Day 29: Swift Current - Moose Jaw

biking km: 0
driving km: 172
total km: 2193

We awoke to fresh pressed coffee a la Peter that was leaps above our usual cup a joe from Timmy Hoe's. We again tempted to fix the wheel and quickly confirmed that it required professional aid. A phone call to my dad confirmed that the closest bike shop was in Moose Jaw, our intended destination for the day, and 172km away. We had three options: 1) Remove the wheel and take the bus to Moose Jaw 2) I could hitch-hike and Brandon could ride 3) Both of us hitch-hike. We opted for option 3. The idea of bussing there and back was less than appealing. So even though it is technically cheating, hitch-hiking was the most logical option for us.

The next problem was getting picked up. Our strategy was only slightly dishonest. I stood at the bottom of the highway entrace with my bike overturned looking helpless, while Brandon stood up the hill 50m away on the edge of the highway. It worked! A super cool guy named Mark picked us up 45 minutes later. He was moving to Winnipeg from Calgary and (I think) half felt sorry for us and half wanted company. He even wanted us to go all the way to Winnipeg with him.

Safely in Moose Jaw we wheeled/skidded my crippled bike the 2Km from our campsite to downtown and into Boh's bike shop. From there we were free to roam the suprising gem that is Moose Jaw.

Moose Jaw: the improper colonial translation of the first nations word Moose Gawe which actually means warm breezes and has nothing to do with Moose, or their anatomy.

The translation is about the only thing they got wrong in Moose Jaw. The city itself is beautiful. Who would think that Moose Jaw could be abundant with turn of the century architecture and possess such a rich cultural past. It was once the unofficial capital of Saskatchewan (formerly the North West Territories) before Regina took over the title. It reminded us of Nelson in the sense that the city is equipped to support a far greater population than its 34,000. The abundance of restaurants, golf courses, shopping complexes, number of screens in the movie theatre and tourist activities is evidence of this.

Shortly after we began exploring we met a city employed "Moose Jaw Ambassador" named Fred. He was bout five foot nothing and looked like he'd do pretty well in a log rolling competition. He chatted our ear off for about half an hour telling us of places to eat, people to see, places to see and things to do all without a map or written instruction. We took his advise, absorbed what we could and headed to Wayne and Lavern's all you can eat Italian buffet where we got way more than our $13 worth. I (Katie) humbled, and visibly humiliated the trio of grown men sitting at the table behind us by returning for extra helpings long after they had stopped. And I only had 3/4 of what Brandon had. Needless to say we left with feelings of pure satisfaction and nausea all at once. The donut and ice cream bars are a lethal combo.

B&K