Mother nature is doing her thing and I am using this opportunity as a rest day. Winds were high yesterday and even brisker today ranging from 25-45 kph coming from the east. This evening, we even experienced some thunder and pretty intense precipitation. On Wednesday, I decided to get a head start and made a run to Irvine, a small town of about 300 folk. As I rode into this "breeze", I almost burst out laughing at my insignificance against the amazing force of wind. Fortunately, the mechanical advantage of my alpine gearing allowed me to spin away at low speeds without getting exhausted...it just took a long time. I'm staying at a B&B owned by a remarkable couple by the name of Mike and Karen Hamerton who also run the town's general store and restaurant. Some of the folk who turned up for lunch today were farmers and their families. One fellow sitting next to me commented that he was pretty happy to get one field plowed before it started raining.Prior to this, I had two very good runs from Fort MacLeod to Taber and Taber to Medicine Hat, covering 215 km. Medicine Hat is a bustling small city with lots of green space and friendly people. I took my bike into the Cyclepath Bike Shop and got priority service as they referred to me as a "roadie". They replaced my almost bald rear tire and brake cable in quick time. Given their busy work load, I'd like to express a special thanks to Greg, Trent and Justin for excellent service.
I continue to be charmed by wild and domestic life from my roadside perspective, in particular the bird life and abundance of foals and calves with their mothers. It's also interesting to observe the ground squirrel activity long the way. Unfortunately I have to dodge a fair amount of road kill which is another story.
According to the Weather Network, winds will be westerly so I'm making a break for Saskatchewan in the morning and hope to make a village called Tompkins. We'll see if the wind is my friend tomorrow. The Hamertons invited me for a great supper this evening so the batteries should be adequately charged for a good ride tomorrow.
There's a book I never read called The Wisdom of Insecurity which sounded intriguing to me. Hopefully I'll find it one day and read it but the title causes me to reflect on the value of leaving one's comfort zone and launching out on an adventure which may provide discomfort in all sorts of ways like tough weather, loneliness, boredom (sometimes), and not always knowing where you're going to stay after a long days ride which has it's own demands. Technology is an incredible support in staying in touch with friends and loved ones which I do almost everyday via e-mail, cell phone and Skype. Don't get me wrong, I love this adventure for many reasons but it certainly helps to have the technology to maintain important relationships which keep me connected and motivated. I think that insecurity heightens my awareness to the physical world more profoundly which in turn seems to impact my relationships with people. Somehow, relationships have become much more important, perhaps because it has something to do with my survival, I'm not sure. It also impacts my faith, and over time, I believe I will gain more insight into this thought.
Freight trains are a frequent sight here on the prairies and an incredibly long one passing by infront of the general store as I write. I find the wail of it's horn and the repetitive rumble of steel wheels on tracks mesmerizing.
In closing, I have nothing of particular of interest to share with you except that the physical geography of this country seems to impact my mood. As a coastal boy, I'm used to the mountains, forests and the ocean. The wide open spaces, big sky and wind have impacted me differently somehow and there's a lot more to come so I hope to share my humble insights with you in future musings.
Yours truly,
Doug
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