Plod Test

Day 34. Moosejaw to Fort Qu’Appelle. 110 miles. 3800 feet elevation. Weather blessed.

It’s a good thing I wrote about my alleged talent for plodding yesterday. Today, when I sat down to lunch at about 12:30, I’d been riding for 6 hours and traveled about 55 miles. I was feeling good about things. Then I looked at the map and realized I had 55 miles left! BTW, part of successfully plodding is to never look too far ahead. Thus, I was unaware of how far I still had to go.

I grabbed some snacks from the convenience store and headed over to the park. After eating, I lay down on the bench. There was a group of kids playing nearby, and after the lady in charge saw me, I think she hurried over and stayed right by them in the playground. I do look homeless, other than the bicycle, so I can’t blame her.

After a little rest on a park bench as a homeless person, I went to another convenience store and loaded my bags with Subway and my bottles with Orange Crush. That 55-mile stretch was pretty much devoid of food or water. Then I began to plod/pedal for another 5.5 hours.

Can you see the end of the train? Neither could I. Just like the roads on the prairie, you can see so far that you think you see the curve of the Earth, or at least where you think it is located. The distances are vast. I came up to this RR crossing just as the engine pulled across. The train was so long that I was able to get off my bike, take food from my bags, and sit down to eat while I waited for it to pass.

Speaking of long empty distances, the more practical among you readers have likely wondered, “Where does he go to the bathroom?” I mean, it’s not like I wouldn’t be noticed squatting in a field of chickpeas that’s only 6 inches tall. As it turns out, the distances are in my favor. I can pull off the side of the road, look down the highway in either direction, take all my clothes off if I want, and do my business, all while watching vehicles approach. But at such great distances, I have all the time in the world. By the time they’re even close, I’m repacked and back on my bike. Don’t worry, there won’t be an instructional video.

Today I was almost surrounded by the black beasts. The picture above is the one that chased me the last 20 mi. Unfortunately, I was a little too exhausted to outrun it, but fortunately, it didn’t rain too hard. The road I was on got muddy but not sticky, which made me very grateful. When looking at these across the prairie, as lightning strikes and thunder roars, I do get a bit anxious, wondering what exactly I would do if a funnel cloud developed. Would I lie in a ditch with the bike over my head? Thankfully, it’s a question I haven’t had to answer, and by Monday, I should be in Manitoba, making it a little less likely I’ll have to answer it.

I finished the day in beautiful Fort Qu’Appelle. The lake is gorgeous, and the town is a nice size and pleasant. Most importantly, it has an A&W. A&W Root Beer, the fuel of champions. Hopefully, it will help me recover enough to finish this week’s journey and have my day of rest.