Our first coffee break was in the quaint little town of Neepawa. It also happened to be the home town of the famous Canadian author Margaret Laurence; photos follow. We visited the house she grew up in, and the cemetary statue which was the muse for her book “The Stone Angel”.

Today’s temperature climbed to a smouldering 36•C, so we sought out a commercial oasis at k71 then moseyed on into Portage. The direct translation of the town “Portage la Prarie” is: carrying a canoe over your head in the middle of the praries . Most people just wear a hat, but after today, I can understand any desperate measures to beat the sun

More to be posted…

Mother nature was kind enough to give us a gentle easterly nudge to town today. I got a classic prarie shot of Blatworth, Sk, and of a few other tourist attractions…

There’s nothing I could blog that would fully describe the adversity I had to endure today. It all started with grim discussions of the forcast whichspoke of rain and high winds. The general concensus of hazardous cycling conditions..

For the first 85k we were suprised to have a strong tailwind which propelled us 80k in about 3.5 hrs. We stopped for lunch at Rosetown, then continued on the road on which we strolled into town. This happened to be the wrong way. I won’t go into the logistics of the mishap, but after about 40k in the wrong direction I initiated a B-line route back to camp. This “short cut” happened to be a terrible mistake which costed hours and hours in torrential downpours, whipping winds, and a muddy road. In the end, I was greeted by my family of forty, and a dry sleepingbag. It can only get better….

Today we saw lots of grass, cows and rapeseed. We also croSsed the boarder. From my lack of elaboration its quite clear that I’m too tired to blog tonight, so bon nuit.

I was fortunate enough to spent today with my dear Nan. On the 27th of this month we’ll be celebrating her 60somethingth birthday. She’s clearly rockin’ the retired life, and is tres fort in her body and mind. There are some days when one feels like there’s almost not enough time spent on the road. Days when you start out of camp, chat for a while, then all of the sudden you catch yourself turning into the next camp!

As we started riding today the visibility was limited to about four feet ahead, as the fog was thicker than a Mexican fireman’s stache.

by about k42 The clouds parted to expose a nice little town called Delia. So far the only Asians Ive seen in Alberta have been restaurant or shop owners (not to stereotype…).

Today was our turn to whip up a meal for the group, but lucky for us the community had prepared a potluck, and all we had to contribute was an unnessesary tossed salad. We also got to catch Tour du France Highlights and the way it’s going, it seems like Lance has had his last dance. Another special thing about today is that we actually get a roof over our heads!

Tomorrow we’re off to Kindersley, Sk…

Today I tried something new. Instead of sunscreen, which some say contain carcenogens, I tried a a novel off-the-wall spread; mud. I know it sounds crazy, and it kinda was, but i think it was worth a trial run, because you can never have enough relief from the sun on an Albertan summers day. I looked at some different blogs about using mud as sunscreen, and i think it may have been a good idea, had I been not perspiering all day. The mud turned to dust by the end of the day, which no doubt acted as a natural antipersperant, which is bad. My reconing is that elephants, hippos, and pigs have used this method to supposedly protect themselves from U.V. rays for millenia. Being a human however, and having less course skin, we need more moisture in our SPF cream. So thats why I’ll try mixing mud with aloe vera the next time I need complete protection from the sun.

As I learnt from the Royal Tyrell Museum, the mini canyons in the Badlands are caused by a pooling of rivers colliding against a glacier, which at some point gave way, releasing a powerful current that cut away at the earth. Most of the hills (or hummocks) in the praries are formed by turbulant waters underneath the glaciers that carved divets and created gentle grades. This all is very relavent seeing as I’ll be studing Ocean and Earth sciences come September .

On a day like today it feels like you can never drink enough water, and equally as important is replenishing the electrolytes in ones body. As you probably know, when we sweat, we release a number of minerals which must be restored in order to function optimally. The types of minerals which we permate are: Sodium, Potassium, Calcium, Magnesium, among other trace minerals, respectively. Gatorate mainly contains Sugar, Sodium, and Potassium, Carbs, along with other filler or preservative ingredients. I believe that the Calcium, and Mangnesium can be supplemented by regular tap water. Think about hard water… Some athletes will also drink a litre of chocolate milk after a long days ride, and every cyclist in our group loads up on banana’s and oranges for mid-rides. We’ve got it down to a science… (:

The next day is a rest day, which means tonight is prime time to knock down a few…

Last night we stayed at kicking horse pass campground. The was no shortage of sights to see, and we managed to eat up the short 82k day, stopping just about every two kilos.

First up: The Great Divide. We got two stand in two provinces at once! That’ll proabably get old as the summer draws further. We also traced an abandoned trail, that was part of the route, but apparently we wernt supposed to use. this due to that fact that there were four Grizzleys roaming the area. :\

The great Spiral Tunnels of Kicking horse pass was the second item on the menu. In 1909, After three years of weathering the seasons, Asian immigrants and Canadians completed the railway. The daily wage amounted to 2.50. per day, and the average death toll was one a week! These Swiss-style figure-eight tracks replaced the 25 year old “Big Hill” tracks which had 4.5% grades that posed a serious problem both climbing and cruising. The result: double the length of the climb, both less than half the ruling gradient, effectively decongesting the route. Job well done J.E Schwitzer!

The next stop was the very commercial Whistleresque Lake Louise, where we splashed around, and had a photo shoot. Btw, the koolaid blue tint of the water is caused by the glacial silt, and Im very disappointed every time of how how unsweetened it tastes.

After that us was another ~40k into Banff and camp. There’s also a photobof my bud John rocking the Borat attire!

Tomorrow is our longest distance to date so I’d better get some shut eye. 147 kilometers, and 300 pictures is the goal for tomorrow! Ciao everyone

The riding day commenced with a consistent hike out of Golden and into the ankle of the Rockies. After 58k of passing peaks, and chasing the Kicking Horse river, we stopped at an uncharted, 350 persons town called Fields. It hardly differs from a cosy village nestled in the Alpinine mountains; and most similairly of all it’s unincorporated. No gas stations, Starbucks, Pharmasave, and certainly not McDonalds. One thing I realized scout this tour is that by the end of it I’ll have seen all the grand et petite towns along the way, and by the time Im 80 Ill know exactly where to spent those last few idyll years.

After Fields we had an amazing photo op on the river, with the beautiful ice koolaid colour of the glacial silt above our ankles. Another photo op followed at Takakaw Falls, where we came across a patch of snow near the bend. Photos follow…

Today was our second rest day, and I think I speak for everyone when I say that it couldn’t have come at a better time. I was so fortunate to be able to meet up with two climbing and slacklining friends; Dylan and Lauren. Dylan is a filden native, and was a fellow competitor mine I’m the competition climbing circuit. Lauren is a student at u-Vic and an avid slackliner.

Tomorrow is a short day of only 63k of mostly climbing, and with a side-trip up to the majestic Takakaw Falls. Might even make use of my white UV repellent make-up!