Summer Adventure Tour - Keewatin ON -> Yorkton SK

Half way across Canada! Saw this sign early in our day today
Thankful and grateful that my favourite husband is also my coach and cheerleader.  The access to the lovely spot we stayed in last night, is a very steep, short downhill laneway with a sharp turn to the right and up to the parking lot.  Did I mention we're on our motorcycles?  This laneway must be somewhere about a 35 or 45 degree grade.  You've seen them, they should have switchbacks. 

On the way out, you of course have to stop at the top, and jump into traffic. With the bike on a 45 degree angle.  Did I mention we're on Goldwings?  Which is actually a good thing, because they have awesome first gears, and maneuver these grades like champs - even I can do it!  After I get a cheering on by my bestest husband.  He's so good - doesn't even roll his eyes.

We zoomed out of Ontario and it's lovely Canadian Shield with rocks and lakes and trees and rolling hills, into Manitoba's grassy flatlands.  Lots of straight.  A few gentle rolls, right on into Saskatchewan.

Random thoughts and sights today ...
  • Falcons/hawks at the side of the road, on utility poles, on bales of hay, on fenceposts
  • So much canola - still standing, swathed, some fields look pretty wind damaged.
  • Lots of combines - a few big dealers along the way, with big tractors with tracks.  Quite a few combines running, harvesting wheat.  
  • Swathers zipping along the canola fields. 
  • Starting to see a few head of cattle.
  • Roads under construction
  • Not much traffic - awesome
  • Best licence plate of the day ... "OMGUGUYS" ... driver was a fellow about 85 yrs old.
  • One wee ancient orange VW van that we had to pass a couple of times.
  • So many recreational things - boats being pulled by all sorts of vehicles, campers, trailers, trucks pulling trailers pulling boars, SUV's with canoes & kayaks on the roof racks pulling boats, trucks with ATV's in the back pulling boats.  
  • I don't know whether to feel sad or glad for the single motorcycle riders out there - are they happy to be out and exploring or are they wishing they had someone to share their experiences with?
  • Respect to every bicyclist - they're riding across the country on their own two wheels powered only by their own two heels.  
Today is Tragically Hip day - all of Canada is watching the CBC broadcast (without commercials!) of their final performance in Kingston.  All the feels ...

We had dinner at Brown's SocialHouse in Yorkton SK, where they turned (most) of their tv screens from the SK/HAM football game, to the Hip concert.

 This is a photo of the graffiti on the washroom door at one stop today ...