Day 26 Binscarth to Minnedosa, Manitoba

 82.8 miles, 1,340 ft ascent

All day long, no escape from a headwind.  Many of the tour cyclists are afraid to draft in a pace line to reduce aerodynamic drag.  Trust is an issue for some of them.  I have not been successful in getting apprehensive riders to attempt drafting.  However, there are some who are comfortable with riding in a pace line.  I rode with some of them today, and it helped us finish sooner, in order to get out of the scorching afternoon heat.  I rode in line with the two British professional cycling guides today for about 15 to 20 miles.  In addition I joined a group of five other cyclists to form two parallel three person pace lines. The highway shoulders were wide enough to accommodate two parallel lines of bicycles.  As expected, I took my turn in front pulling position, as did others in the line.  Now that I know which tour partners wish to participate in pace line riding, I plan to include myself on days when head winds are such a large factor.

Below is a picture of a beautiful farm with its own duck pond, which we passed on the Manitoba prairie.  Farms here in Manitoba appear to be smaller than those in Saskatchewan.

 

In one small town we were flagged down by some Canadian retirees enjoying their morning coffee at a small cafe.  Three men in the group live alone, and  they all check in with each other at morning coffee.  One fellow showed us a photo of a nearby group of 50 elk.  He indicated that the complete herd had grown to 200 animals.  There is no open season on elk.  Only First Nation people with a valid hunting card can thin the herd.  In addition, these gents told us to expect moose on the road ahead.  One of them had a photo of himself touching a moose on the nose, but he warned us not to try that, especially during the fall rut.  After our conversation we all kept watch in vain for moose along the road. I think it was probably too late in the morning by then to see any moose gallivanting about.  I'm, told by other Canadians, however, that we should see moose in Newfoundland, if not sooner.  Moose are not native to Newfoundland, but when introduced, they thrive due to the absence of their natural predators there.

The Manitoban provincial highway signs sport an image of a bison, shown here with the traditional Maple Leaf logo for the TransCan Highway.

Rather than look for another laundromat to wash our biking clothes, some of us swam in the Minnedosa Lake to freshen them instead.  The swim in the lake was a lot easier, and showering at the campground costs an additional CAN$2.  The savings earned by swimming in the 79F lake can be used to purchase two unbeers for hydration.  OK by me!  Cheers!

 

 

I enjoy your comments, and am happy to have you along!  Come again tomorrow to see more of Manitoba!