Shout out

Day 41. Winnipeg to Steinbach. 55 miles. TTD 2684. 1100 feet elevation. The weather was warm, and the wind was helpful.

If you’ve been following along, you know that I have spoken quite positively about Canada and Canadians. That tone isn’t just to keep me safe while I’m in this foreign country. Canadian communities continue to surprise me, like the 10 miles or so of trail that I followed out of Winnipeg this morning. It was just beautiful.

The fantastic thing is that it doesn’t have to be a big city. Steinbeck, where I’m staying this evening, is just as lovely and only has a population of about 17,000. There are parks everywhere, and even a really nice BMX track available to anyone at any time.

The other nice thing about Steinbach is that Laura’s son Bruce lives here, my nephew. He is a pharmacist at the local hospital. Bruce is very athletic and has done a lot of crazy adventures, like paddling down wild rivers up north, winter fat-tire bike rides, and now he’s doing triathlons. I was grateful he took the time to have dinner with me tonight. It was really fun to visit, catch up, and swap some crazy stories. I also sort of learned how to dress for bike riding when it’s 40 below. Thankfully, I hope to not use that skill on this trip.

I don’t have a lot to say about my ride today because it was incredibly short, only about 50 mi. It’s nice to think that I’ve reached a point where 50 miles is easy. When I see 90 or 100 mi stretches ahead, it still makes me nervous, but I’ve done it, and so hopefully, I can repeat it. Tomorrow will be the Sabbath and a day off, but on Monday, I hope to be riding into Minnesota.