Day 43: Stormy prairies

The storms and floods in Manitoba and Saskatchewan are all over the Canadian news. Some puddles are so deep that you can just see the roofs of parked cars!

It didn't look quite as bad outside today. I got up after a great sleep (I gained another hour yesterday) and got myself ready to brave the outdoors. I had washed my clothes last night but it was still humid and they were wet this morning. Putting on wet socks is the worst! But they weren't going to get any drier once I got outside.

I rode 5km out of town with a tailwind before I reached the highway and headed west. The wind was coming from the north so I had a fierce sidewind, complete with horizontal rain to the right side of my face. At least it wasn't coming from the south, I would have had facefulls of road spray from the traffic too!

It was slow going and after 30km I was tired and hungry and in need of a toilet / tree. There was a town but it was 4km north of the highway - at least a half hour trip into the wind! So I carried on. I finally found an abandoned building to go for a pee behind but it was horrible stopping in the driving rain so I crammed some soggy trail mix into my mouth and kept cycling until I reached a roadside restaurant for a BLT and soup. And my second pint of chocolate milk today. 

The forecast had said the rain and wind would be less severe in the afternoon but that didn't happen. After lunch, the wind was coming more from the north west and it was absolutely savage. I was swerving around on the (thankfully wide) hard shoulder as the gusts came and went. It was so slow and hard work but every time I stopped for a rest, I almost got blown over so I soldiered on.

By the time I got into Moose Jaw after a 70km day, I was tired and fed up of being soaking wet. I checked into a travelodge and peeled soggy, dirty clothes off my pale, cold, wrinkly skin. I really hope the storm is over by the morning.