Day 23: Medicine Hat to Maple Creek (bang bang , outch!)

For anyone who was worried that the trains near the RV park were going to keep us awake, fear not, we couldn't even hear then over the pounding rain and ear splitting thunder directly overhead. We slept and it rained, we woke and it rained. We played cards and it rained until almost 11:30am when it stopped. Though don't worry, although we didn't yet know it we weren't done with our friend the storm quite yet.

Our first time on the trans Canada highway furthered our belief that taking the small routes is more fun. There is a big shoulder but the trucks distract from the beautiful scenery and are loud, especially when it rains...or hails!!!

The storm approached us from the north and broadsided us. After soaking us for 25 minutes it decided to give us a glimmer of hope by letting up for another 20 minutes before the marbles starting to fly. Bang bang, "ouch! Hey ahhh!!!!" was all I heard Leah say before getting smacked hard by a gobstopper in the forarm. After a few minutes the chaos ended and we stumbled off our bikes, bruised and sore. The weather gods of Alberta do not want us to leave... But dispute enduring their wrath over over the last 7 days, Alberta is not our master and we have parted ways. Now into the domain of Saskchewan.







The rest of the trip into the cypress hills and down into Maple Creek was sunny with a bit of odd fog. We struggled a bit against the wind before turning south and cruising into the quaint town of Maple Creek.

Haiku 12:30 pm
Breeze at our backs
Chasing clouds across the prairie
Flying away the rainy day blues

Haiku 2:30 pm
Orange and black skies
Ice marbles bash the bikers
Evil is in the air

Haiku: bye bye Alberta
Rain, snow,wind and hail,
Alberta fought us tooth and nail,
Surprise! Look who won!

Distance: 100.13 km
Time on bikes: 5:27:31
Average Speed: 18.3 km/h
Distance from Vancouver: 1753 km
Start Time: 12:15 pm
End Time: 7:30 pm
Wind: From the Northwest
Traveling: West

Cheers
- The Warpotay Team

Location:Maple Creek, Saskchewan

Get ready for 25% more fun!

No I'm not the saboteur, though I will admit to some minor hacking to gain access to this wonderful little adventure story.

No, I'm not going to make any drastic new changes around here (except maybe wake-up times sleepy-heads!)

No, I'm not going to lighten your loads to let you zoom even faster away across the Prairies...

No, all I'm going to do is guarantee that as of June 9th, your trip is going to be at least 25% better, because that's when I - Shane Warner - will be joining the WarPoTay Bike Brigade!

They've all been through the questions: What are you doing? Why don't you drive/fly/motorbike instead? Are you sane? Do you know what you're getting into? Can you really sleep in a tent for 3 months straight? etc.

Me however, I've been off gallivanting around India for the past 5 months and have thus been able to avoid all these important questions - until now...

So the story goes - I'm on a 6 month tourist visa to India, arrive in Jan, get kicked out in early June, and so I need to find somewhere else to go for a minimum of 2 months before I can go back (stupid new visa regulations!) No problem, I'll just head home to good old NS and spend some time there working in the forest/garden etc.

But wait, there is a problem... It's good old NS, it's home, but at the moment I'm missing several important things here: 1) a house, 2) a family, 3) a car/transport, 4) Chaiti (too sentimental? Maybe, but it is true)

So what's a guy to do - despite having lots of offers of assistance in anyway I could imagine (thanks so much everyone!), the obvious answer is to fly out to Regina and join the Bike Brigade - it's only about 4000km back to NS and should put me here at the perfect time to go back to India. And along the way I'll have an awesome adventure, see more of this amazing country (I've been to every province/territory already, but since I technically slept through all of SK while on the train I feel it's a little bit of a cheat that needs to be fixed) and spend lots of time with some amazing people (the family). Besides, every journal we've read online about the trip ends in "If you're at all considering doing this, GO, it's the best trip you'll ever do!" How can you ignore advice like that.

So 8 days ago, I was standing on top of a 4500m pass in the Himalaya, 4 days ago I was in the 45 degree inferno called Delhi, 2 days ago I spent far more money on "gear" than I have ever before (and that's saying something), today I get on a bicycle for only the second time in 16 months and in 2 days from now I head off to start my adventure - biking 100km to Halifax so I can catch the plane out to Regina (sure it's cheating a little bit, I am missing all the Rockies, but as the team will attest, cycling lore says a Prairie headwind is worse than any mountain, and it's supposed to be pretty hilly around the north shore of Lake Superior, so I'm not taking it too easy, and besides, they've got 4 weeks extra training so I need to be cut a little slack).

From:

To:

Going To:

So enough of this typing nonsense, I've got some cycling to do. But make sure you all keep tuning in because the adventure is about to get a bit more exciting ;)

Shane

PS. As a sample: An analogy question: Warner + Point = WarPo as Warner + Taylor = ??? Hint, think a British-speaking witch... ;) (Love you E&L)

Distance: 0 km

Average speed: hopefully fast enough to keep up
Distance from Team: ≈ 5000 km
Start time: June 6th

End time: August 15th (?)0 km
Time on bikes: 0 hr 0 min (so far)

Retrospective: A different Alberta

Am sorry about that varmit who commandeered the blog for his own ends in Waterton. We had a beautiful day in Waterton park, SUNNY! Beyond a spectacular short hike to get a view of the deepest lake in Alberta surrounded by magnificent snow covered peaks, the highlight of the day was the Parks Canada visitor centre person who made us steaming hot herbal tea and served it to us on the deck with the mountain view.

After a cold, beautiful night in the Waterton high country we headed across Southern Alberta for three days with the first half visiting the cows and the second half passing massive grain fields. We experienced a very different Alberta than wealthy cities and destructive oil and gas developments. The towns seem poor and the people warm and welcoming. This is an Alberta that seems ignored by Stephen Harper and his gang (I can't figure why they vote for him).






There was Lee who let us camp in the pasture of the 21,000 acre farm they manage (but we suspect that a bigger cat or corporation collects the profits).
Then there was the wonderful older farmer in Wrentham who gave us water and showed us a spot to camp behind the former elementary school because his backyard was flooded. Sadly Wrentham, a small farming community, had lost it's school and only store in the last few years (they do still have a hockey rink!).





Finally we ended day 21 in Bow Island. The pub served an excellent meal (and the Canucks won game one of of the Stanley Cup final) but the town was dead and many of the businesses closed. There is a beautiful but struggling Alberta that the media ignores, not unlike the smaller places in Nova Scotia.








Cheers
- The Warpotay Team

Location:Medicine Hat, Alberta

Day 22: Bow Island to Medicine Hat ( and the heavens opened upon us!)

After an "interesting" stay in Bow Island at the wonderful yet underutilized campground we awoke nervously to see if the storm that weather channel had forcast would actually come to pass. We got out of the tent because there was no rain. We took down our tents because there was no rain. We packed up our bikes because still there was no rain... I wanted to yell "hey rain-storm!" but I have learned a few things from the Robert Munch mud puddle story after all. .. Or maybe not. Minutes after getting on our bikes the storm jumped on us. It didn't shower like the forecast said, and the wind was not from the west like the forecast said; no, the rain poured down and the wind was right in our face! Ughhh, the storm got us.

After an hour and a half, the rain finally let up and a fair weather "V" began to stretch across the sky. The wind turned in our favor and we flew past the town of "Seven Persons" where their English skills are dubious and into Medicine Hat. After fruitlessly trying to find a bike store with a new tire for Evan's bike, we had a fantastic Chinese lunch.

As the winds picked up and darker clouds pulled in, we decided not to fight the weather gods twice in one day so we found a barren RV park just outside the city. Huddled in the tent while it rained down, we listened to the trains screeching by. They are only 100 meters away so it might be a long night...



Distance: 74.74 km
Time on bikes: 4:04:24
Average speed: 18.3 km/h (20 upon entering medicine hat, dang traffic)
Distance from Vancouver: 1653 km
Start time: 8:45 am
End time: 4:30 pm


Cheers
- The Warpotay Team

Location:Dunmore, Alberta

Day 21: Wrentham to Bow Island

Started in the lovely Alberta town of Wrentham where we camped behind the old school, and visited with the local kids.Then we were off, Here are three Haiku celebrating the wonders of the open prairie, the oddities of one strange prairie town and celebrating those pesky little prairie flying critters,

Steel grey endless skies
Redwing blackbirds, flooded fields,
High winds hit us hard!

Bow Island, strange place.
No island, lake or river,
But great hot showers!

Roads go on and on
You shouldn't stop for too long
Buzzzz, buzzzz, ah they bite!



Distance: 110.6 km
Time on bikes: 6:54:09
Average speed: 16.0 km/h
Distance from Vancouver: 1578 km
Start: 9:45 am
End: 6:30 pm
Winds: Coming from south-east




Cheers
- The Warpotay Team

Location:Bow Island, Alberta

Day 20: Whisky Gap to Wrentham (moooooo)

Dear blue brrrrring'in biker,

My name is the Bertha the brown cow. Today I was out in the field enjoying one of the first sunny spring days when i heard the ring of a bell. When I looked up I saw you and thought you must be calling me in for a tasty treat! I called the rest of the herd and we followed you to the barn at the bottom of the hill. However to my disbelief and dismay you turned off on the other side of the road! I tried to get your attention by calling as loud as I could, but to no avail. You were to busy filing yourself with cherries, cheese, bagels apples and cookies. I couldn't believe it, first you call me over, then you stuff your self without leaving even a tid bit for me. The least you could of done is given me your apple core, oh those are a tasty treat. I do enjoy watching cyclist go by day after day, but I dislike being taunted and left with wishful thoughts of crunchy carrots or apple cores. Although you may be the master of this county this is no way to treat your most valued citizens.


Distance: 131.38 km
Time on Bikes: 7:13:25
Average speed: 18.1 km/h
Distance from Vancouver: 1467 km
Start time: 9:00 am
End Time: 7:30 pm



Cheers
- The Warpotay Team

Location:Wrentham, Alberta

Day 19: Waterton Park to Whisky Gap (21,000 acres of cows)

After a beautiful day Waterton, we were ready to continue our journey into Alberta, sans rain and slush of course.

The rolling foothills of southern Alberta turned out to be beautiful. As Lee said, "these parts are sparce". It was, we would go 15-20 km without a single occupied house.

Thousands of acres of ranch land pass by us as we went up and down and at time battled the wind. By the end if the day we found a big house looking out over the vast landscape. The wife of the local ranch manager named Lee graciously gave us water, a place to stay in one of her cow pastures and stories of the place and it's people. Our tent finally rested on a 4 square meter patch of grass, only a fraction of the 21000 acres of land they ranch with about 3000 cows. A great way to end a great day. You can see below why Leah had a good day!



Stats:
Distance: 100km
Time on bikes: 6:40:41
Average Speed: 14.8 km/h
Distance from Vancouver: 1336 km
Start Time: 9:00 am
End Time: 7:00 pm


Cheers
- The Warpotay Team

Location:Whisky Gap, Alberta