96.7 miles, 1060 ft ascent, riding time 6 hours, 17 minutes.
I was the first rider to leave our campsite this morning at 07:00 after a raging thunderstorm and heavy wind gusts pummeled our tents earlier before 05:00. Temperature had dropped to 56 F. with an 18 mph wind. Only a light rain had been predicted, so this was a big surprise.
The porthole in my rain fly blew out and I used a plastic bag to cover it until the rain let up a bit. Weather Underground radar showed that the storm passed at 05:25.
As soon as the weather settled a bit, I got up and broke camp. Everything in my dry bag is soaking wet, and I am hoping for sunshine at our next campsite to help dry out my gear before tonight. The soggy down sleeping bag is priority 1! We were told to expect 3 to 4 rainy days over the entire bike tour. We have had that many already, so we are looking forward to no more rain in the remainder of the tour. Ha ha!
The storm must have worked like an adrenaline shot, because I rode well this morning. I was able to ride the first 2 1/2 hours without stopping to rest. Most of us drink while we ride. I'm coming to the conclusion that being further north and the shallower angle of the sun, works in the rider's favor with regard to the heat. One of the fastest riders in our group passed me at 48 miles into my ride. I had expected to be caught much sooner. Perhaps the "young bucks" are just toying with the "old guy"! I am worried that if I don't arrive early enough to dry my gear, I will freeze in tonight's cold. That is good motivation for riding hard. After all, God helps those who help themselves. It's expected to reach the mid 70sF today, so there is a good chance I can dry my gear if I arrive early.
I stopped for the usual grass fed beef burger at an A&W, accompanied by fries and coffee. Before stopping, I saw an antelope and two deer, but I wasn't able to point my camera and shoot a picture before they had run out of range.
After lunch and along the way to the camp, I saw this beautiful field of flax. In the distance, it appeared to be a lake. According to our cycling agronomist, Eric, the blue flowers blossom in the morning and die off in the afternoon. New blossoms appear the next day.
Below you see a typical gravel Range Road in this area. Roads are on a nearly perfect grid. The paved road on which I rode ran east-west, and the gravel Range Roads ran north-south, spaced about a mile apart. I was curious why more vehicles weren't nicked or scratched from the gravel chips kicked up by tires on these roads. A Canadian companion explained that when cars/trucks are about to meet on a Range Road, both drivers slow and coast past one another, so that rocks are not thrown at either vehicle.
I am grateful that, by the end of the day, there was sufficient, albeit intermittent sunshine to completely dry my tent and sleeping bag, so I will not be sleeping wet tonight. Thank you, Lord! Note: Henceforth, I will check wind direction before locating my tent. I placed it with consideration of the terrain, but the wind direction proved to be more important during the storm. I will not make that mistake again!
Yet another long day's ride tomorrow. I will have a report on the riders who had fallen to COVID and information on what we encounter during tomorrow's adventure!
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