One taste of Ontario roads and that made our decision to go into the states that much easier. Crossed the border once more and battled the wind all the way to Orr on a nice big shoulder. Pulled over to ride a fish. Biked just outside of town and got caught in a downpour. Turned the bikes around and looked for shelter.
Had some pancakes with Joe before planning a big trip to Falcon Lake. We didn't feel like biking very far, so we stopped at a water wonderland, the Lilac Resort. At this point in the trip we had a big decision to make. Go over lake superior into Ontario, where the roads could be dangerous, or go the safer route into the states? We decided to take an extra day in paradise to decide. Oh, and we passed the longitudinal center point of Canada!
Spent our first night in the USA. With many more to come. But wait!...We could take a bus if the Northern route gets too dangerous. That way we can complete a true cross Canada tour. So into Ontario we go. The road had a very small shoulder and at 5 o'clock traffic, biking wasn't fun. Finally arrived after a 164 km ride and had some fun with the town sign. Got a hotel on the lake and relaxed for a day and a half. Realised that pushing your limit for two back to back days requires a day rest.
Woke up at 5am to start our trip to Warroad Minnesota. It was a beautiful day out. The road was pretty bare except for the hundreds of horseflies that decided to follow us. Follow us the whole way! Cameron used one of his flip flops to fend them off. Luckily the border officer was nice because that was our longest day (173km) and one more thing would have brought me to tears. Quite proud of myself on that distance
The winds continued in our favour, so the ride to Winnipeg was very easy. Met with Joe and his roommates. Had an awesome supper with some drinks. Before we knew it, we were drinking 15 year old scotch at a bar in Winnipeg and the drinks kept coming. Listened to good music and talked until 4:30 am. Realized that we were staying another day...Woke up and Joe gave us a great tour of the city. Did laundry and relaxed after a buffet style supper. That was a much needed break.
Had breakfast with Judy and Bert before they biked out of town with us. We saw some of the Manitoba flooding and avoided the traffic on a nice side road. Luckily the wind blew us right into Portage La Prairie. When we arrived the campground was under water so we booked the last room at the Canad hotel. Ended up being the king suite :)
Biked out of mosquito land and made it to Manitoba. Only a 2 hour difference from Saint John now. Biked our third day in a row over 145km, so we were tired. We finished our trip through construction and arrived at Judy's. Judy is our newest warmshowers host. We had a much needed shower and a great meal.
Biked a long 158km ride today. Had a bit of a tailwind so we made good distance. We stopped at the Red Barn for supper then went to the campground. We were swarmed by mosquitoes!
Woke up to a nice pancake breakfast that Glenda prepared for us. It was a nice ride to Regina. The road was enclosed by rows of trees. Stopped for supper in Regina and we debated whether to stay and see the sights or carry on to the McLean Campground shown on our map. Decided to carry on into the evening to what happened to be a nonexistent campground. We stepped on the gas peddle late to bike to Indian Head. Thankfully arrived at sunset and finished a 146km day.
The original plan was to go to Regina. The ride today was a lot of the same. Pulled into Moose Jaw and made a last minute decision to try for a warmshowers. There was nothing in Regina so if we got a reply we were staying. Sure enough, Glenda took us in. We had a basement apartment to ourselves. She made us supper, taught us about the history of Moose Jaw and Regina, and told us about the attractions in the area. Glad we stuck around.
We're seeing a lot of the same. Fields, long roads, and blue skies. Today was a long day (137 km) and, other than us getting kicked out of a diner for making sandwiches, things went pretty smooth. Rolled into Swift Current and had a great supper with the Harrison family. Played some soccer with Haden and Lanni before crashing to bed.
Bonnie prepared a nice breakfast for us and Doug did some bike maintenance. We said our goodbyes and biked out of the hat. Cameron bought a new odometer. We finally had a bit of a tailwind, so we made good time. Biked out of Alberta and into Saskatchewan. We saw some wildlife along the way. Cow, bull, deer, birds, and a coyote. Stayed at Eagle valley campground. Very nice spot.
Warmshowers hosts Sheldon and Jennifer made us breakfast before we hit the road. Pushed through a headwind most of the way to Chaplin. The ride was nice. We passed a couple of lakes and even saw some snow!...no, not really. It turned out to be a lot of salt. We thought that we might have taken a wrong turn to the arctic. Got to Chaplin on a Sunday afternoon and thought that the place was abandoned. Threw up our tent at a tiny campground, made some pasta, and watched a movie on my tablet. Very relaxing.
Made oatmeal at the campsite for breakfast and took off for Medicine Hat. The ride was relatively easy but Cameron and I were beat from the long ride the day before. We met a fellow cyclist who had a flat on the side of the road. We offered to help and when he was all fixed up, we biked the rest of the way to the hat with him. He offered his home to us but we had plans to stay with warmshowers hosts Doug and Bonnie. Arrived at their house and had a much needed shower and meal that Bonnie prepared for us. I had been suffering from a numb hand for a while and thought that I needed to see a doctor. But why go to a doctor's office when you can go to a warmshowers. Doug was a physiotherapist and an avid cyclist! He explained the problem, showed me exercises and adjusted my bike for me. What a relief.
