Day 29- The Candy Utopia that is Bulk Barn

I woke up this morning to find a beautiful sunny morning. The winds were low and it was actually warm for once, things were looking good! I packed my gear up, and hit the road, looking forward to a nice day into Winnipeg.

I cruised down the highway in the wonderful sunshine, making excellent time. For once the winds were so low I barely noticed them, and I happily floated down the highway. I reached Winnipeg in about 3 hours, and it was time to run some errands.

First, I made my way to MEC to get my bike looked at. The mechanic tuned it up, replaced the chain, and preformed various other maintenance tasks while we swapped stories about our touring experiences. MEC never fails to disappoint me with their friendly service. I picked up a few odds and ends such as stove fuel, and I was on my way to my next stop.

Next I dropped into the University of Winnipeg campus, a scant 1.5 KM away. I was originally supposed to stay with Brad's friend Laura, but I was two days behind schedule because of the weather and such, and she had to fly elsewhere for work. I had sent her a box of rations, which she was kind enough to leave at her workplace for me to pick up, which was located on campus. I apologize that I must have been a bit of a pain in the neck, with my constantly changing plans. It turns out that some friends Alyssa and I knew from Oromocto live in Winnipeg now, so I now planned on staying with them. I dismantled my ration packs outside the building, and packed them in my bags before heading off to Chapters to pick up the second Game of Thrones book.

Just when I was about to head to Kevin and Jeanin's house, I spied a Bulk Barn! Victoria doesnt have them, and I havnt seen one yet on my trip, so I couldnt resist. I intended to get mostly trail mix, but naturally I ended up leaving with a giant bag of candy and no trail mix. I have no regrets.

That craving satisfied, it was time to finally head to their house. My GPS took me on a 30KM route, but apparently there was a much easier route, oh well. I arrived around 530, and ventured inside for a pasta supper. It was great seeing them again after several years, and they have a cool German Shepard named Kramer. After supper I just lazed around.

A lot of people complain about Winnipeg, and like to insult it, but Ive gotten a pretty favorable impression overall. The layout isnt bad, there are lots of trees in town, the people were quite nice to me, and not one car honked at me or tried to drive me off the road. Thats pretty good in my books. Way better than Calgary. The surrounding area was just more open plains, but I am told I will reach the tree line by the end of tomorrow.

Winnipeg marks another one of those big mental landmarks for me. I have all but completed the prairies, and will soon enter the lonesome woods of Northern Ontario. It has been a tough couple of weeks fighting the weather in the open plains, and I cant wait to reach the forests, lakes, and hills to come. Most of all I cant wait to be rid of the wind. It is hard to believe that I have already been on the road for a month, and have travelled a couple thousand kilometers already; its pretty surreal.

I dont really have any pictures today because my battery was low and I was saving my phone for navigation.

Day 28- Hey Look, Free Chocolate Milk!

It rained pretty vigourously all last night, so I slept in until I no longer heard it tapping on the roof of my tent. It was still cold and windy out, so I ate and packed as much as I could from the comfort of inside my tent, but eventually I had to leave to pack my wet tent up too. The sky was still ominously grey and it was quite windy as I prepared to leave, so I wasnt feeling too confident about today.

As soon as I started the high winds made themselves felt, but they were different today. Instead of a 45° headwind, it was a 90° crosswind, so more of the wind's force was spent pushing me off the road than pushing me back. It was hard to stay on the road, and still slow going, but it was more managble than usual. Sometimes I even was angled in such a way that the wind would be behind me for small stretches.

After a while I passed the weirdest thing. There was a 2L of chocolate milk, a 1L of white milk, and a 2L of lemonade just laying on the side of the highway. I was shocked to find them unopened, and apart from a hole punched in the lemonade by a rock, uncompromised. I figure they must have fallen off a truck or something; they were a little guffed up. I took the chocolate milk without hesitation. If this is Karma's way of apologizing for all the abuse lately, I guess I have to accept; you always knew that chocolate milk was the way to my heart. If the milk turns out to be bad, and I die, they will say I died doing what I love.

I also passed a sign saying that in 1877 I would now be crossing in Manitoba, much farther east than present day. The flip side facing the other direction said that in 1877 youd be entering the Northwest Territories. Interesting.

I continued fighting my way down the highway, as it slowly got warmer and the clouds parted. At long last the prodical sun finally returned, after days of being absent. Not long after, I hit a 20 KM long stretch of road where I took a hard turn directly south, and for the first time, I had a tailwind! I absolutely flew down the road, clocking 20 KM in what felt like 30 minutes. This is what I wish the rest of the prairies felt like. Sadly, it came to an end as I turned eastward onto the Trans Canada Highway, 10 days after I left it to head north. The fight began again.

This section of highway is pretty rough, and for a while there was only a gravel shoulder, which my overburdened bike cant ride on without throwing me off. Trucks passed by far too close for my comfort. Then I came upon a construction zone, where the road was reduced to one lane. At first I despaired, thinking I would be in too great of danger with only one lane and no shoulder, but I quickly noticed that there was no construction going on the other side of the pylons. Apparently they just like to frustrate drivers. I pulled into the pyloned off lane, and I had my very own personal lane, free of transport trucks. It lasted for about 15 KM, almost all the way to where I stopped.

I pulled into Miller's Campground, just off the highway, around 5 PM. The campground is a little overpriced for the services offered, but its comfortable enough, and I am tired.

Tomorrow will be a short trip to Winnipeg, where I will restock and rest at a friends house.

Day 27- Soggy Bottom Jeans

Woke up this morning to find that the rain was nearly finished, and the winds were low. I ate a cold breakfast because I am low on stove fuel, and unlikly to find any until MEC in Winnipeg. My tarp, tent fly, and tent were all wet, but I had no choice but to pack them in my stuff sack and hope they dry out  over night when I sent them back up.

Riding was easier today than usual. While the winds were still naggingly present, they were low enough that I was making steady progress. The sky was overcast with thick grey clouds, but the rain seemed to be holding off. I made my way forward, hoping from tiny town to tiny town, across mostly indistinguishable terrain. There seems to be more and more trees as I make my way east, and there are tons of little marshes cropping up everywhere, but not much else to say about anything else.

I passed what must have been at least 100 people working on the railway. They were driving up and down the rails on tons of weird machines I havnt seen before that ride right on the rails; hammering, removing, replacing, and welding sections of the track. One of these rail carts even had a port-a-potty it was carrying down the track, which was kinda funny. They must be taking advantage of the strike to get some needed maintenance in while there are no trains on the tracks.

Things went relatively smoothly right up until about 30 KM from where I planned on stopping, Neepawa. It began to rain on and off with relatively high force, and I became quite wet. The winds also began to slow me down more as I changed direction directly into them. AND my back tire began leaking air slowly, so I had to stop and put more air in it multiple times to keep it going until I got to camp and dealt with it. Suddenly my pleasant day wasnt quite so nice.

I reached Neepawa, just as the rain subsided, and I immediately went and fed my junk food craving, before looking around for camp stove fuel and the second book of A Game of Thrones. Sadly I found neither, but I enjoyed walking around the nice little town with its old fashioned downtown and its tree lined sidewalks. Most of my clothes dried out too.

I then made my way to the campground and set up before the next volley of rain started. They have electricty, and a much needed shower after the last few days. The washrooms are also heated, so I am currently drying my gloves and socks in there.

No photos again today due to the soggy weather.

190 KM left until Winnipeg!

Day 26- Holed up in Foxwarren

I awoke to the sounds of heavy wind and rainfall crashing against my tent. I was dry and comfortable, but my fears of being unable to proceed today had been realized. I drifted in and out of sleep, occasionally reading, until well after lunch. I barely left the tent, feeding off of trail mix, carrot sticks, jube jubes, fruit, and peanut butter sandwichs rather than venture into the rain to cook more solid fare. I was however forced to leave to seek out water from a nearby household; I was all out and rather parched.

The fierce winds blew all afternoon, relentlessly thrashing my tent around, and even ripping the pegs holding my tent fly down out of the ground. The rains were erractic, increasing and disappearing at their own whims. I remained inside the tiny but dry confines of my tent all afternoon amd evening, reading and making needed arrangements with my contacts in Winnipeg. My delayed progress has led to complications involving my ration supplies that needed sorting out, but with a little help from friends it seems to be taken care of for now.

The 45 KM/hr winds eventually died down around 6 PM, but the rains continue to start and stop at random. The weather forecast for tomorrow looks marginally better, so hopefully I can proceed early tomorrow morning.

Day 25- Dont Talk to Strangers with Jube Jubes in your Mouth

Slept in until 6:30 after sleeping like a rock all night. I charged my dying electronics in the bathroom while I packed and ate, and soon I was on the road.

Right off the bat the winds were higher than I would like, and they only got worse as the day progressed. Not much to really say about today, it was another torturous day of fighting the wind for 10+ hours, and all the frustration that comes with it. I keep finding myself counting every KM and every hour. This is not enjoyable, I cant wait to reach Ontario.

Near the end of the day I made the decision to pass up a campsite in hopes of making my 150 KM goal, and I soon came to regret it when I found out the next town on the roadside signs was rather far. I thought I wouldnt make it in the worsening winds and incoming rain, but luckily a tiny town named Foxwarren (cool name) popped up, so I pulled in. There was a nice little free campground among some trees that would provide some shelter from the winds, so I bunkered down there for the night.

The weather forecast is calling for 40 km/hr winds and rain tonight/tomorrow. That is terrible news!

Once piece of good news though: I passed into Manitoba today, so I am one province and one time zone closer to home!

Day 24- Overtime to Yorkton

The Bensons woke up early along with me and prepared a nice breakfast to help fuel my day. I once again packed, showered, and said my goodbyes. I thanked them for their kindness and hit the road. The skies were clear and the winds low, so I was hopeful once more.

Things went smoothly for the first hour or so, as I cruised along in the morning chill, but sadly it didnt last. The winds soon picked up once more, though they werent as severe as yesterday. The stunted ny progress regardless, and I quickly became frustrated; my patience had been eroded by multiple days of bad weather. With my plans to make up lost time once more in jeopordy, I was pretty upset. I crawled my way through many KM of empty springtime fields, eventually stopping in a small town called Float Lake for a burger at a diner. The service was slow, but the was food tasty and plentiful for the price. It was already 1:30 and I was only halfway to my goal. I was facing an extremely late finish, or being forced to capitulate my goals once more.

But to my relief, the winds finally began to subside around 2:30, and I began to clock distance at a more reasonable pace. I would still arrive around 6 or 7, but it became possible to keep my schedule. So that is how I proceeded, leap frogging from small town to small town for another 5 hours, mentally willing myslef onward past the point of exhaustion.

I finally reached my campground 13 hours and 181 KM after I began. I was wickedly exhausted, and I ate the equivalent of two full road meals, but I survived, and I deserve to pat myself on the back for that. I am proud of myself for perservering.

There is a strike among railway workers right now, and the trains have been noticibly absent lately.

Day 23- I Fought the Wind and the Wind Won

Woke up at 5 AM in the warmth and comfort of the motel, anxious to see the weather conditions. A quick look out the windows revealed that the rain had stopped and the winds seemed low. Good. I quickly ate and packed, wanting to get going before the weather changed once more. I stepped outside and found it was rather cold, but I was too happy about the low winds to care. I set off pretty hopeful for the day. I had 150 KM to cover to keep my new schedule.

It didnt last long though. The winds picked up to over 35 km/hr once more, and they thwarted me all day. I spent 10 hrs battling ice cold winds. Ill save you the gritty details because theyre a little too angsty for this blog. You can find them in my depressing poetry section titled "My Life is so Hard. Everyday is a struggle." (Not really).

I trudged along until about 4PM, when I decided I was too exhausted to go any farther. I pulled into the town of Jansen, which had a sign posted denoting a campground within. I found my way to the tiny municipal camp, and was just about to set up my tent when a man stopped and offered a free place to stay for the night. Awesome! His house was literally 25 m away, facing the campground, so I walked my bike over, and ventured into the desperately needed warmth. I cant believe all the kind people I keep meeting.

They fed me an awesome meal, and we talked about many things. It turns out they are members of the volunteer based cyclist accomodation site called Warm Showers, and they have housed many needy cyclists over the years. They showed me a scrapbook filled with photos and postcards from their previous guests. I promised to send them a postcard to add once I was finished. I also finally got around to joining Warm Showers in hopes of finding more hosts in the future.

I was exhausted, so I headed to bed at 8 PM, setting my alarm for 5 AM once more. I was only able to complete about 120 KM today before I had to stop, so I would have to ride an extremely long 180 KM tomorrow to reach Yorkton and stay on track for my new five day plan to Winnipeg. I can only hope the weather cooperates for once.

Day 22- Frustration Central

When I woke up this morning, the weather looked gloomy but okay, so I made the decision to head out. I ate, packed, slide the apartment key under the door, and I was off.

As soon as I left the apartment it began to pour, and I faced a strong headwind as I biked down the road. Things looked grim, but I was locked out of the apartment, and had no choice but to continue. I made several wrong turns, and stumbled around town against strong winds, already soaked and cold. I hadnt even left the city and I began to feel hopeless already. A man saw my plight and stopped to offer me a place to stay, but my stubborn streak made me turn him down for reasons a mystery to me. I instantly regretted my decision as I crawled down the highway, cold rain howling in my face. It felt like I was biking in a hurricane.

I began to despair more and more as my hands and feet froze in the ice cold wind and rain. I lost all motor control in my hands, to the point where I couldnt pick things up or even take my gloves off. I stopped at the first motel I found and writhed in pain in the washroom of the attached cafe as I thawed my hands in warm water. The rooms werent available until after 11 AM, so I waited in the warmth of the cafe, with a coffee, slowly returning to life. I watched the winds howl outside, seeming as if it would rip the flags from their poles.

Once I had checked into my room, I cranked the heat to dry my soaked gear, and took a long hot shower. Revived, it was then time to kill time all day once more. The weather forecast is calling for improvements to the weather, but the winds will still be present in a reduced capacity.

I have a new route plan, clocking around 150 KM a day down the highway 16 each day, reaching Winnipeg in 5 days. This is doable if the weather finally cooperates, but will require a lot of work. I cant wait to finally make progress again. It will really help my morale.

Day 21- Rain Delays

Woke up early today to drive back to Saskatoon with Mr. Harvey. He had a flight to catch and I had 160 KM to bike. I said goodvye and thanked them for their generosity.

The weather forecast had been calling for wind and rain today, and it soon became apparent that nature was going to deliver. It began to pour on our ride back to back to Saskatoon, and we could see the high winds blowing flags to the north-west, when I would be heading south-east. It wasnt looking good. The weather was still pretty bitter when we arrived back at the apartment, where my stuff was, and Mr. Harvey said I could stay in the vacant apartment tonight if I wanted, so I made the call to wait out the weather. I dont like taking a second day off, but it is in my best interest to wait it out. Even now the trees outside the apartment are shaking in the wind.

Day 20- Shore Leave

Today was a nice and relaxing day off. I slept in and had a nice pancake breakfast before taking a drive to Prince Albert National Park with the Harveys. It was a nice drive through forests and past lakes. We stopped at a few popular lakes and a lookout with a good view of the area.

In time we arrived at Waskesiu Lake, where we stopped and walked around the lakeside tourist and cabin town. It was a pretty nice area. We also stopped into a small wildlife museum that had some interesting displays (see pictures). We stopped for some lunch, and later I sprung for a delicious ice cream covered in toppings. Ive been really enjoying getting to eat massive quantities of food on this trip.

On the way out we encountered about nine elk right beside the road. We were able to pull up right beside them because they were so calm, so I was able to get close up pictures. Ive never seen elk before, so it was cool to get so close. A minute later down the road there was another group of eleven off in the sparse trees about 25 meters away. Im impressed that there were so many of them together.

I fell asleep on the drive home, and then had a nap back at the house before supper. I still feel quite tired however. Another great meal and dessert and it is almost time for bed.

I am quite thankful to the Harvey family for taking me in, feeding me so well, and taking the time to show me around the area; it was a nice ride.

Tomorrow I will be heading down the secondary highway 16 and in another 2.5 days I will be in Manitoba!

Day 19- Smooth Sailing on Endless Golden Land Sea

I woke up this morning to the beautiful sound of silence; the wind had finally died during the night. Once I ventured outside my tent I was a little cold and my fingers felt numb in the pre-dawn chill, but I was just happy the wind was gone.

As soon as I began riding I could feel the difference from yesterday. It felt as if I was floating down the road after the previous day's nightmarish winds. I took the exit for the highway 7 to Saskatoon, and I was on my way.

I felt like I was making amazing progress as I glided down the road without resistance past endless golden fields of low cut wheat. I wish I was here in the fall to see the harvest time crops; these fields would be very impressive then. My fingers and toes are still cold as the sun slowly gains strength as it rises. Meanwhile I continue to make great progress.

I passed through a couple "towns" that Stacey described to me from his own trip, where there is only a grain elevator and a house or two. That is all it takes to be considered a town on the prairies. Interesting.

By 10 AM I had already reached the small town of Delisie, 40 KM outside of Saskatoon, so I decided to stop for an early lunch. While I ate my sandwich, an older gentleman passed by on his bike, and asked me about my trip. When he found out I was from Fredericton, be became pretty enthused. It seems his whole family is from St. John. This led to a hard to follow 30 minute long tale of his entire family history, right down to family reunions and his days working for Air Canada. He was very nice, but I did want to continue biking. I was eventually free to go, but couldnt help but chuckle at the event.

I continued on my way, and I began to notice more and more signs of flooding. Fields, fences, and telephones poles were submerged and there were tons of bugs swarming around many of these areas. My favorite was a road that ran parallel to the highway on my way into Saskatoon. It had flood waters on either side, leaving only a narrow strip to drive on, creating the illusion that the vehicles were driving across the water itself.

Saskatoon is much bigger than I expected, and after a week of passing through towns that only had a gas station and a bar, or less, I was happy to be around a more populated area for a little while. Navigating the city proved pretty easy, and I was at Brittany's family's apartment by 1 PM. I showered and set my gear out to dry, and then it was time to drive to her parents' house in Prince Albert for my day off.

They fed me a fantastic meal, and I met a few family friends down at Original Joes. I also got a car viewing if the city of Prince Albert. They requested that I inform everyone, specifically Ryan Steeves, that Prince Albert is not completely flat and vacant. As it happens, since I left the Trans Canada Highway there have been  quite a few hills, and this area does have some trees and a few major rivers. It turns out the famously flat area is near Regina, and I wont be heading there on this trip.

Today was a pleasant day, and I look forward to relaxing tomorrow. It has been an exhausting ride since Calgary, and I am pretty sore.