Day 238-240 – 117.6 km (total – 6108.8 km)
There is nothing to look at, but everything to look at.
The words above are my friend Audrey’s way of describing the prairies. And over the past couple of weeks, I think I quite agree. My favourite moments have been lying in the tall grasses eating my lunch, looking up into the vast sky or watching train after train glide along the horizon. Land of Living Skies is etched on each Saskatchewan license plate and it’s not hard to see why. The sunsets are breathtaking and cloud systems stretch enormously from one horizon to the other. I’m not sure if there are many places in the world where you can see the amount of sky that you can see in the prairies.
Lake near Morse
A rich and diverse ecosystem provides homes to thousands of birds. Wetlands are everywhere along the highway, and though waterfowl are used to the loudness of trucks and transports, they spook easily at a quiet guy running only a few feet closer. I feel bad as every wetland I run past results in a disruption to the daily routine of these fowl. Cows give me their full attention as well. I calmly tell them that I’m just another human being, but they still look at me suspiciously. Rightly so I suppose. The salt flats west of Moose Jaw almost seem like an anomaly. It’s as though you’ve been transported from the prairies to the remote Arctic!
Beautiful wildflowers line the side of the highway and the hawks soar high above looking for their next meal in the fields. I have spent a lot of my days looking at the ground while running through the prairies – avoiding grasshoppers, crickets, caterpillars and butterflies. Adaption is a funny thing – the grasshoppers can stick their landing when they jump into the grass, but if they stay on the asphalt, their “hop” results in what can only be described as a crash landing. They tumble and roll – the landing is anything but graceful.
Salt plains
There is a vastness to the prairies that has reminded me of how big this country is. And to those who say the prairies are dead flat – you should come run with me! The rolling fields provide stunning vistas – the contrast of golden wheat fields against rich blue skies are the perfect combination. The prairies perhaps take some time to fall in love with, but once you’ve fallen, it’s a hard love to let go of.
(On a personal running note, Sunday was my longest running day yet – 62 km. I took yesterday off and ran 55 km today. The body is feeling good!)
