 149, 154, 119, and 124 kms. That is 691 kms in 5 days for a grand total of 1857 km. That is the total on the schedule but it really is about 200 km extra for the trip from Victoria to Vancouver and the side trips into towns for ice cream and cold drinks.
Everyone is in good spirits and Laura who fell a week ago rode the whole day today for the first time and she says that she is feeling good. Tomorrow is a rest day and everyone is looking forward to relaxing and not cycling.
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| Early morning fog |
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