Canada 2016 - Moose Jaw to Regina

Wednesday -  July 7
It is sunny with no wind as we begin the day.

It may say "Tires" but they have everything under the sun.We needed a canister of camp stove gas and they had what we needed.

Moose Jaw has about 50 murals around town. We found a few of them on our way through.

We also found the local bike shop where we picked up more chain lube. The owner told us that their family car had been totaled a couple of days ago by baseball-sized hail.

We did find a moose too.

There was a car in front of this one and the lady said she was a local and had never stopped to really look at this mural before. It was the nicest one we saw.

The train station is now a liquor store. This is a good example of what we had observed all along Main Street, older buildings being used for something very different from their original purpose

So cute and well-done that we stopped for a snack so we could admire it for awhile.

This huge pile of white stuff is just west of Belle Plaine. We stopped into Chubby's for pie and were told that the pile is potash, at the home of the world's top exporter. Turns out that long train we saw a couple of days ago, with all one kind of car and name, was filled with potash not grain.

Just cruising along with a slight tailwind. Our smell of the day was the slightly sweet aroma of canola (rapeseed).  The only hill we had was getting over the railroad tracks.

There are 18 axles with 4 wheels to an axle.....that is one HEAVY chunk of metal. Glad it wasn't sitting our shoulder.

We didn't eat here but we just had to have a picture.

Regina is the capital of Saskatchewan. Queen Elizabeth II Garden is in front of the Legislative Building. It is part of Wascana Park which covers 2300 acres with a lake running through the middle of it. 

Burmese was her favorite horse from 1969 to 1987. He was born and raised in Fort Walsh, Saskatchewan and given to her by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

Walter Scott was the first premier and had the long term vision for Regina and Saskatchewan that supported building an imposing building for governing when it was still a very new province. 

The Legislative Building that resulted from his vision.

Heading north on Albert Street on our way to Victoria Street.....seems to be a theme?

We haven't seen high rises since Calgary.

Bukowinian Orthodox Church of St. Michael

Donna had avoided this so far but if you are going to have a chainring "tattoo" it might as well be a good one. 

It always looks like so much more gear when it is in a pile than when it is on our bikes.

We met 83 year-old Gene and his family in the jacuzzi. He kept us mesmerized with his canoe/kayak exploits. He and 2 friends established the record for kayaking from Rocky Mountain House, Alberta to Montreal, Quebec (5600 km) in 1967. The 40 day record stands today. He and a teammate also won a Canadian Canoeing National Championship in the early 60's. He currently lives in British Columbia. They are on their way to Ontario to his hometown where they are honoring him and his accomplishments. Daughter #6, her husband and daughter are accompanying him. Serendipity strikes again!