Gull Lake, SK - 90km

"Roll the dice, pay the price" was a line a friend always used and it was on my mind all day. Today the dice were not in our favor; the treacherous winds of Saskatchwan turned against us completely and the sun cranked it up to a 30 degree day with no shelter to be found.

Our original intent was to make it to Swift Current with 145km or so from camp. However, with a slow cruising speed and every hour of sun wearing on us, we decided it best to concede with 5 hours riding under us. We calculated it would have been around another 3 hours of ride time to make it to Swift Current. The winds are a very prickly thing on the plains and we can only hope tomorrow brings us winds at our back or no wind at all!

A note on gear: some of our gear is in beginning stages of breaking or fraying. It makes it far more obvious now that one must weigh any small detail as a strength or liability. Zippers: liability - once they break, you are really in trouble. Mesh on important pockets: a liability, as it can easily rip making holes. Even my bike shoes have a tiny hole underneath as an air vent for your feet that proved to be a major liability once rain and puddles came into play. It's interesting to look at what you bring and divide into breakable and reliable components. Heck, sometimes it's really hard to say which way it goes as my same bike shoes use Velcro instead of laces. So while I can slip in and out really quickly, what if the Velcro wears down? Some neat things to consider!

We hear there is a storm system rolling in tomorrow so we are wondering if we can dodge it by heading out early. Or perhaps it would be a small blessing to cool down in the rain after all :)