Day 48: Rossport to Neys Provincial Park

Given yesterday's deluge that kept us 10m from our tents for nearly a hour before bed (no one was willing to risk a wet tent) we had a leisurely start to this morning - our regular 7am wakeup was a little delayed. And though the setting was spectacular, tents facing out to a sandy beach on Lake Superior, the day began with a thick layer of clouds and a chill that got into our bones. Oh well, the best way to get rid of that was to start biking, and the topography helped us out by giving us a big hill right out of camp. Team Early Risers got a head start while the slow-pokes finished packing, and after cresting the second piece of the climb, started getting cocky and claiming they'd be the first ones to the top. As they crested the third segment, the red stallion appeared behind them at a gallop, so Alan dashed ahead while Ginny stayed back to valiantly hold off the charge. Her attempt at trickery (oh gosh, your tire is flat!) failed and the stallion raced ahead. Alan kept glancing nervously into his rear-view mirror as he pushed ahead, but each time he looked, his lead had shrunk. He let out a cry of utter despair as, just short of he crest of the hill, Shane zoomed past. But when he reached the crest he saw it had been a futile race anyway, as there were two more hills to climb before the true top, and so the result was inevitable. A valiant effort, better luck next time.

Given our late start, the big hill and the cold wind blowing against us, we only reached Terrace Bay just before noon. Or I should say smelled it, because the stench of the pulp mill reached us long before we reached town. It was overpowering and we had to find shelter fast or risk death. Thus we dashed into the little bakery with even more delight than usual. An hour later (and tea/hot chocolate, cookies, fries, doughnuts and date squares later) we emerged warmed up and energized. We needed it...

While we had been hiding in the bakery, the wind had picked up, going from strong to nearly gale
force, whipping straight down from the north. Our easterly course should have lessened the blow had it not been for a large bay just outside of town that made to road detour 4km north. So we went head into it, and and endless 45min later rounded the turn to the east having survived blowing sand, being pushed backwards while pedaling in our lowest gears, and being pushed off the pavement by the gusts that would sneakily attack from the flank. But made it we did.

After that, everything else was pretty easy, the wind diminished a little, our course turned east further limiting its effect and the monster ridges gave way to rolling hills. But we'd lost too much time and realized we wouldn't make Marathon - our intended destination - in time.

Our map showed another park on the shore 20km before Marathon, but it appeared to be 10km down a side road and we weren't willing to make the detour. However, when we got to the turn, it turned out to be only 2km to another beautiful park on a gorgeous sandy beach. And to complete the feeling of being in paradise, the clouds finally blew away leaving only blue sky and sunshine! Snacks on the beach and a nice hot meal around a campfire gave a glorious finish to a tough but rewarding day. It was all worth it!


Distance: 88.70 km
Time on bikes: 5:39:37
Average speed: 15.6 km/h
Distance from Vancouver: 3826 km
Start time: 9:20 am
End time: 6:20 pm
Wind: North (extreme/strong 70% head, 30% tail)
Conditions: Overcast and cold!


Cheers
- The Warpotay Team

Location:Neys Provincial Park, ON

Day 47: Nipigon to Rossport

When living day to day, time takes on a new meaning. You begin to change your habits to match the sunrise, the sunset and the minute changes in the weather. The choices that we make can often be the difference between being warm and dry or soaking wet. Here's how most of ours days go, and how today we came minutes away from getting pounded by the biggest thunderstorm yet...

6:30-7:00 am: Wake up (later if its raining) Ginny and Alan are the alarm clocks and Leah and Evan the snooze button!

7:00-9:00: pack it up and eat breakfast. Good ole granola, dried fruit and powered milk (Leah has peanut butter and raisin bread). Due to the weather we often have a wet tent and don't get out until 10:00. Yeah we're slow!

9:00-2:00: the morning
can be great to bike in when it's warm that is. Today it was chilly and drizzling. Ginny has her hourly power bar break. (She is doing nutritional research and will report back to you on her findings soon but as a sneak peak the cliff bars are by far the best!). We had some great vistas of lake superior to gaze out this morning, along with some big hills!

12:30-2:00: lunch!
Somewhere in this range we hunker down for some lunch. Our great diverse lunch menu includes peanut butter, jam, bread (or if super lucky cheese buns) cheese, mustard, a cucumber , some grapes or cherries and something sweet for dessert! At the top of a large hill overlooking the lake we had our lunch today. The look-off area was swarming with BFs (no, not our best friends, this is instead our codename for black flies. We are convinced that saying their name out loud attracts them so we always use code.)

2:00-7:00 : the afternoon push.
This is the time of day where the elements have their way with us. When the wind is with us, we fly and rack us the KMs. That wasn't today, the drizzle and the gray did stay at bay though as we zoomed down a big hill and into Rossport.

6:30-8:00 : decide where to camp
As you can tell this process can sometimes take a while. the tough variables which we have to balance include proximity to water, flat ground, lack of bugs, and beauty. Sometimes the clouds on the horizon trump all other variables. Within minutes of arriving at Rainbow Falls provincial campground and setting up our tents the onslaught began...

7:00-10:30 : Dinner
Having a picnic table to cook at is a bonus. Having a covered roof overhead is a blessing!! Especially when it absolute pours for 4 hours during the largest thunder and lightning storm yet.

Dinner gets chopped up, cooked up and eaten up in no time while the rest of us relax and write up the daily blog. By the time Ginny has her tea, the dishes are clean and food bear-proofed, it is time to snuggle into our damp sleeping bags. But wait, it is raining so hard that even a short dash to the tent will soak us! What are we to do? We tried waiting it out but 30 mins later the tiredness was setting in and the rain refused to stop. Oh well, a little rain won't kill us.

Now we back it up and do it all over again, but we will be lucky again tomorrow, or will we be 10 minutes later and get soaked. Stay tuned!





Distance: 83.37 km
Time on bikes: 5:32:07
average speed: 15.0 km/h
Distance from Vancouver: 3737 km
Start: 10:45 am
End: 6:45 pm
Wind: South-east (head-medium)
Conditions: Showers


Cheers
- The Warpotay Team

Location:Rossport, Ontario

Day 46: Thunderbay to Nipigon (Don't give us the cold shoulder!)

We woke up to the sun
Said boy, are we going to have fun!
We got on our bikes
Then Alan said yikes!

Clickity clack
Ohhh, what was that!?
A broken spoke...?
Oh nope nope nope!

We found it was true
Well what should we do?
Of course back to the shop
Bad luck, it didn't open till 12 o'clock

Back at the camp
Sat the four other scamps
They thought sitting in the sun wasn't too cool
So they took a dip in the pool













After all the bad luck
We didn't get stuck
And for the first time in a while
We had a reason to smile
Cause the wind had our backs
And we were gone just like that!

Our first day on highway 1
Sometimes wasn't so much fun
Avoid it you can't
So we bikers rant...

Hey dummy with a boat in tow
No no no
We shouted, "watch where you go"!
But he barreled ahead and passed a truck
And we almost got smucked!

We liked the shoulders when they were wide
So we didnt have to duck and hide
But when they were slight
Oh, what a fright!
When they disappear
Now that is something to fear!

But dispute the road and traffic
The view if the lake was fantastic!
But we continued along
And here we are in Nipigon!

We searched for a place to lay our weary heads
But the price they quoted made us see red
Fifty-two dollars!
We ain't ballers!

Luckily we came across a lovey spot
And in we did trot
We were welcomed with a smile
So we decided to stay for a little while!

Distance: 96.64 km
Time on bike: 5:03:13
Average speed: 19.1 km/h
Distance from Vancouver: 3654 km
Start time: 2:15 pm
End time: 8:15 pm
Wind: Southeast (light-tail)
Conditions: sunny


Cheers
- The Warpotay Team

Location:Nipigon, Ontario

Day 45: Thunderbay

If you were asked to name the five places you would like to live in Canada, I bet Thunder Bay would not be on the list. But we dug a bit deeper and found some hidden treasures, maybe you should reconsider.

We started the day with oodles of absolutely delicious crepes at the Finland Club served in a wonderful spirit by club members from 14 to 64. The restaurant was started more than a hundred years ago because the immigrant bush workers had no place affordable to get a hearty meal. A century later they are still serving wonderful meals in a cooperative spirit that encourages everyone to get to know each other. The old pictures were special, and with us five looking pretty scruffy we could have fit right in.



So Thunder Bay has great food, but what about the people? Check out the Cycle Path bike shop. We turned up with five bikes in need of various levels of overhaul on a Saturday morning and by the end of the day they were all done for what was a modest price, with lots of smiles. So we always have friends in Thunder Bay.

It's by now 6pm, we need a campsite, and there are none in city limits. There is only one choice on the route out of town. Ooogh, the younger members among us had never heard of KOA's, but Ginny and I were immediately worried about what might be the quality and noise level of our campsite on a warm Saturday eve. After a pleasant evening bike ride out of town (Thunder Bay also gets high marks for ease of getting in and out without obnoxious sprawl, at least for the routes we chose), we arrived at the "KOA". Our stereotype was immediately challenged by the huge colour coordinated flower garden at the entrance spelling "KOA" like they do at the entrance to fancy places. In fact this campground won the 2010 Award for best KOA and it deserved it with the pool, mini golf, music in the bathroom, etc.(though the country music selections were a bit suspect). It was also a very friendly community of people. One woman near us loved it so much last summer on her visits that she has moved in for the whole summer and commutes into work.

So the moral of this story is don't judge a place by it's reputation, you might want to rethink Thunder Bay on your list (I know, we didn't visit in the winter... But).
Distance: 14.14 km
Time on bikes: 0:54:24
Average Speed: 15.5
Distance from Vancouver: 3557 km
Start: 7:15 pm
End: 8:15 pm
Wind: Southeast (head-light)
Conditions: sunny


Cheers
- The Warpotay Team

Location:Thunderbay, Ontario

Day 44: Kashabowie to Thunderbay (the battle of Kashabowie)

" Look to my coming on the first light of the fifth day, at dawn look to the east." said Gandalf as he mounted his white stallion and rode off into the west.

So too did we look to the horizon at dawn on the 4th day of the onslaught of the evil storm. For the past 3 days the wind has battered us, the Mosquitos devoured us, the rain soaked us and the fog choked us within but an inch of death. But then, over the horizon appeared our saving grace, wings gleaming in the bright sunshine they brought with them at over 60 m/h. The whip of their wings mixing with the cool soft sound of a fair weather breeze that drove the demon storm into the east. With lighting speed, the dragon flies cut through scores of mosquitos assaulting out skin and within minutes, the battle was won! With joyful eyes we looked up to the blue sky and yelled at the top of our lungs " hip hip horay, we're almost halfway, tonight we will feast, in Thunderbay!!!"

And so we did, we cleaned our tools of battle, laying out damp sleeping bags, pads and tents to dry. Despite losing an hour due to crossing into Eastern Standard time we were out on the road by 10:45.

The rest of the day was a breeze, mostly downhill into Thunderbay. Even when the up hill did appear it rewarded us with a connivence store and a 1.5 L tub of mint chocolate chip ice cream at the top! Slurp slurp yum yum!

Finding a campground less that 20km from town proved difficult so we opted to stay at the travel lodge so we would be able to enjoy our day off. Besides, we are now officially half way across our vast, beautiful country and we deserve it!

Our bikes need some love, our clothes definitely need a good wash (if not bleach) , my beard needs a trim and our heads need to rest but our spirits are higher than ever!









Distance: 105.51 km
Time on bikes: 5:21:31
Average speed: 19.5 km/h
Distance from Vancouver: 3542 km
Start: 10:45 am
End: 6:45 pm
Wind: north-west (morning) (light tail) east (afternoon-head)
Conditions: Sunny!

Location:Thunderbay, Ontario

Day 43: Atikokan to Kashabowie

For those of you who guessed that the winds would change today, well, we will give you another chance. Today's blog is to be sung to the tune of Four Strong Winds by Ian and Sylvia Tyson.

One Strong Wind

One strong wind from the East
Seven rainstorms every week
These are things that don't change
Come what may

But the good times are not gone
We're just bound for moving on
Looking for some friendly sun and wind some day

In the Prairies, the roads are straight
In the Prairies, the roads are flat,
In Ontario they're curvy, with some hills
But the wind and rain don't change
And we think that's kind.of strange
Some friendly sun and wind would surely be a thrill

One strong wind from the East
Seven rainstorms every week.....


Distance: 101.94 km
Time on bike: 5:41:09
Average speed: 17.9 km/h
Distance from Vancouver: 3437 km
Start: 10:45 am
End: 7:00 pm
Wind: north-east (light head)
Conditions: showers

Cheers
- The Warpotay Team

Location:Kashabowie, Ontario

Day 42: Mine Centre to Atikokan- Readers Guide to Weather Whining

Well lets get the whining out of the way first. We woke up to rain and another East wind. After waiting for a few hours for it to stop, it was go or it would be too late to get to the Atikokan (the next town) and we really did not have enough food for another day at Mine "Centre." So of we went with the weather report saying the rain would change to showers. It did a few hours late so we sliced into a 20 km headwind (that's nine days of headwind in a row... but who's counting!) and the rain and made it here to a wonderful dinner at the White Otter Inn. That's our day but I wanted to give you a little more for your read today, there is nothing like the insightful commentary about the game in between periods (think Don Cherry!), so here you go.

You may be wondering why this blog seems to be preoccupied by the weather with the general theme being that the weather is out to get us. Well here are some of the insightful interpretations you might want to consider when reading about the whining...

1. It is out to get us (but we will overcome).
2. It is all in the hands of a higher power and there is not much to be done about it (that was the interpretation of the Mennonite woman where we stayed two nights ago).
3. It is all due to climate change (p.s. We heard that they got another 150 mm of rain last weekend in the areas of Sasketechewan we all went through where the farms already looked like outport Newfoundland when we went through a couple of weeks ago).
4. It is all due to too few inputs from the outside world (there are not many folks on the road) while biking through Northern Ontario bush and too much time to think on a bike (this landscape is beautiful though, quite a change from the Prairie... Evan and Leah ran into a bear today (not literally), Shane was attacked by a grouse, and Ginny and I saw some real cute ducklings).
5. It is a right wing conspiracy to get us (the construction workers in the cabin near our campsite last night called us "geologists" when they thought we were out of earshot- Shane says that is not a complimernt coming from a construction worker). After all anything can be suspect with a new Stephen Harper majority government.
6. There is not much else on our minds. We are doing our best to ignore the outside world... quite successfully, except for Evan's occasional forays into Mac News, and we all like the same food... our other big focus but there seems no reason to whine about it (anything tastes good at the end of a long day biking).

So take your pick... or better yet outdue the colour commentators... write in with your best theory... we are open to all possibilities.

Cheers

Alan

Distance: 88.41 km
Time on bikes: 5:45:05
Average speed: 15.3 km/h
Distance from Vancouver: 3335 km
Start: 11:30 am
End: 6:15 pm
Wind: east (light-strong head)
Conditions: rain

Location:Atikokan, Ontario

Day 41: Taylor Cove to Mine Center (The Battle)

It all started out beautifully as any day should. A leisurely wake up at 8am on the shire of a beautiful little cove off Rainy Lake. Two brave souls took the opportunity for a beautiful but brief dip in the lake while the rest of us lounged around the cozy stone fire pit. It was a paradise, but we couldn't stay, there's still 280km to Thunder Bay and the weather forecast is calling for a good dump of rain tomorrow. So we packed up camp, said endless thank yous to good old Ed Taylor and then were off. After such a good start, what could happen?



We found out as soon as we hit the main road. Turns out beautiful Taylor Cove is quite sheltered, but as soon as we got to the road, the full force of the wind hit us and almost knocked us over. The battle had begun...

Slowly but surely we crept forward rotation by rotation. As soon as we thought we were getting somewhere the wind would hurl a gust at us to make us waver - both on the road and in our minds. We nearly tumbled onto the shoulder with some of the stronger gusts, but somehow we found the strength to cling on and keep going.

With the mental acuity of a ninja ("Be the knife, slice the wind") we crawled forward into the gale. The road did everything it could to aid us, fresh smooth pavement as beautiful as weve ever seen, strategic curves to limit the fetch of the wind, gentle uphills to give us shelter as we climbed the lee side and sweet downhills that we could glide down and get a slight respite from the aerial onslaught. It helped, and by the first rest break we were tired and a little uncertain, but not totally without hope. It was hell, but we were surviving.

However, the elements must have sensed our hesitations and realized this was their chance to stop us for good. The gale intensified, and for the extra push, the gods threw down some rain. What poor foolish souls could preserver through this?

We did, we fought, we struggled, but after another hour we had to resign ourselves to an honourable draw. At the end of the battle, the score stood as follows:

The Savage Easy Wind: 30 (km/hr)
The WarPoTay Bike Brigade: 30 (km travelled)

Thus settled, we quickly set up camp and fell into our tents and slept til supper to rest our weary legs. Here's to hoping for better lick tomorrow - the wind is supposed to be an easy 15km/hr from the east (oh for the days when that seemed so terrible) and the rain has reduced from 40mm to 5mm. There is hope, tomorrow is another battle, and this time we may emerge victorious!

And there's one thing you, our loyal followers, can do to help (or at least have some sport from our misfortune). We need some strategic advice, need to know how to plan our efforts in the war saint the wind. To be specific, what we need is information (or guesses) as to which day we will finally get a tail wind so we can focus our energy then. So comment away, we want to hear from all of you, and the winner will be greatly rewarded for their aid :) Let the betting begin!

Distance: 30.56 km
Time on bikes: 2:18:21
Average speed: 13.2 km/h
Distance from Vancouver: 3247 km
Start: 10:15 am
End: 1:45 pm
Wind: east (strong-head)


Cheers
- The Warpotay Team

Location:Mine Center, Ontario

Day 40: Startton to Taylor Cove (big trucks, small towns, tiny treasures)

Leaving behind our soft peat beds, we were off for our first full day of riding in Ontario! For most of the prairies, where the towns are far apart, we mainly had the road to ourselves. Now that we are in Ontario we are looking forward to having more towns to visit, cafes to eat at and people to talk to. However along with the increase in towns today we were bombarded with logging trucks and local traffic between Stratton and Fort Frances. With the heavy traffic we were unable to bike side by side chat and share stories, which made the journey seem long and heavy. We were paddling through the gray scrubby buffer-zone between woods and prairie.
We stopped in Fort Frances for a warm lunch and supplies for the next few days because grocery stores are going to be scarce.




Escaping the city and trucks we Zoomed out of town across a long narrow winding causeway, now we are in lake country.

In contrast to this mornings city buzz, we were enjoying the sounds of the lake shores and beautiful hills filled with wild flowers.












Along the road I spotted a patch of wild strawberries and Evan and I stopped to pick a few. Once off our bikes we were able to get a closer look. Normally wild strawberries grow very small and very sweet and you're lucky to get 3-4 plants together, but this was normal strawberry patch! The whole hillside was covered! There were thousands and some were the size of marbles!


After about half an hour we had about 3 cups worth. We got back on our bikes excited to show the rest of the crew our treasure. After meeting up with the crew we arrived at a very unexpected yet special place. Ladies and gentleman, I present my very own cove, Taylor cove. Ed Taylor who lived there was very kind to have us stay and showed us around. It was a beautiful spot on the lake with a rock slab fire pit and quaint washrooms labeled gulls and buoys. A treasure for weary travellers as we arrived late in the evening.


Tomorrow we hope for low winds and traffic like we had this evening. Bit we'll just have to wait and see what the weather and the roads have in store for us....



Distance: 96.60 km
Time on bike: 6:04:16
Average speed: 15.9 km/h
Distance from Vancouver: 3216 km
Start: 8:45 am
End: 7:45 pm
Wind: east (medium-head)

Location:Taylor Cove, Ontario

Day 39: Warroad to Stratton (a berry good day!)

He slept in til seven
Boy was that heaven
Then had breakfast in bed
And was very well fed
Strawberries and scrambled
eggs
"Tomorrow again?" he begged
Fathers day was real good
Camping at lake of the woods!
The wind was hard from the east
Man what a beast!
But the road was pretty boring
Hard to keep from snoring
In Baudette we stopped to eat
Fruit smoothies and cinnamon treats
Talley hoo
Off to Ontario!





Where the wind was still from the east
And was still a terrible beast
And the road was still flat and straight
Will this always be our fate?
Then eagle eyed Leah
Said she needed to pee..ah
Then disappeared in the grass
And came back with a stash
A big bag full of wild strawberrios






Glad we are to be in Ontario
At night we were beat
Slept soundly on peat
In the field of our mennonite friend
Our day came to an end











Distance: 100.62 km
Time on bike: 6:16:31
Average speed: 16.0 km/h
Distance from Vancouver: 3119 km
Start: 9:00 am
End: 6:39 pm
Wind: Southeast (low/morning medium/afternoon, head)


Cheers
- The Warpotay Team

Location:Stratton, Ontario

Day 38: Vita to Warroad

So in case you haven't figures it out yet, the most important thing to us these days is the wind. When we woke up this morning, to our amazement we found that instead of the predicted SE wind, there was a gentle breeze blowing from the west. Yes, you heard that right, west! To take advantage of it we tore down camp ASAP bit were still faces with one problem - food, or to be precise, the fact we didn't have much.

We try to reduce weight by only carrying one (occasionally two) days worth of food, and so far it's worked rather well. Yes, there have been a couple convenience store meals (think pizza sauce on noodles without cheese because we refused to stoop to Kraft Singles) but overall we've done extremely well. Until now. With the Prairies running out and us entering the wild, lonely forests of eastern Manitoba and northern Ontario, communities are further apart (of existent at all - many of the names on the map were in places that certainly hasn't ha any permanent habitation on awhile) and so we need to stock up on food where ever we can. From looking online, Vita seemed to be the only place that actually existed (had another street) within 100km so we had to finite shopping there. The CO-OP (our food lifeline of the Prairies) on town was only a gas station so we had to consider the other two options. And luckily for us, the Shopperette across the street from our campsite at the farmers market stall open just as we were ready to leave.

I can't remember/pronounce the name of the store (family that owned it), all I recall is that it sounded like 3 European names mashed together, bit what I do remember - clearly - is that though small, the selection and stock of the place was better than any 3 other stores we'd seen in the past week. Gouda, pesto, fresh Danishes, fresh peppers, budgie food - you name it they had it, and so like usual, we bought a good portion of the store (takes a lot of stuff to feed 5 hungry bikers). The bigger challenge was figuring out where/how to pack it all, but as always, we managed. So of you're ever hungry around Vita, check put the Shopperette - you won't be disappointed!

On the road things went well and we zoomed along through the quiet forest without much trouble. Did we mention before that we've left the Prairies? We suspected it when the trees suddenly appeared and stayed yesterday for the last 30km after leaving the Red River valley, but today proves it beyond doubt - it's still flat as anything, but instead of endless (flooded) fields, the scenery is now forest pocked with only the occasional cleared field. It's strange - I'm a forest kind of guy, but I'd gotten used to the prairies and so seeing trees everywhere took some getting used to. Its a welcome change though, not only a new landscape/break from monotonous fields, but because trees shelter us from the wind. Have we told you about the wind lately?

Three milestones also happened today within 3km of each other. We crossed the 3000km mark, finished our 4th province, and entered our second country! Not bad for one afternoon.


The US customs agent didn't seem to fazed when we rolled up to the inspection bay on our bikes, and after the serious questioning with a touch of humor you can't tell is genuine or a trap (so common of border guards) we were allowed into the US and told we could stay for 6 months. 24hrs should be enough though.



From there it was an easy 6 miles (silly Americans and their imperial system, hard to convert and less fun for biking when you're speed suddenly gets cut by about 40%) to Warroad where we managed to evict the local residents (geese) from the last remaining camp site - though not before they left their mark, everywhere! Bring out the popper-scoopers.

Tomorrow we'll try to sneak through the rest of our US segment and escape back to good old Canada. Wish us luck!

Distance: 110.43 km
Time on bikes: 6:09:37
Average Speed: 17.9 km/h
Distance from Vancouver: 3019 km
Start: 9:30 am
End: 6:00 pm
Wind: South-east (none-low head)


Cheers
- The Warpotay Team

Location:Warroad, Minnesota

Day 37: Altona to Vita (Lies, all lies)

Dominon City resident " we find it often that the prevailing westerly wind are coming from the east"

Let's talk about the prevailing winds. We did a lot of preplanning of our trip, including researching gear and reading blogs about popular routes. Everyone stated that the prevailing winds across the prairies was from the west. Period. Exclamation mark. Well, I'm here to tell you that they are all filthy liars, every single of them!


Let me tell you has our last day on the prairies was, because it was an excellent example of the new climate.

For the first time in a long time, it did not dew over night so our tents were nice and dry, alright! That not only means that we usually get out earlier but that the days are getting warmer and the solstice is near.

The day started out fine thanks to, surprise surprise and strong east! It was great because we were heading north for the first 6 km, then we turned east.

Since we entered the foothills/praries we have had 17 of 20 days where the wind has come from the South East, directly against us. Since the fair weather prevailing wind is supposed to be from the west we have been understandably frustrated and confused. We have talked to a lot of people in all of the prairie province and the common thread is that this year and the last have been totally different. It has been cold, flooded with rain and nobody is sure why or when it's going to stop, though they are all praying that it does, especially the farmers who have lost millions of acres of farmland to flooding. This weather is just weird, and I can't help but think that it has got to have something to do with broader climate change. It's frustrating, sad and a real challenge to the wonderful people of the prairies.

For us it means doing 14km/h and 75 km had fought KMs instead of 150 km on a good day. After pushing through heavy wind until lunch, we finally got a little respite by entering the beginnings of trees. Although the wind didn't die, the trees gave us a bit of shelter until we reached our final destination, Vita. Vita is nice small town. We chatted with the owner of a local food store and she was kind to suggest we camp under the Farmers Market shelter. This was perfect because it had started to shower.

All in all, we loved the novelty of the prairies and appreciated the generosity of it people, but we are ready to leave it, because this wind are nuts!



Distance: 78.34 km
Time on bikes: 5:32:12
Average speed: 14.1 km/h
Distance from Vancouver: 2908km
Start time: 9:15 am
End time: 6:10 pm
Wind: south east ( strong-head)


Cheers
- The Warpotay Team

Location:Vita, Manitoba

Day 36: Pilot Mound to Altona

After resisting the urge to buy more cinnamon buns at the Pilot Mound bakery, we were on our way across the Prairie, feeling quite pleased to face only a modest headwind.

We were excited to pass through Winkler because we had heard Stuart MacLean wax so eloquently about the place when visiting with his Vinyl Cafe radio show. But either we missed the Winkler that Stuart saw, or Stuart was telling some tall tales (both are very possible), but we were not impressed.

Leaving Winkler at rush hour on a two lane highway with no shoulder was not fun. But on to our camping destination of Altona, about 40 km further along from Winkler. Entering town, we turned left down a side street, with tons of cars parked all the way down. There were four fields of ball games going simultaneously and large numbers of fans in the stands. Further along was a spectacular swimming pool with a big water slide, also crammed with people. Then there was the playground that any kid would drool over, not to mention the beautiful rink and our town campground. Beyond All the facilities was the huge number of people using them. We asked if there was a regional softball tournament but a local said no, this was just a regular Thursday eve (we were invited to the cycling club meeting but felt we had done enough cycling for the day!).

Now this is a small town, maybe the size of Wolfville and the main industry is farming. Yes it seemed like there was money to support facilities and activities, but there was oil in Sasketchewan and no facilities and no one using them. We have seen lots of dusty Prairie towns with no trees or flowers on the main streets. My theory had been that it was the nature of large scale Prairie farming that meant there was little money to support community beauty and well-being, and also little focus or commitment from residents to improve things. Altona was different, as to why I am unsure. However it has to have some roots in it's people and there willingness to lead and share. It struck us as to how broadly similar places offered very different opportunities for their citizens. Hmmm.


Distance: 114.66 km
Time on bikes: 6:30:46
Average speed: 17.5 km/h
Distance from Vancouver: 2830 km
Start: 8:45 am
End: 7:00 pm
Wind: south-east ( light head)


Cheers
- The Warpotay Team

Location:Altona, Manitoba

Day 35: Pilot Mound (disappointed)

Zero KMs, Zero goals
Boring hockey game. Disappointed.

But my Cancucks still made it to the end, keep your heads up, you did your best.

Location:Pilot Mound

Day 34: Glenboro to Pilot Mound

Knowing the winds were forecasted to be against us we got up early at the school hoping to beat the weather. We made decent speed in the morning and arrived in a quaint town called Glenora for lunch. It was one of the hottest days yet so we supplemented our meal with some cold drinks from the mall, which was more like a well stalked corner store.

Sitting down emoting our lovely lunch and feeling quite happy with our mornings ride we talked about having and an afternoon nap, when a lovely gentleman stopped by and warned us of some thunder storms brewing in the west. We weren't on our bikes for too long when we started to feel a strong wind and dark clouds above us. We stopped just in time to get our rain gear on before buckets of water and hail came down on us. I guess we didn't outrun the weather after all.



We were just outside Pilot Mound and managed to make it to the campground before they it really started to pour. We enjoyed our dinner of macaroni and cheese followed by fresh Saskatoon berry pie from the local bakery under cover!



Stayed tuned to see what the wind and weather is tomorrow...

Distance: 72.48 km
Time on bikes: 4:57:43
Average Speed: 14.6 km/h
Distance from Vancouver: 2715 km
Start time: 8:35 am
End time: 4:15 pm
Wind: south east ( light head)


Cheers
- The Warpotay Team

Location:Pilot Mound, Manitoba

Day 33: Reston to Glenboro (thank you merry little breezes!)

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! All of your deep breaths, all of your prayers and all of you who turned-on your vacuum cleaners and reversed the hoses... It worked! The wind turned to the west and we flew today. Ginny waxes poetic about it below to tell you about the day, but before she takes over, this is a plea to keep at it. This was just one day and we need more good winds! More oomph would help. Please also turn on your hair dryers, hrvs, and bathroom ventilator fans (of course make sure everything is pointed east). We appreciate your support.











The Day We Flew
The day before the 6th game
The wind was from the west!
We sailed 150 clicks!
It was our personal best!

The scenery was gorgeous
Rolling Hills of green
Wind at our backs, and sun on our faces
It was a bikers dream!











But then we hit the blackflies
Those nasty little blackflies
They swarmed, they bit, they flew up our noses
We thought we were going to die.

Arriving in Glenboro
We went straight inside
"We'll set up camp after supper
Too buggy now we cried!"

At the inn we watched the game
The Canucks got schmucked again
Our supper was delicious
Too bad our team didn't win!

Then all of a sudden it happened
A really nice man appeared
"The forecast is thunder and rain tonight
And the bugs are worse than I feared!"

"Would you like to stay at the school tonight
Where it is warm and dry inside?
And you could take a shower there."
"Oh yes, yes thanks" we cried!

So thanks to Kevin Newton
And the generous offer he made
The people of Glenboro won our hearts
We're so thankful that we stayed!










Distance: 149.33 km
Time on bikes: 6:14:37
Average speed: 24.0 km/h
Distance from Vancouver: 2643 km
Start time: 10:15am
End time: 7:15 pm
Wind: north-west! (tail medium)


Cheers
- The Warpotay Team

Location:Glenboro, Manitoba

Day 32: Manor to Reston ( the beast of Redvers)

The most mysterious and dangerous creatures always dwell in places where humans cannot bother them. Think lock ness monster in Rural Scottland or Ogopogo in the dark depths of Lake Okanogan. Additionally it's usually only poor lost travellers in search of water or food that veer off the beaten path that encounter them. Evidence to support this hypothesis include Jeff Ramsden's top film pick "house of wax" or "wrong turn". In any event none of us were prepared for the beast of Redvers...

We began our last day in Saskatchewan with high hopes. The wind was forecast to be with us and we were ready to zoom into Manitoba, but as we all know weather forecasts are 99% right about 5% of the time....

After a couple hard hours we turned up in Redvers, home of NHL player Dean Kennedy. Much more importantly it was the home of an awesome visitors center and a very nice women that served a mean piece of Saskatoon berry pie a la mode! Yum yum! In looking back, perhaps the pie was meant to make us let our guard down...



We were running low on supplies so we did the only sensible thing, split up. Alan and Ginny forged ahead, out of danger while Shane , Evan and Leah picked up supplies. Perhaps it was coincidence but the "food store's" inventory was quite limited. We certainly weren't going to make it too far with just that. We loaded up our panniers with our meager meal and Shane took off ahead leaving Evan and Leah alone to face the beast

****for those reading this right before bed, be warned, this terrible tale might cause nightmares******

The beast made it's first appearance just after crossing a small bridge coming out of town as a small black spot in my mirror. "it must just be a tire mark on the road" I thought to myself. But just to be sure I checked again. The black dot was still there... But closer! I could feel my heart begin to quicken as I turned to get a better look, which is when I got my first good look at the beast.

Leah screamed as the beast lunged at her! Her legs pumped and we pulled slightly away but the beast kept coming! It was jet black save for it's pink tung hanging out of it's mouth. In the midst of the chase, it was hard to make out for sure but I'm pretty sure it had fangs over six inches long and crazy blood red eyes.

The harder we peddled, the faster the beast ran, swerving back and forth across the road. Like in any good chase scene it caused other traffic on the road to nearly collide and nearly crash into the ditch.

In a moment of genius, I saw an innocent duck by the side of the road and had a bright idea. I yelled to the beast "hey beast, hey you! Look over there!" the beast looked and my plan worked! The beast changed course and dove into the ditch after the duck.

Having lost the beast, we slowed our pace and let down our guard. And then the beast came back!

For the next 7km the beast chased us, nipping at our heels, Leah and I peddling as fast as we possibly could to stay alive. Luckily for us, the beast has not been biking for the last month and we have! Though our legs burned and our lungs ached so did the beast's and eventually it could run no more. Just as we crossed the Manitoba border, the beast howled and stopped. The beast of Redvers would not eat tonight.

In all the craziness that ensued, I was unable to get a clear photo, and my video camera was turned on but facing forward so only the sound of the beast was recorded. However I did scour the Internet for a picture of the beast and while nothing quite as ferocious turned up, I did find 2 creatures who offspring would be a perfect fit.






The rest of the trip into Manitoba was uneventful with exception that upon crossing into Manitoba, the shoulder instantly disappeared. We camped at a great grassy campground in Reston and began to recount this terribly truthful tale.


Distance: 76.16 km
Time on bikes: 5:11:13
Average speed: 14.6 km/h
Distance from Vancouver: 2494 km
Start time: 8:00am
End time: 4:30 pm
Wind: southeast (medium head)


Cheers
- The Warpotay Team

Location:Reston, Manitoba

Day 31: Stoughton to Manor (Thar she blows)

So on case there was any doubt - the weather gods are against us here in Saskatchewan. When we woke up this morning things seemed fine, but as soon as we got back on the main road the wind hit us full force. Don't get us wrong - it could be worse (and people say it often is) but relentless wind even on your side really takes a toll. However, all the extra work does help build out the muscles, as Evan so kindly demonstrated.


Wait - I thought we were building leg muscles...

After some hood solid riding, we finally reached Carlyle. First stop - the local motel. Not for accommodation, not for food, but in the never ending quest for Internet. Evan's got the routine down, sitting in the parking lot typing madly on the phone while occasionally creeping closer on attempts to get stronger signal. One good thing about rural prairie motels - unsecured Wifi. It looks a little suspicious, hanging out in the parking lot, but if it gets us the weather forecast, it's all worth it. Today with the answer was wind not letting up and an inch of rain in the forecast for the next day, we decided to give up on Redvers and instead stop at the "nice" campground at Manor. By the time we got there, we were past ready to stop and so quickly settled in.

But before we could get into our tents (and then again even after) the longterm residents returned from their shift at the drill rig - via the bar - and came to chat and wish us well. Very friendly and generous, numerous were the offers of a "warm bed in my trailer" or "take you out to my acres and feed you steak and burgers", but they couldn't understand how we could refuse. Different worlds, but we all slept very well in our cozy tents. Tomorrow is another day - Redvers and then let's see what the weather has in store fir us next.

Distance: 73.87 km
Time on bikes: 5:21:31
Average speed: 13.7 km/h
Distance from Vancouver: 2418 km
Start time: 9:30 am
End time: 6:00 pm
Wind: south-east (head-strong)


Cheers
- The Warpotay Team

Location:Manor, Saskatchewan

And now we're 5!

A little late but an important event has occurred! We welcomed our 5th member! He " happened" to miss the rockies but to all our dismay, the weather gods have decided he still needs a good challenge so he whipped up near constant strong east winds against us! Doesn't seem quite fair to punish all of us but we
are all very excited to have Shane along anyway, especially because he was the messenger of a whole bunch of goodies.

Thanks to Herold the pig for the delicious treats, you sure know what we like! Funny how a pig would have these kind of details! Lastly, this was not just a domestic but also an international airmail courier with near direct service from the best sweet shop in New Delhi, India.

To welcome Shane, we request that everyone take a deep breath, turn to the east and blow hard! When the wind is against we need all the help we can get :)


Cheers
- The Warpotay Team

Location:Pangman, Saskatchewan

Day 30: Pangman to Stoughton (this be oil country)

The beautiful day started with a 6am wake up (Hurrah! Our first one). Then Pangman morning coffee at the community centre- a very nice tradition, and we learned lots about the local area (thank you Eileen and friends). A low wind ride across the drenched prairie, lunch, and the makings of an easy afternoon...









Not so fast, our sweet and small little road with a very occasional car rapidly evolved into a dusty highway full of pick up trucks, dump trucks and tanker trucks and more, and for the first time in quite a while, a good number were not friendly or respectful of our space on the road. Then "they" started... first in ones and twos, but then more and more until they covered the landscape... Were they robots from Star Wars? Large black metal bodies with big orange hammer-head shaped heads bobbing up and down- aliens on the Prairie landscape?








Nope, in case you missed it, there is black gold in these Southeast Sasketchewan fields. So between the flooded fields and the oil fields, we kept on biking, hearing of a campground 25 km further than we had hoped in the nearest town. Tired and late we arrived to find a mud hole for a campground where we were nearly splatted by a jeep racing through the major mudhole which was supposed to be the entry driveway. Given no dry tent site and a boil water order on the tap, this was not a good choice. But what to do at dusk in a small town with no water?

We asked the first person we saw who was walking a dog as to where to get water. Within five minutes we had five gallons of water, a dandy and dry back yard tent side, a fire place and a picnic table. Tammy and Siggy were amazing hosts and we got a quick and multifaceted course in oil fracking from Siggy, who works on the wells.









People had known there was oil in these parts for years but only now can get it with new technological advances. They shoot special sand ($2000 a ton!) and a "witch's brew of chemicals" into the underground rock up to a mile deep to make fractures in the rock so that the oil seeps out to where it can be pumped up to the surface. That means lots of money for some folks and a boom for the local farm communities which had seen better days in agriculture. It is $1200 a month to rent a small condo and $450 a month to rent a trailer site in the "campground" (then you need to buy a trailer!). In comparison, you can buy a house in Southwest Sasketchewan for $10,000. It is a crazy world. Why couldn't they put windmills in the fields instead of oil wells? My gosh there is tons of wind out here and it seems like windmills would be a much better use for it relative to it's current raisin d'etre of trying to blow us off the road. It has been against us three of the last five days. Stay tuned, will the breeze be with us tomorrow or will it blast us once again?


Distance: 127.30 km
Time on bike: 7:09:07
Average speed: 17.7 km/h
Distance from Vancouver: 2343 km
Start time: 9:00 am
End time 6:45 pm
Wind: South ( low cross)


Cheers
- The Warpotay Team

Location:Stoughton, Saskatchewan

Day 29: Viceroy to Pangman ( pride of the praries)

P- P is for pizza, delicious home made pizza made by Eileen's good friend and neighbor, upon our arrival in Pangman late in the afternoon.



A- A is for apple juice, along with the grape drink, cream soda, water, and cookies Eileen also brought, and the coffee, tea, and muffins which Eileen and Debra served to us at the community centre the next morning as part of the community cafe. It all was yummy and so thoughtful.

N - N is for the Night sky, the beautiful starkly, wide, open night sky at the lovely, quiet campsite Elaine suggested next to the school.

G -G Is for the Green Grass, the gorgeous green rolling hills and wide open Prairie space in the countryside around Pangman, and for the lush green street scapes in Pangman neighborhoods.

M- M is for the Memories , the wonderful memories of Pangman and all of Saskatchewan thanks to the generosity of Eileen and Debra and the rest of the Pangman community.

A - A is for Attitude, the wonderful positive, community spirit in Pangman, where strangers are welcomed and community residents take care of. each-other with heart.

N- N is for Next Time, hopefully there will be a next time here. Until then, we hope to have visitors from Pangman visit us in
Nova Scotia!

Thank you Pangman!



Loon-like calls at dusk,
Wetland symphony,
Strange sounds for prairies.

Distance: 56.06 km/h
Time on bikes: 4:02:58
Average speed: 13.8 km/h
Distance from Vancouver: 2215 km
Start time: 9:30 am
End time: 4:00 pm
Wind: 20 km/h from east (headwind)


Cheers
- The Warpotay Team

Location:Pangman, Alberta

Day 28: Lafleche to Viceroy ( A limerick for you!)

Our journey today was flat through wet prairie with the beautiful sun above our head. It was highlighted by the people we met.

In the morning we ran into Kevin, who was driving with his mother back to Ontario. He excitedly pulled us over that he too had done the sane trip by bike last year! It was great to chew the fat
With someone who had been our exact shoes. Given his trip, we seem to be on track for a mid august arrival. We are excited to read his blog from last year at twitsxcanada.blogspot.com

Next we had a bit if an issue with one of Leahs tires which was a drag but along came the lovely farmer from across the street ready to help! We had the tire covered but he gave us some great insight into the highs and lows of saskatchewan farming and told us about the impending doom of the wheat board! Meanwhile his dog sat patiently in the back of his ATV and his cows watched us disinterestedly!




Lastly we haven't mentioned it much yet but like Nova Scotia ,almost all of the small towns we have passed in saskatchewan have an arena. It was on these sheets of ice that many of Canada's finest hockey players spent their youth. In particular, we passed the home of past hockey great Mark Lamb and current star Patrick Marleau. But another town we passed had no hockey affiliation so we used it's name to inspire some writing. What you read below is a summery if the days events, dedicated to a place called Limerick.


"There once was a Saskatchewan town named limerick,
Where the grass and the bugs were really t'ick,
The people were fine,
But my did they whine,
Because when it rained,
They were sick if it!"

"There was an odd family from Wolfville,
Who never learned how to stay still,
So they planned a bike trip,
And took off with a zip,
To date they've not yet had their fill. "

"There once was a dynamic pair,
Who didn't think life was fair,
They got a flat tire,
But it wasn't so dire,
Cause they pulled out a foldable spare. "

They once was a herd of cows,
Who got really really aroused,
When a human came by,
They let out a cry,
Cause he didn't bring any chows!

Distance: 97.81 km
Time on bikes: 5:50:25
Average Speed: 16.7 km/h
Distance from Vancouver: 2159 km
Start: 9:30am
End: 6:45 pm
Wind: 9-11 (medium west) 11-1 (none) 1-3 (low east) 3-7 (medium east)

Cheers
- The Warpotay Team

Location:Viceroy, Saskatchewan

On the Road at Last

So just in case anyone out there was worried about how I would make out (though it seems I was most concerned about my readiness) put your fears aside - I'm off to a flying start. Or really, I should say drizzly start, because when I rolled out of Lorax at 9AM on Monday morning, NS gave me a good old fashion cool, cloudy, drizzly day. But after all the stories of pouring rain from the team out west, I wasn't going to let a little drizzle get in the way of my first ride, and sure enough, my optimism soon won and by the time I reached Gaspereau the rain was gone. and as the day progressed, it just got better, staying cool but with some nice sun at times.

In the end, I left my GPS at home (first time on a trip without one in a long time!) so I could't accurately gauge my progress, but given that I had no idea how "in shape" and ready I was, I pushed the pedals slow and steady, and foud myself a St. Croix by noon - halfway, I'm zooming! Then the scary looking hill on the elevation profile at Newport Corner never showed up, I was puffing a bit as I pushed up a decent climb in 1-3 but when I starte down the otherside, I realized it was done. Not bad, not only can I ride flat, I can climb! (Disclaimer - it's no Rocky Mountains I know, they'd do a lot more damage to me for sure, but I'm joining the team on the Prairies so no worries). After that, it was a nice smooth gradual descent into Sackville over gently rolling hills, and at 2:30PM I rolled into Terri's. 95km, around 5 hours on the saddle - not bad! Took a last advantage of luxuray life (hot shower, laundry, a full fridge/pantry) feeling happy, and not even too sore/tired. Thank god for wheels, I wouldn't want to carry my bike anywhere (can barely lift it!), but pedaling isn't bad.

I didn't pay so much attention to the scenery as I was concentrating on getting into rythym and seeing how well I could cycle, as well as the fact that it's good old NS - a route I know well. But still, the valley is gorgeous all decked out in a fresh, tender green coat, lilacs and chestnut trees in full bloom, the Minas Basin and the endless mudflats just off to the side, and I'm sure I'll miss it as we roll through Northern Ontario. But for now, I'm looking forward to the flat lands - Regina here I come!

Cheers,
~ Shane

Distance: 95km
Time on bike: 5hrs
Average speed: 19km/hr
Distance from Lorax: 95km
Start time: 9:00am
End time: 2:30pm
Elevation change: +950/-1150m

Day 27: Lafleche (Saskatchewan Blew Us Away!

A rest day in the friendly town of Lafleche. Since it rained all day, we had a chance to visit with the librarian, the lovely librarian who served us tea and chatted happily with us most of the
morning.


While foolishly trying to accomplish not 1 but 2 thousand piece puzzles, we amused our ears listening to right wing Regina talk radio on the subject of lefty environmentalists who support rampant procreating raccoons in Toronto and circumcision class action lawsuits. When the library closed,we put our rain gear back on, walked across the street and headed to Mom's Cafe, the meeting place for the community every afternoon.



We scrapped our healthy eating plan, and opted for fries, onion rings, and chicken fingers , topped off with a touch of coke, pecan pie and ice cream. Yum, yum , fart.... Did not feel so good afterwards but we entertained ourselves by reading the posters on the wall."It is what you do with Plan B that Counts" But our favorite was the quote on the picture below. Sliding into town covered with mud (not chocolate) we felt pretty good about our trip and choices so far.

Looking forward to seeing Shane on Thursday.




Cheers
- The Warpotay Team

Location:Lafleche, Saskatchewan

Day 26: Cadillac to Lafleche (Happiness is a Wet Ditch!)

We survived the T Rex but just about got gobbled up by the Prairie winds today. They start off fairly mellow but they build and build through the day, and when they are coming from the East, that is hard going. But we survived and stumbled into LaFreche (a small, cute Prairie town) and dinner at the Wild Goose Inn where the Canucks were getting schmucked.

There are miles and miles of no human on the prairie, but what about "Hinterland's Who's Who" for all you nature buffs. There are tons of creatures out here. Yesterday afternoon there was a muskrat on the river, an antelope on the hill and a fox bounding a field. But the real action is in the ditches. In case you missed it, it has been raining cats and dogs on the Prairie (an apt metaphor) and the farmers are frustrated and crying. The result is lots of green fields with patches of water spread about and roadsides that have become vibrant marshes. So who's who in these green ditch/marsh roadsides. At the bottom of the food chain is Leah's least favourite creature... the mosquito. They come out in mid afternoon through to sunset and terrorize bikers, especially when stopped. They are bred for the Prairie so they know how to navigate the winds and travel with you, biting as you go. Above them in the chain are the wonderful sounds of the frogs (no peepers though), mostly the low vibrating calls. Then the birds.... tons of them. All kinds of ducks I have never seen, geese, sandpipers, cranes, heron and assorted others. The most common though are the red wing blackbirds with their brilliant wings and beautiful calls. They seem like proud marshalls of the marshes. Everyone seems to be thinking nesting and there are lots of mating calls in the wind. Above them all soar a range of Prairie hawks though again I do not recognize the various species. The smaller birds are not keen about them as you might expect but they seem more focused on catching small prairie dogs and mice.



It is a spectacular and vibrant ecosystem, just not the one that the farmers have in mind. The green marshes with blue waters, glistening in the sun are wonderful for us, far removed from the burnt yellow images of the Prarie that I had in my head as a stereotype at the outset.


Distance: 89.26 km
Time on bikes: 6:24:28
Average speed: 13.9 km/h
Distance from Vancouver: 2061 km
Start Time: 10:30 am
End time: 7:15 pm
Wind: from the east (headwind strong!)

Location:Lafleche, Saskatchewan

SPECIAL VIDEO REPORT #7: They're everywhere!

We are everywhere and we want your food! Watch your step, you might fall in one of my thousands of holes. who am I?

Location:Waterton National Park, Alberta

SPECIAL VIDEO REPORT #6: Bang Bang outch!

Alberta didn't want us to leave. About 15km before the Alberta-Saskatchewan border it threw everything at us. The commentary is no joke , these suckers hurt!

Location:Maple Creek, Saskatchewan

Day 25: Olga to Cadillac (When the wind says go, we go!)

Cows moaned in the background all night but we awoke to a beautiful day! The only thing in the sky was Mosquitos and the sun! We had a amazing tailwind so we flew by the rolling pasture land at lightning speed. At one point on a very gradual decline I used the wind as a boost and peddled my way all the way up to 53.4 km/h. I always do my best to be modest but that is fast!!




Also we were lucky to survive our trip through the town of Eastend, because if we had been there 65 million years ago, we most certainly would have been hunted and shredded to death by the razor sharp teethe of scotty the mighty t-Rex! ( she was named scotty because the paleontologists drank scotch upon find her remains)If you can't tell, I have loved T-Rex since I was a little kid playing with my dinosaur toys in the sandbox, so it was with great excitement that we went to the T-Rex museum. They had found a nearly intact T-Rex in the area and had a cool little research and interpretation center.

But above all else today was the day of the animals! In fact this whole trip has been a wonderful safari of wildlife. Today we saw a badger, millions of Mosquitos, lamas, some antelope and some cool buffalo, in addition to the T-Rex of course.

We ended the day in Cadillac, the home town of Mark Lamb, a former Montreal Canadian and NHL coach. They have a beautiful free campground on the end of town. The 4 crazy bikers that arrived at 8:00pm were definitely the talk of the town of 102, cats and dogs included of course, and it didn't take long for a friendly man named Darwin to pull up in his pickup truck for a chat. He gave us the lowdown on the surrounding area and his displeasure at the provincial NDP. We don't always agree with our hosts political views but we always appreciate the conversation and goodwill of the southern prairie people.

Another nasty storm begins to brew in the east, and the potential for a bitter battle over the two remaining cinnamon buns looms heavy. Check back soon to see how your tired travelers fare...

Distance: 134.84 km
Time on bikes: 6:33:46
Average Speed: 20.5 km/h
Distance from Vancouver: 1972 km
Start time: 8:45 am
End time: 8:00 pm
Winds: from the west (tailwind)


Cheers
- The Warpotay Team

Location:Cadillac, Saskatchewan

D-Day Part II

Shane here again, with an update on my impending departure...

So with 3 days of "training" under my belt, it's time to go. Everything is packed, logistics organized and so after a hearty breakfast tomorrow morning, I'm taking the first step of my trip - the 100km ride into Halifax. Am I ready? Maybe not enough, but I'm as ready as I'm going to be, and I'll survive.

Training day 1 involved a ride into Wolfville and 2 hours at Valley Stove & Cycle. I need this... And this... and this... oh, and I'll need a couple of these... and this... Colin was great, and besides finding everything and giving lots of advice, they even installed everything on the bike. Meanwhile, I went looking for a snack, and found a tasty looking peanut-butter bar and gobbled it down. Peanut butter is full of energy and protein right, great cycling food... But not on a queasy stomach trying in vain to get my suddenly heavier bike back up the mountain on the way home. It's called "Murder Hill" by Otesha and it nearly got me this time, but in the end I crawled up. No walking, but no time record for sure. And my back killed. Am I really going to survive this trip? Suddenly there were a few worries flying around the back of my head. 25km and I'm nearly dead...

No way to find out but try again on Day 2. Back down to Wolfville to see the new Market (beautiful!) and pick up some forgotten cycle items. But with my cleats, a raised seat, and some proper eating, I was feeling pretty good. So, to up the ante again, I offered to pick up some food for our sleepy (and therefore soon to be starving - no veggies when you arrive at market at 11am) local farmers. A nice gentle ride into New Minas, now with 5lbs of onions and 4lbs of carrots, to be joined by 3lbs of potatoes. Still feeling good. And amazingly enough, me and my 12lbs of veggies made it up the mountain without much fuss. Sure I was still wheezing and had to stop 4 times, but it didn't seem so bad. This trip is doable - and yes, training helps. Total distance: 35km

Day 3: I'm packing up and lingering around Lorax enjoying the beautiful morning. Finally get on the bike at 2PM to return something in New Minas. Once that was done, it felt like cheating to come straight home (especially without any weight) so I decided to practice wind riding (sounds like it's going to be important) and rode out to Canning. Headwinds are certainly not fun, but without weight it wasn't so bad, and I was zooming across the dykes at 30km/h with the wind to my side. Doing a longer ride gave time for the hands and rear to start aching, but a 10 min rest cleared it all out. A beautiful day in the country, and to top it off, up the mountain in one go - in 13 minutes! Not only can I do this, it's going to be quite enjoyable! Total distance: 45km

Training - check.

By the stats:

Training days: 3

Training KMs: 105km

Falls learning to ride with cleats: 6 (including one in the drug store parking lot. Yes I'm a dork, no, I'm totally fine)

Starting weight: 83.5kgs

Baggage weight: ≈18kgs

Gear cost: ≈ $1300 (excluding bike and panniers) - OUCH!

So now it's time to put it all together - 100km with all the weight, wish me luck!

Day 24: Maple Creek to Olga ( beautiful day, wind in your face!)

It's great camping for free on the prairie grassland but every once in a while it's also good to stay at an actual campground to take a shower and wash some clothes. The status of our undergarments necessitated that we take a bit of time this morning to do this.

Even with the late start we were still hoping to make Eastend, which was about 115 km. That's a good day but with the right winds it's easily doable.



Unfortunately, despite great sunny weather and warm but not hot temperature, the wind was NOT on our tail. We were going south and it was blowing North. Still it was a great day through beautiful rolling pasture land.



We added more data to our research study. It appears that Saskatchewan cows are much more time and scared. They tend to stampede without any instrument at all. After 65 km of fight the wind we were exhausted. Well short of our goal, we "borrowed" some water from an empty homes hose and set up tent in an empty community pasture.



If we have learned one thing, it's that the wind is an unpredictable force to be reckoned with. For all our follows, wish us good winds!,

Today's hiaku reflects the strength of the winds, and our ability to daydream happily despite the winds,

Haiku of the day:
Cows, hills, wind and sky
Eight clicks per hour? Oh my!
Dreams of apple pie!

Distance: 83.97 km
Time on bikes: 5:58:30
Average Speed: 14.0 km/h
Distance from Vancouver: 1837 km
Start: 10:00 am
End time: 6:45 pm
Wind: medium from the south (headwind)

Cheers
- The Warpotay Team

Location:Olga, Saskatchewan