Back at Peg's in Saskatoon, I get a call from Tania and head out the door to meet her at the Super 8. Apparently, 2 of the motels exist and I take a grand tour of the city. I just don't feel right unless I get my 50 km a day in! :) It was nice to see her and we go to a place on Broadway. Its mostly me telling her stories as she is fatigues from her days long drive. She brings treats from my wife which I don't even offer her and she pays for my beer without me thanking her! Nice guy! No hero for Tania but instead a full article! How about that, Tania? It was nice to see someone from home and I hope she enjoys her stay in mani
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I make an executive decision to go see Fort Battleford which many of you will instantly recognize as being a pivotal place in the 1885 Rebellion of Louis Riel :) Before I do, I go to the Cyber Cafe and the owner used to live in Prince George. He called it "Pig's Gorge". He did set me up with a i phone charger and I used his computers while having a drink. A cyclist walked in and struck up a conversation with me. He bikes and had lots of stories about other cyclists who had come through. It turns out he also sells electric motors for bikes. I could have used one in the mountains there. At 9 I collect my things and head to Fort Battleford. It is a neat, interesting place for me and I take a self guided tour. It will be hot when I leave at noon but it is important for me to see these places and not just drive by them. I take the tour and learn a tonne of stuff. I wish I could go to the other places around Saskatchewan but there simply isn't time on this trip. I stop back in to the visitor centre and am told the massive hill I took to get into town yesterday is my best bet. I thank the young ladies and then take the opposite direction and it makes for a gentler climb. I am surprised by how warm it is and I make sure I am drinking lots of water as I go along the highway. I start out on my 145 km down to Saskatoon. It is at the Denholm Hotel bar that I discover where the Hells Angels are going. Apparently, there is a convention in Saskatoon this weekend...lucky me!. The bar is empty with '70's rock music playing and the serving wench tells me over 2 cream sodas that she is from Dawson Creek, BC and we praise our new found home. Back on the road and my next rest stop is Maymont. It makes Delmas look like a bustling metropolis! Some of the houses are boarded up and it doesn't look like much is happening. The one place with a Pepsi sign on it is the Maymont hotel and it looks dead. I ask people moving out of the back of the library where to get a drink and they point me back to the hotel. When I open the door to the restaurant, there are about 5 differents signs saying "No! You may not just use the washrooms" and "Washrooms are for paying customers only!" But it turns out the restaurant door is locked so I go around to the bar side and again the series of washroom signs is there too. Just for fun I think about asking to use the washrooms as I come in but decide this is not a good way to start relations in a new town. The bar is empty and I get some pepsi. We start to talking and the owner says his girlfriend is trying to sell the bar but that its not going well. He also tells me that it is the only business left in town. It must be rough to have your money tied up in a town that seems to be fading away. Several interesting things in the bar include a piece of plywood with the brands of all the farmers in town for a cancer victim, a folded flag above the bar with a picture of a Vietnam-era soldier behind it, and a signed Stompin' Tom Connors poster from 2004. The bartender tells me that Tom likes his beer warm. Soon, an elderly farmer stops in for a beer as door another farming couple. I exchange a few words with the farmer before feeling concious of my biking pants and I head back out into the heat. My next stop is Radisson where I have the most delicious bowl of ice cream of my life from a group of ladies on the street. The charger I purchases today doesn't seem to work anymore and when I try to charge the phone in the library, It run into the same problem as Battleford...fear of virus. Mothers scould their children in hushed, harsh voices who stare too long at my white, bug-covered arms. I make good time heading into Saskatoon where I make contact with Peg who is Kip's mother in law. She agrees to host me as Kip and Karen have plans. I am very pleased with Sasakatoon and find it has a cottage feel to it. Nice large streets with restaurants and cafes. It feels alive and vibrant. Peg greets me at the door and I am her first warm shower guest. She has had several Chinese homestay students stay with her so she is used to company. She and I chat and then I get to my shower. Heavenly after such a long day. She is also nice enough to let me charge my phone! :) Peg also allows dogs into her house and I meet Fergus the pug who sleeps on his toy pig. Fergus is a big snorer. I have a sleep that is reserved for kids after a day at the fair and war weary verterans. A great start to Saskatoon. The flatness of the roads and the thril of reaching Saskatchewan provide great motivation for me. I am usually in gear 24 for most of the day and it seems effortless. I find that the terrain can be broken into blue sky and green ground on the vertical and wide green fields (wheat?) or huge swaths of yellow pastels (canola). There are copses of trees here and there and usually in the distance the beginning of a forest. During the morning I come up with a song detailing the strangeness of being in a town divided by a border. It is a quick, up tempo number called, "I Woke Up in Saskatchewan". I am thinking it could be the 1st single off the concept album I appear to be creating as I go. I hit construction and the manager in charge tells me I can use the fresh lane while everyone else is to my left. It is a strange moment. All at once the lane is lit with sunshine while at the same time, just the smallest of splattering of rains starts. It is great to have a dedicated lane all to myself and I thank the Saskatchewan Highway workers for building it just for me. Minutes later, I see a young Cree woman running along the road carrying a staff topped with eagle feathers. She's followed slowly in a van. She is obviously on some sort of run for a cause. I give her a thumbs up and she raises the staff in greeting. Later, I see my 1st cyclist going in the opposite direction and I figure we will stop and greet each other like the Russians and Americans soldiers over the Elbe in 1945 but that is not the case. I'm not sure if he saw me or if he was having a hardtime with the headwinds but he didn't even lift his hand. It was somewhat anti-climatic. I take a break in Delmas and it is like entering a Stephen King Novel. Houses are well kept but there is no one around. It is a single street through the town and nothing in the way of a business exists. I finally spot a couple doing their gardening and stop to talk to them. They tell me they get lots of cyclists through and start to talk about a Japanese guy who came through one day out of water, lips bleeding and sunburned who'd started in Vancouver. I wonder if this is the same guy the Tete-Jaune motel owner talked about. I explain that I was looking for a drink and the lady starts to ask me what kind of pop I want and I see she is going to grab something from her house but I stop her. I tell a little more about myself and then go have a nap by the large Catholic church. I crawl into my sleeping bad and rest in the shade but when I wake, I am lying in the sun just soaked in my own sweat. A great nap but gruesome nap. At first it started with a rumble, next thing in my mirroir all these lights fill the small, circular shape. The rumble continues to grow and in the distance, I can see the columns of motorcycles getting closer. When they pass me, the roar of the Harleys is overpowering. I am amazed to see the petelon of motorcycles, approximately 30-40 riding in formation and they've all got the Hells Angels emblazoned on their jackets. I wonder why they are here and where they are going. This same thing happens a few more times. I wonder what they think of me on my "Hog" and my spandex cycling shorts. Lately, I've stopped being embarrased of my spandex pants and just started to wear them while biking; it is more comfortable anyways and I really don't think anyone cares so much. The librarian at Battleford is not the friendliest of souls. I realize I have left behind my i phone outlet charger somewhere so I must try to do it at the library but I also must run around. I try to get her to plug it into her computer but she tells me she is not allowed to do this. I try to explain to her that it is simply a charge but she is adamant that it can't happen. I encounter this several times throughout my tour here. She agrees to let me plug it into a computer that isn't being used but that I must return in 10 minutes so I hurry out, grab a drink and groceries and come back into the library. I sit down and let the iphone charge. At North Battleford, I enjoy a delicious dinner of stuffed turkey, Caesar Salad, and cherry turnovers (3?) for dessert. I then drop my bags in the woods behind the pool before sitting in the whirlpool. The cashier (Patti) at the pool takes my I phone and charges it in the office. For this, she is entered into the "Hall of Heros". I feel great (and clean) coming out of the pool and then quickly set up my tent in the dusk and get to sleep. I had planned to get up good and early so as to get a start on my 150 km ride into Vermilion. I woke up and saw lighting and then heard thunder. However, the sky didn't look too bad. I backed up my tent when it started to rain. I was happy to be in the comfort of the dugout and just decided to wait it out. It wasn't too long before the rain stopped so I packed up my stuff and then headed out of the ball park. I saw the town campsite off to the left and seconds later, saw the giant egg. I had forgotten that the whole objective of getting to Vegreville was to see the egg. It was huge and had a very lengthy display about how it was designed by engineers and polished to the highest standards. The artwork on the egg is symbolic and goes beyond the patience of the writer here. The Ukranian for egg is "pyansk". Once I had my fill of egg, I filled up with water and booted out for Lloydminster. The rain was sightly misty for a while but within the hour, it was coming down harder. At Layton, a simultaneous flash of lighting followed by what had to be the loudest thunder I have ever heard convinced me to stop and take a break. The picnic table under the covered roof at the rest area proved to be an excellent bed and I slept an hour and waited for the rain to pass. I awoke refreshed but feeling a bit behind schedule. To conserve my 2nd pair of socks, I put plastic bags around my socks before putting them in the soaking wet shoes. Success but not very fashionable. I hope the people of Alberta will forgive me. The rain continued to fall lightly as I wove my way through the wide stretches of farmland with huge expanses of either green (wheat?) or yellow (Canola). Once in a while, I'll see small groups of horses and cows. When I pass by, they always seem a bit on-edge. Perhaps they are not used to cyclists shouting out greetings to them! I stop at the Innisfill Petro-Canada and have some snacks but as the rain continues to get heavier, I decide that a full fledged stop is in order and I eat lunch while reading "Sweetness of the Belly", a book Danna has lent me. I pass an hour in the restaurant and then head out where the rain isn't exactly hard but it hasn't stopped either. I am a few klicks down the road when I notice the truck and several RCMP cars parked down by the rest site. As I get closer I realize its a speed trap. As I approach the officer, I ask him how I'm doing and he tells me I'm ok at 27 kph. I often wonder what speed I can go. I think I am somewhere between 20-30kph. Lately, the roads have lent themselves to faster speeds. By the time I get to Vermilion, I am tired. I find all basic info at the tourist site and give my warm showers connection a call. I manage to stick my wet clothes in the dryer when Keith Marsh gets back to me. He finds me in the library and we go to the Tim Hortons to talk. He is a very personable guy. We share our cycling stories with each other and he talks about us "weirdos" getting each other and why we enjoy riding. Keith is also the Anglican Minister in town but has held several other jobs. He takes me around to the Lakeland College where his wife works in the dairy section. She's milking the cows and I joke that his wife will notice my stench amongst the smell of the barn. Afterwards, we get to see a few of the calves. I regret that I couldn't get to stay with Keith and his wife longer, they seemed like really nice people. He is considering a ride through my neck of the woods sometimes and I hope he does so. Keith also calls the people of Vermilion (named after the river clay), Vermilionaires. I suspect this is a joke he's used many times. Keith takes me to the end of the town to show me the route out. I finish up at the library quickly and then grab some goodies at the store before taking off. Thanks to Keith for a quick but pleasant tour of the town. The sun is low when I set out but I have no headwind to slow me down so I burst through. The scenery is getting prettier as the horizon is spreading out farther and farther. Lloydminster is a busy town with every imaginable amenity. I search for the campsite but am also excited to make it to the border. Within minutes, a small sign on the street quietly announces the border crossing. What is more evident are the streets and sidewalks. I suddenly feel as if I have entered a 3rd world country. Lots of sandy gravelly sections and it makes for tricky riding. The man at the town campsite tells me that tent camping is full up and points me down the road. I nod and drive aways before deciding my best bet is by the hospital and what appears to be the hospital's maintenance area. Me and my tent will fit in just fine. I spend a quiet uninterupted night there. So, it appears getting out of towns is a bit of a challenge for me. I took the 101st to Baseline and this took me past heavy industrial and then it sort of transitioned to suburban settings. Finally, I found myself on a quiet, country road before I had to transition to the Hwy 16. The traffic wasn't too bad and I find most professional truck drivers will pull over even when I am on the nice, big shoulders. The scenery wasn't too spectacular, fences forests, a few cows, and ponds beside the highway. I ran out of water so I stopped at the Ukranian Village for supplies. I didn't take enough because the village that I was counting on was several kms off the highway. To make matters worse, I was battling a strong headwind and I was getting tired. As I came into Vegreville, I had a horse come running up to greet me and he ran the whole way along his fence following me. I have never appreaciated water so much as when I pulled in. Once I had gotten the hydration out of the way, I needed to find a spot to stay. I made a quick attempt to find a campground but gave up and tried a school or two before settling n the remoteness of the ball park. I thought I would be ok but apparently, a lot of people walk their pets around there. I didn't have any direct contact but I'm sure people were wondering why the man was laying down on the dugout bench. After fighting the mosquitoes for a few minutes, I gave up and wrote my song for Alberta since I was headed to Saskatchewan tomorrow. I recorded and wrote down the lyrics. Once it got dark, I put the tent up and enjoyed the sounds of the train as I drifted off to sleep. A long day for me! Today I realize that somewhere around Elk Island National Park, I will hit the 100 km mark. Yay!!!! Just another 2000 kms until I hit Toronto! Had a very fun evening yesterday. Just as I was getting ready to phone Danna Gardner, I take a look at the lady who sits next to me in the library and it is her! She just came and found me when I messaged her. We figured out it has been about 30 years since we last saw each other. She was such a good host and treated me far better than she should have. We went to Italian restaurant called Cianti's on Whyte Ave. and even though it was a Monday, it was packed. We both got really thick, heavy linguini noodles but it was so good. We ripped right through it. We reminisce about people we know and what they are doing now. Later, Danna took me to a pub called "The Black Dog". To my delight, a bluegrass band fired up and did some old tunes and some originals. They were so good! Bands like this always get me somewhat depressed because I realize how deficient I am in my own music. They had a tiny Oriental girl playing the double bass and she was great. Very, very cool. One of the neatest things about the club was the clientele. One guy with long hair and painters pants had a hat with "Wayne's World" on it and he looked the part exactly. Another guy came in wearing a Snoop Dogg t-shirt but was still enjoying the Bluegrass music. Another guy named Ryan was waving his hands in the air and stomping his foot to the rhythm (quite accurately I might add). Danna thought he was going to be removed but obviously security was lax on this night. It was interesting but stange to see such young people playing and enjoying Bluegrass music in downtown Edmonton. Danna is running her own business and she sells tennis/basketball court paint mainly. I am surprised how simple it looks but how much money and effort it requires. She is her own boss and seems to be enjoying how things are working out. The strangest thing about Danna is her love for Stephen Harper. Her eyes glaze over and she talks about him and if I were Ken (Danna's Beau), I might be concerned! :) The other point of note for the night was Danna explaining that she does some of her own dentistry! Her feats include filing teeth and replacing caps. Her dentisit looked at it and said she did good work. Danna also said that if she were hard pressed, she'd do minor surgery on herself as well. Danna confessed to me that she'd like to live on the side of mountain. For now, she's in the bustling town of Edmonton enjoying great restaurants, music and golf. Must be tough! Another really good experience to add to my list. Off to see the world's biggest Easter Egg in Vegreville! I didn't figure it would be too hard to get my tire set up so I slept in a little later than I normally do. I got everything set up, fixed the tire and then things went wrong when I tried to put the back tire on. I tried and tried and finally got to thinking that I would just take the bike to a dealer in town. When I checked the phone book though, none of the shops were close. I resolved to fix it and eventually solved my problem but sacrificed the back brake to do so. I said goodbye to Joanne and went back to the spot where I'd ditched my fiddle and tent. Unfortunately, they were still there! I did not want to ride the highway so I tried to take the smaller roads which was a bit confusing and had me going down deserted range roads whose quality was sketchy. Eventually, I made it into Edmonton proper where I celebrated with a White Spot lunch. The waiter Chad was also a biker and he took an interest in my trip. He was good enough to give me advice on bike shops and how to travel in the area. I was most eager to get to a bike shop so I set off for Velocity Cycle. The guy there said he was busy but eventually agreed to see my bike. Jay took a quick look at it, told me what was wrong and made a few adjustments. My back brake was rubbing on the wheel ad causing a clicking sound. He told me I should get a real tune up further on down the road. Saskatoon will be the next centre. Jay and Andy, the other mechanic, gave me lots of advice on what roads to take and where to stay. For helping me with my bike when he was so obviously busy, I promote Jay to the "Hall of Heros". I heartily recommend Velocity Cycle to anyone in the Edmonton area! Great jobs guys. I spend the rest of the time in the Edmonton library waiting to call Danna Gardner, a middle school friend for a place to stay. I have also set up an emergecy standby site of a warm showers hosts Jeff and Roselind just in case plans with Danna fall through. I spend lots of time contacting people down the road and mapping out the next few days of travel. Sadly, I find out Sunil Sookram is away on business and won't be in town. Next time Sunil! Once in a while, there are those kinds of days. Today was one of them. I was just getting ready to depart my Red Deer home when I discovered my bike had a flat. It was misty rain outside so I took 45 minutes to change out the back tire and found I had run over a tack. Turns out the same thing happened at the Tour de France. Could someone be targetting me? :) So, I got all packed up and headed into the cool rain. Biking in the rain is not terrible but it leaves a bit to be desired. I had biked about 3 hours when I came into Ponoka town. I knew a warm showers guy there and thought I might drop in and say hello. As I toured the streets, I suddenly felt the steering go all funny. I looked down to find the rear was flat again!. I took a break in the "Seasoned Pot" and had a quick lunch before changing the tire. It had started to rain hard so I was happy I was in the restaurant. I changed my tire under an awning and I swear just as I was ready to hit the road, it started to pour. I waited about a 1/2 hour before deciding to don my rainpants and I took off. I was soaked/sweaty within about 15 minutes and I was caught in a full fledged down pour. It was pretty brutal! I took shelter in a safeway in Wetaskawin and treated myself to a cookie and chocolate milk. I must have left about a litre of water on the floor as I dripped my break away. I contacted my Leduc host, Bruce Sinclair and told him I'd be 90 minutes getting in. I changed my shirt for the last 35 km in and powered in hard for the last 20 kms. At an intersection, my bike crawled forward and I realized I had yet another flat! At this point, I was tired of being wet and not too eager to change a tire in the pouring rain. One guy stopped when I held out my thumb but we realized his car wasn't big enough to hold my bike. He took off and 2 minutes later, a truck with a boat pull off on the sideroad to check something. I approach them and get a ride. Larson and Ray help me toss my bike into the back of the truck and then quiz me on what happened and where I am going. They tell me lighthardly that I have too much stuff and if I'm going to the East Coast, I am going the wrong way! We get to an intersection near the Sinclairs and I take my bike off. As I am too heavy, I ditch some of my stuff under a tree and walk to the Sinclairs. Bruce is waiting for me a half hour later and qucikly shows me to the basement where I can sleep. I can use his laundry and have a shower. I also meet his wife Joanne. Bruce leaves 5 minutes later to catch a flight that he is piloting! I have a quick conversation with Joanne to find they have been in Leduc 22 years. I also meet Dewey and Tinkerbell the cats. I enjoy the shower tremendously! I sleep for about 10 hours straight! A positive couchsurfing experience. Tomorrow Edmonton bound! My first official day off although Bruce Brown might disagree on this fact. I took Obi for a walk and then toured downtown on my ultralight bicycle. I go to the library to discover that computers were limited to 1 hour/day. I warned them that up to 50 people a day visit this site but no luck. Staff did listen sympathetically to my pleas but I couldn't budge them. I then enjoyed the last of my "Hammer of Eden" book in Bowers Ponds. A lovely park with all sort of geese and ducks. After that, I came home and went to Boston Pizza for dinner. Later, saw "Ted" with Mark Wallburg. A very funny, albeit, crude movie. Really enjoyed it. I will need a few times to see it and process it properly. Later still, home for a I awake early eager to get out of JackFish Lake campground. Sonja, my Red Deer host has suggested a meeting at Sylvain Lake. It is an easy 64 kms but I notice the shoulders getting smaller and the traffic getting heavier. I might have to investigate smaller side roads from here on out. When I get to the lake, I greeted by a massive lakes and an assortment of bars and restaurants. It is a lot like Wasage beach but with a little bit of Redneck thrown in there. For example, there is a store named "Big Moo" and "More Moo". Both have cows outside their shops. This proliferation of Moo shops amde it difficult to meet up with Sonja. We knew each other from Quebec and filled in each others' lives over the last 7 years. It was warm and sunny and the water was great. I also had a chance to fill in the shading on the majority of my body. Right now, my arms, face, and shins are dark while the rest of me is Zombie White! Because I didn't want to inconvience Sonja, I let her drive me the 22km into town. Don't worry, I will pay for this later. I enjoy meeting Sonja's twin boys (Devon and Tyler) and her teenage daughter, Krista as wel as the family pet (Obi). I enjoy a Quesadia and later on, some "Rookie Blue |
About meAmateur cyclist, bon vivant, writer and internationally acclaimed singer/songwriter. Archives
February 2013
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Travelling Musician |
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