94.9 miles, 1,450 ft ascent, constant headwind
Awoke at 04:30 without an alarm this morning. There was another rain storm last night with more wind than actual rain. Thankfully, I had acquired the proper materials to secure the blown porthole in my tent, and it held, so there was no incoming rain.
Because I am on the galley crew this evening, I needed to ride out early in order to reach the next campground early to start dinner. I decided to get up and start my day. Weather Underground predicted rain shortly, so I broke camp and packed up my tent/camping gear, then loaded it in the back of the truck a short time before the deluge hit. When I see a thunderstorm coming on Weather Underground, I take it seriously, and I was glad I did. Since I was ahead of the pack, I helped this morning's galley crew erect canopies to cover the cooking area.
A fervent coffee drinker myself, I brewed several pots of coffee on the Bunn coffee maker, so that the other riders would have their systems "flushed" and ready to go. I started my ride at 06:45. A headwind was predicted for most of the day, hence, another good reason to get underway early this morning.
Along the route we started to see noticeably more standing water forming sloughs, marshes, and ponds, and such sights will increase as we proceed east. We will be camping on the shores of lakes by the time we reach Winnipeg, then Ontario.
My father would have been excited to know that there were ducks on the sloughs shown below. He loved hunting ducks and geese in Minnesota, and looked forward to Canadian birds moving into Minnesota hunting grounds after a cold snap in Canada. My sister, Patty, and I hunted ducks with Dad while growing up, and we enjoyed family "wild" duck dinners afterwards. We surely do cherish those memories!
I rode 47 miles to the halfway point of today's ride, Fort Qu'Appelle. At 10:00, it was too early for lunch at the reliable A&W, so I sampled the All Canadian Special Breakfast with one more coffee. It hit the sweet spot, and I was off pedaling again.
Here is information about the Canadian A&W standards, and why their "fast" food, when available, is one of my primary sources of lunchtime sustenance.
Ahead of me was the climb out of the Qu'Appelle River Valley.
I came upon this field with yurt looking structures peppered throughout. Eric, our cycling agronomist from Winnipeg, explained that the yurts are for production of alfalfa seed. A hive of leaf cutter bees in the yurt are required for seed production, as opposed to the standard alfalfa hay production.
Finished the ride, despite strong headwind. Now on to set camp, shower, and cook dinner. Visit tomorrow for more on our journey!
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