Day 44. Warroad to Baudette. 53 miles. TTD 2826 miles. 1100 feet elevation. Weather perfect. Beautiful Bike Path in Warroad Should I be embarrassed by the day's minimum mileage? Likely, no one cares how far I ride except me. Yet, there's something about putting that number at the top of the page that feels important … Continue reading Purpose
Day 42. My Sabbath was especially pleasant because there was a small congregation in Steinbach. I was able to attend church with them. Not surprisingly, they were wonderful to be with and welcomed me with open arms. One of the members had served as a missionary in Pueblo about two decades ago, so it was … Continue reading Au Revoir Canada
Day 40. Portage La Prairie to Winnipeg. 81 miles. TTD 2629 miles. 1100 feet elevation. Wind helpful My brother-in-law, Luke, brought me this wonderful hat. Undoubtedly, he was concerned for my safety. Now I'm safe to walk and ride around this beautiful country. They may assume, correctly, that I'm homeless, but at least they won't … Continue reading Family
Day 39. 84 mi. Minidosa to Portage la Prairie. A few hundred feet of elevation. Weather painfully windy When you choose to put yourself on a bicycle and cross a country or a continent, you really can't, or at least shouldn't, complain. That's why this post is late. If I had written it last night, … Continue reading Wind and Whining
Day 38. Dolphin to Minnedosa. 74 miles. TTD 2464. 3100 feet elevation. Weather toasty North Shore Clear Lake Water is essential for life. Apparently, more water also means more life. By number, nematodes (worms) are the most common animal life form, followed closely by zooplankton and insects. In Manitoba, the abundance of water has led … Continue reading Bugs and Books
Day 37: Duck Mountain Lodge to Dauphin. 110 miles. 3600 feet elevation. Weather very helpful. The day started beautifully. Kevin and Cheryl, the kindest people I've met on this entire route, had me over for a wonderful breakfast. They were so nice to be with that they could almost convince me to live in northern … Continue reading Atomic Nuclei
Day 35. Sabbath rest in Esterhazy, which, BTW, is the potash capital of the world. The picture below is the operation just outside the city. I can only assume that the squarish-shaped mound of earth has been brought up from the mine some 3,000 ft below. That makes me a little nervous. Day 36: Esterhazy … Continue reading Vulnerable
Day 34: Fort Qu’Appelle to Esterhazy. 112 miles. 4306 feet elevation. The weather was hot but helpful If you have followed me on previous tours, you know that we always bring our friend Gumby. You likely also know that we rarely bring Gumby home. In fact, my good friend Tim, who has previously "found" (i.e., … Continue reading Gumby & Gratitude
Day 34. Moosejaw to Fort Qu’Appelle. 110 miles. 3800 feet elevation. Weather blessed. Buffalo Pad Park 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 … Continue reading Plod Test
Day 33: Gravelbourg to Moose Jaw. 77 miles. TTT 1977. 1900 feet elevation. Weather helpful This was my view shortly after leaving the motel. It would remain my view for about 48 km. Then I took an exciting left-hand turn. See the thrilling difference. Once I made that left-hand turn, this was my new view … Continue reading Plod
Grumpy Grandpa's Great Bicycling Adventures 