Day 12 - Saturday June 12 - Swift Current to Moose Jaw SK (176 km)

"A Well-Oiled Machine"
We're getting our daily routine pretty well down. Alarm goes off at 5, and within 30 sec V is rolling up her Thermarest, while J rolls over and says "I just need 5 to 10 minutes." A quick pack-up of the things in the tent, and the tent comes down while the water goes on for breakfast. We force back copious amounts of oatmeal with p.b. and honey mixed in (this is actually delicious - thanks Adrienne!), wash dishes, remove the tarp from bikes and unlock them, and re-do the puzzle-packing of the paniers. A little sunscreen when needed (aka 2 out of 12 days), and we're on the road. All told, with a big hustle on, this takes 2 hours - wow. So this morning began as per usual, except that the sun was shining! We had a smooth ride through the prairies, although whoever says the prairies are flat has never ridden a bike through them. We enjoy the fact that they are rolling however, as it keeps it interesting (and it's true that the "hills" are anthills compared to the Rockies). J's rim is still not 100% (the wobble is hard on the behind) and we plan to have it replaced in Regina tomorrow. We saw a couple of antelope and when they run it looks like they're on springs! We also saw a hare bounding across a parking lot, a llama farm, a blue heron, and more prairie dogs than we could count. It was a nice, easy-going day, and a welcome relief from the rain (our shoes even dried out!). We arrived in Moose Jaw around 5:30, and did the obligatory grocery-shop followed by campsite check-in. Dried out the tent in the sun (which unbelievably was STILL shining!), cooked some fajitas, and set up our home away from home. There's a wedding here tonight, so who knows how much sleep we'll get. Maybe we should go join the party...