Day 23: Swift Current to Mortlach (140 km)

Today was a perfect cycling day on the prairies. We enjoyed our first sunny riding day since leaving the Okanagan and the wind was almost completely still, which was just fine with us (if it's not traveling in our direction we're more than happy for it to take the day off!).

While not battling a headwind or trying to cover as much ground as possible via tailwind, we were able to embrace the subtle charm of Saskatchewan. I'm reluctant to admit this, but I was dreading our cycle through the prairies for more than just the wind. I thought they would be banal, barren, and boring to ride across; I was completely wrong. Although we've been surrounded by fields since heading east out of Calgary, the landscape has been incredibly varied and also stunning. Dotted with grain elevators, train tracks, and lakes reflecting the water fowl nesting beside them, the rolling landscape in Saskatchewan has left us awestruck. This has resulted in many occasions of one of us yelling, "STOP, I need to take a picture!"

The towns tucked away from the highway look tiny and sparse on approach but we have found them to be full of vibrant charm. Today we stopped for lunch in the small town of Morse. With a population hovering around 300 people it has one main road and a few residential streets. Packed into that short corridor we saw: a theatre, town hall, community centre, cafe, market, bowling hall, post office, cultural centre, and museum. One thing that we love about the small prairie towns is that because they are not growth-oriented or clamouring for investment and tourists, the culture and resources are really supportive of those who live there.

The community ties are tangible by just passing through Morse. We perched on a bench for lunch and acquainted a few local residents who suggested we camp in town (if only we had known enough to head there yesterday instead of stopping in Swift Current). By the time we rolled back toward the highway an hour later, more people we had not yet spoken with knew about our trip and waved us on as we passed, calling out "have a good trip, it's a long way to go."