TDC Revisited Day 2

Outlook, SK to Esterhazy, SK

Today is the second day of retracing the route I cycled in the Tour du Canada 2013. For those wanting to follow along with my original posts from that year, the links to the legs covered by this post are as follows:

• Outlook to Craik
• Craik to Regina
• Regina (rest day)
• Regina to Crooked Lake Provincial Park
• Crooked Lake to Esterhazy

At this point, I would like to give a special shout out to all of my fellow TdC 2013 riders. Truly, you all enhanced this experience beyond my wildest dreams. Over the course of this revisit of 2013, I will try to include most of you in photos that were taken at the time. Some of you I have kept in touch with, mainly through Facebook; some of you I have lost touch with. But all of you are in my memories as I recall that summer (which is quite regularly). I would love to hear from any of you, whether it be because one of my posts over the coming days sparks a special memory, or if you just want to say “hi”. Please leave a comment below. And, of course, I always love to get comments from any reader of my blog.

I would make special mention of my riding partner Elaine. After the first couple of days, the large group of riders started to break up into smaller groups, often based on cycling pace or other demographics. Elaine was one of the first riders I met in Vancouver prior to the official start of TdC, and we rode together every day of the tour. Another riding partner on multiple days was Michel, who hailed from Calgary. We had met up prior to the tour thanks to the online bulletin board. During the Spring we had got together for a couple of days of camping and cycling in central Alberta. Michel and I were the only riders from Alberta. In my blog I referred to the three of us as Alberta +1.

Back to 2026 and the second day of our following the TdC route across Canada. We spent last night in Outlook. This morning, before we left town, checked out a couple of things I had photographed in 2013. In both cases, I was in for disappointment. The first change was that the beautiful sign for Outlook was gone. The site is now a fenced off field.

The second was the entrance to the train trestle was not only fenced off but had become quite overgrown.

From Outlook, it was off down the road to Kenaston. Here, it was not the snowman that has changed in 13 years!

Further down the line, in Davidson, the worlds largest coffee pot was still percolating.

Bethune’s sign was still intact. However, the lovely little garden around the sign for Lumsden has become overgrown.

After descending upon Regina from the north, we worked our way around to exit to the east on the Trans Canada Highway. Our next stop was Indian Head. I had been yearning to return to Indian Head, specifically the bakery, for a cinnamon bun. In 2013, we arrived in the morning when the tables were full of locals enjoying their morning coffee. As I was enjoying an incredible cinnamon bun, which had been heated and topped with a generous pour of a melted cream cheese icing, we got talking to one lady. She had lived in Indian Head all of her life and was very interesting to visit with. She, in turn, was very interested in our ride across Canada. When we left, she walked out with us and we had our photos taken with her. This was one of those little memory gems that will stick with me forever.

Alas, I was again in for a wee disappointment. The bakery was still there, but the room full of tables was gone, so there was no sitting down to once again enjoy those incredible cinnamon buns of my memory. We did buy a couple of buns to go, though.

From Indian Head it was on the the beautiful Qu’Appelle Valley and Crooked Lake. I think I found where we camped in 2013 at Melville Beach. The area has been greatly modernized since we camped there and looks very nice, with new docks, picnic tables, playground, etc.

We made it to our final destination, Esterhazy, in time to check in to the hotel and go for dinner. On the way in we stopped at the historic flour mill. Back in 2013, we had arrived in Esterhazy in time for lunch. By the old mill we found a fundraising BBQ to raise funds to restore the old mill. Today, I think I even found the same table Elaine, Michel, and I sat at to enjoy our hot dogs. That table is now surrounded by bushes and trees.

Tomorrow, it is on to Winnipeg!