Day 19 Youngstown, Alberta to Kindersley, Saskatchewan

 93.2 miles, 1,300 ft ascent, average speed 16.8 mph

We were sorry to have to leave the Youngstown Community Hall and the gracious people of Youngstown who hosted the potluck dinner for us last night. Last night's meal culminated with excellent rhubarb pie and rhubarb custard squares topped with ice cream for dessert, the perfect end to a great evening.  The warm, generous, Alberta hospitality was a close match with the famous Southern hospitality in the US.

 

 

One of our hosts explained the mysterious moose sign on the highway that I mentioned earlier, and that is presented again below to refresh your memory.  You may remember that I found it unusual to see a moose warning sign in a farming area.  According to one of the locals, the last few years in this area have been wetter than normal, and moose have moved down from the north into the area around Youngstown.  Our host had photos of moose that he had harvested recently, specimens of 1000 lbs on the hoof.  He explained, however, that moose have a lot of waste in their large, heavy bones, so he only netted 500-600 lbs of meat per animal.   

 

 

Today we entered our third Canadian province, Saskatchewan.  The province border sign on the highway had been knocked down, so no photo opportunity.

Terrain we passed through was so similar to that in previous photos, that I did not stop to document today's ride with repetitive photographs. 

We have a rider with a horticultural background amongst our number, who explained that the fields of yellow flowering plants we have seen and photographed are actually not rape seed, but canola plants.  Interestingly, the canola plant was developed at Winnipeg University.  Rapeseed oil can contain up to 54% erucic acid, which is damaging to the heart muscle.  Oil from the Canadian developed canola plant is healthier, because it produces oil with a much lower erucic acid content.  Canola oil is limited by government regulation to a maximum of 2% erucic acid by weight in the USA.

Something marvelous occurred today, and I hope you will permit me to share it, although I have no photographs to document the event.  It happened so fast!  

At one point today, a deer was racing along with me as I rode!  I was cycling on the highway shoulder with a barbed wire fence paralleling the road about 15 yards to my right.  Suddenly a deer appeared, bounding parallel to the fence between me and the barbed wire.  I was riding at about 21 mph, thanks to a nice tailwind, but the deer was easily bounding along even faster than I could pedal!  It was a  mule deer buck with fuzz on its horns, moving effortlessly, as if he had springs on his feet.  After about 200 yards, the buck spied a gap between the strands of barbed wire, and plunged through it and off into the field away from me and the highway.  

This was an exhilarating experience, one that I could only have in the saddle of a bicycle. There was no opportunity for me to film this event as it occurred, but was a moment imprinted indelibly in my memory, and one I will  hold forever.  

Thanks for reading my story!  Such an encounter with a wild creature is like a shot of adrenaline, and I had to share it with you, despite the lack of photos.

Come back tomorrow for the next chapter in our adventure!