On getting to Saskatoon

Well, I’ve made it to Saskatoon. 1200 odd kms, and God knows how many squashed insects after leaving Jasper, I am horizontal on my bed in the hotel recommended by Margo and Chris, with three beers and a mead in me.

The day started sunny with a useful wind which backed to the less useful. It took me about four hours of biking to make Delisle. Along the way were two road kill coyotes, one mule deer and a fair number of skunks. While the highway, like much of the way from Drumheller was near a secondary CN line, the only moving traffic was two railway maintenance vehicles and a hi-rail truck (a.k.a. a truck that can also go along the tracks). The line is evidently in use given the significant number of hopper cars waiting at grain and pulse elevators or terminals. I am theatrically miffed at CN for not running a freight train when I could see it, especially given the effing number of freights that the Canadian had to wait for on the main line.

I went into Subways in Delisle for lunch. When I came out, the clouds that had been on the horizon, had caught up with me along with a favourable wind at long last. I fairly flew the remaining distance to Saskatoon. Coming into Saskatoon, I crossed over the CN main line at a spot from where I could nearly see the Via Rail station. I took 11th Street S to the River, then went North as it began to rain. I made the Hotel Senator before the rain hit in earnest.

 So I am here, tired but satisfied.