"Regina" is Latin for queen. Regina was established in 1882, and is named for Queen Victoria. It is the capitol of the province of Saskatchewan. After Saskatoon, it is the second largest city in the province. In 2016 Regina had a city population of 215,106, with a metropolitan area population of 236,481. I noticed while riding into town from the north yesterday, that there were basically no suburbs. Farm land extended right up to dense housing developments, so there must be zoning requirements to stop the urban sprawl that surrounds so many American cities.
Here is a picture of the Trans Canada Highway as seen from our campsite. Although we have stayed relatively close to the Trans Can Hwy, we have been riding on smaller roads with less traffic, avoiding major highways for many days.
Yesterday, for a short time, we cycled the CanAm Highway seen in the map below. The CanAm Highway is an international highway connecting Mexico to Canada through the United States. The US route follows I-25 through New Mexico, Colorado, and parts of Wyoming. (We lived in both New Mexico and Colorado. In all the years we lived in Albuquerque, N.M., Colorado Springs where Merry Ann grew up, and where I was stationed at the US Air Force Academy with its gates on I-25, neither Merry Ann nor I ever heard I-25 called the CanAm Highway.) In Canada the CanAm is comprised of Saskatchewan highways. The route continues south into Mexico as Mexican Federal Highway 45. The CanAm highway concept had its inception in the 1920s.
Shredded wheat for breakfast this morning. No cooking duty on rest days.
"Prairie Thunder" Laundromat art . Buffalo on the Canadian prairie.
Yikes! A Bicycle stolen! On rest days, cyclists work on their bikes, maintaining them for the miles to come. Leo, on the right in the photo below, lives in Regina. He successfully completed the Tour du Canada last year. Yesterday he rode his bicycle to our campground to visit this year's tour riders and exchange experiences. After leaving our camp, he rode to a Wal-Mart a few miles away. He locked up his bicycle outside the store with the folding lock, quite a substantial one, that he used last year on the tour. While shopping in Wal-Mart, his bicycle and the bike lock were stolen in broad daylight! He lost the bike that he rode on the TDC last year. He stopped by our campground today in his car to tell his story and warn current riders about bike security. Leo's bike was purchased after he had lost another bicycle to a thief a few years before. Cycle theft in Canada is low priority for the Canadian police, so it appears to be running rampant, thanks to no consequences for thievery. Perhaps the Mounties don't "always get their man" after all. Leo filed a police report, but his insurance is $1,000 deductible, so the believes that on a depreciated bike, he will get nothing. A true cyclist to the bone, he plans to shop for a new bicycle later today.
Another 90+ mile day tomorrow. I will be leaving early in order to get as many miles eaten up as possible before the heat comes. Come back to see what I see tomorrow!
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