19   Thursday, September 18   Swift Current, SK

The first bit of serious trouble has befallen my
journey. The mountains and distance (I presume) have
taken their toll on my bike, and the pedal crankset
has "bit the dust." Truth be told, I have been aware
of a problem for some time now, and am kicking myself
for not having fixed it earlier. Swift Current, though
the 4th largest town in Saskatchewan, is hardly large,
and there are no real bike shops in town, just sporting
goods stores that also sell bikes and parts. That,
combined with the fact that my bike is fairly old, mean
that there are no replacement parts to be had. I have
had to ship my bike to Regina & now face the prospect
of taking the overnight bus there myself. This accounts
for the missed journal entry: I have been in Swift
Current for 2 days now. With any luck, there will be
parts to be had in Regina. My fingers are crossed. The
weather here has also turned somewhat sour. The
temperature has dropped to freezing, and tonight there
is expected a decent frost, with some possibility of
snow. Swift Current is a nice enough town, but deep in
the coldest part of prairie country and all-in-all, I
will be glad to move on. Glad, also, that I will be on
the bus tonight. Though I am warm enough at nights,
this morning was not fun trying to pack up my tent in
the wind and freezing rain. The prospect of trying to
do so in the snow is hardly endearing. It is, however,
supposed to get warmer over the next few days, and I
hope to be in Sudbury, or beyond, by the time colder
weather sets in,a nd to warmer climes. Again, my
fingers are tightly crossed. Well, that's about all
there is to tell. With any luck, I will have parts
tomorrow, and be "On the Road Again" by the time I next
set pen to paper. It's been a good rest, but winter
hearkens, and I must move on. "Onwards," then, as goes
my rallying cry: "Onwards and Eastwards!"