Day 32 – Winnipeg to Prawda (T.D.: 122.7km; S.T.: 6h34min)

Back at it. We’ve got a huge backlog of these things to pump out, so I’m going to have to be slightly more business-like from here on in (or am I just saying that to mask the fact that the trip got slightly more boring the further into Manitoba we got?). Our first day back on the road after a luxurious 120 hour break made it apparent why long-distance cyclists don’t take 120 hour breaks. Our leg muscles had softened considerably, much like an ice cream cone left too long between licks. Ice cream was on our minds this day too, as we had returned to the highway in the midst of a sweltering dose of high heat and humidity the weather gods were administering across central Canada. They had also thrown in an atypical easterly wind to make things even more challenging for us as we pushed ourselves across the open expanse that leads from Winnipeg to the Canadian Shield.

The Shield, which would be the next Important Canadian Landscape to claim us as its own for a few weeks, started to come into view around Richer, where we stopped at a little hunting/fishing oasis called Walker’s. The owner, presumably a fan of Chuck Norris, told us that a couple of cyclists has been chased down and eaten by a wolf the other day. He was joking. Ha! Hm. Anyway, we stayed around and humoured him for a while, because his store was air-conditioned. At some point, we decided that heatstroke was preferable to his antics, and so got back on the road.

We arrived in Prawda (fashion capital of Manitoba) late and camped at a wonderful little place called Pine Tree Campground, which was owned and efficiently run by a serious German couple. We would recommend it if you’re passing through. They have a little restaurant where they serve homemade pie and authentic schnitzel.

Stats

Av. Spd.: 18.6km/h
Mx. Spd.: 28.7km/h
Newest roadkill variety: Turtles! (This is cool because I like turtles and rarely see them. This is bad because I like turtles and now they are roadkill.)
Evidence that the Trailer Park Boys tv show has fans as far abroad as Richer, Manitoba: A couple of young fellows at Walker’s made some reference to Ricky and Bubbles when we told them we were from the east coast. They thought they were being coy and clever, but we were on to them.