Day 44: Saskatoon, SK -> Humboldt, SK

Date: Wednesday, June 28, 2023
Start: Saskatoon, SK (Staying with family)
End: Humboldt, SK (Canalta Hotel)
Distance: 120km

The day started in a bed, so a good day!  Everyone was up and getting ready for work/school so I tried my best not to get under foot.  I said goodbye to Amanda and everyone else who was leaving and went outside to pack things on my bike and give the chain some love.  Oiling that chain keeps the bike happy!  Kiyya helped out and asked lots of questions about what I was doing, and I was happy to explain and have the company.

After a while it was time for Kiyya and Lorraine to leave, and then me as well.  We said our goodbyes and they drove away.  I gave a big sigh, not knowing when I would see them again.  Amanda and her family have always lived on the other side of the country and so I saw them very little growing up.  I was really happy to be able to reconnect and spend some time with Amanda, and I wish I was closer to be able to hand out more.  A big thank you to her, Lorraine, Jayleen, Velmore, Marty, and Young Master Kiyya for hosting and taking care of me while I was in town.  I miss you guys already!

I hopped on my bike and made for my first destination: Nestor's Bakery!  I'd passed it the day before and regretted not stopping in.  Jayleen told me it was a favourite of hers and it was on the way, so off I went.  I was told the long johns are THE item there, so when I walked in I was sorry to see none in the case.  The person working the till asked me if I was looking for them, and said they were just baked and were in the back.  So I got a coconut long john and a turnover and set off for the parks along the river.  Once there, I sat and watched as Saskatoon woke up and went about it's day.  The bridges, the birds, the traffic, the bikes, it was all great!

Once finished I got back on the bike and took the pathways again.  It was time to head out of town.  I went back to the University of Saskatchewan for one last look as the highway I needed was right there.  I biked through a part of campus again, taking in the architecture and nature of their campus.  It really is a special place!

I had another stop to make today, and so didn't tarry as I jumped back on highway 5 and headed out of town.  It was a bit more a city highway at that point, with frequent on ramps, and I wished I had gone through a neighbourhood rather than being THAT guy on a bike on a busy highway.  But eventually I got out of the city and it quieted down considerably.

After about an hour and a half I reached my next stop, a visit with my Uncle George.  Again, he always lived in Western Canada and I would only see him when he and his family made the trip out our way in Quebec, so getting to spend some time with him was a happy reunion.  In addition, I got to see my other cousin here - Amanda's brother - Chuck, who I haven't seen since probably the late 90s or early 2000s.  We were both children or in our early teens at that time, and it was fumy to see how we've both aged since that time!  I spent almost two hours visiting them and then it was time to hit the road again.  Thank you to Chuck for coming to visit, and Uncle George for letting me stop in!

My destination for the day was Humboldt, Saskatchewan.  If you've ever heard of it, it's probably because tragedy visited the town in 2018 when a bus of high school students (a hockey team) was hit by a semi truck.  16 were killed, and 13 seriously injured.  The entire country went into mourning and people across the nation put hockey sticks out on their porches as a show of respect and condolences for the families.

The road to Humboldt wasn't going to be easy.  There was a STRONG wind blowing from the North, and while it might have only been a crosswind it was strong enough to slow me whenever it decided to hit me even at a slight angle.  In addition, the shoulder of the road became potholed and almost disappeared after leaving Uncle George's house.  It slowed me down further.  If it kept up all day I was going to have a long ride.  But fortunately it didn't!  Eventually I reached an area of freshly paved road and the difficult of bouncing around and navigating the shoulder for 15km was replaced with wide open, fresh, black top.  I pretty much had a land to myself.  I picked up speed and pushed on.

The road was hilly.  I was going up and down most of the day (though it always felt like I was going up).  There isn't much more to say about the ride.  I was surrounded by farmland outside of Saskatoon, but about half way to Humboldt things started to change.  Small ponds and lakes were showing up.  Trees started showing up, and more than just the small tufts of brush and random trees I'd seen on the prairies.  Whole acres of them.  It was definitely a sign that I was leaving The Prairies and entering the Canadian Shield and boreal forests of central Canada.

At some point I had to turn north for about 8km, and was riding straight into the wind.  It was BA-RUE-TAL.  Going uphill with a 40km/h headwind is too much like work!  When I got to turn East again I breathed a sigh of relief.  I rode along passing more ponds, all of them teaming with ducks and birds.

I rode along, enjoying the slowly changing landscapes.  The hills I could take or leave!

I reached Humboldt at about 5:00pm and went to the grocery store to grab some cheese and crackers.  But they didn't have my brand of crackers.  I decided to try another store later because....Toppables or bust!

I checked into the Canalta hotel, took a shower, and started blogging.  I was waiting for someone to arrive...

The reason I was in a hotel was because my aunt and uncle from PEI were driving through and decided to stop in Humboldt to see me on their way.  They've been living in Yellowknife the past year and were driving back to PEI.  They got the hotel room and invited me to join them!

Once they arrived we went into town and had a BIG dinner!  Johhny's Bistro in Humboldt was GREAT.  The portion size was just right!

We shared stories of our trips and I was so happy to see them again.  I grew up spending summers with them and their kids, and since moving to Calgary it has been a VERY long time since I've seen them.  Another happy reunion for the day!

Here's what the front a white car looks like after driving it from Yellowknife to Humboldt.

When dinner was done we stopped in at grocery store and I found my crackers.  I could safely leave town now!

We tucked in for the night.  They had driven from Yellowknife with only a small sleep in their car and were also tired.  I fell asleep in a nice bed, re-energizing for the day ahead and - again - in the company of family.