The End of the World As We've Known It

Hello from Kenora, ON - out of the prairies (dare I say it? At last!) and time to do laundry and play catchup.
Day 25
The glorious start to the day (great road, lots of sunshine, and good views of the valley as we left) overshadowed the loss of my backup cycling mirror to someone who decided they deserved it more than me. It had been in my toiletry bag that I foolishly forgot in the camp washroom.

Smooth pavement and sunshine to start the day 

However, that sentiment was not to last as the road deteriorated to provide a constant buzzing ("TdC butt massage") punctuated by sharp neck-snaps as we passed over cracks in the pavement. Our final few km into Portage la Prairie were on the shoulderless Trans-Canada Highway, but as the road is 4 lanes wide at that point, it proved not to be a problem. Apparently, according to those who tried it, even the dirt shoulder was quite rideable.

Yet another view similar to those of the days before  

In fact, many of us arrived at the (beautiful) campsite before the truck arrived. And the hot weather lent itself to alternatives to the camp showers (3.5 minutes for $1. It always irks me when you have to pay extra for showers - not an uncommon situation - especially when the timer continues to run even if you have the water turned off).

 
Day 26

Today was a day of superlatives: the worst roads, but the best showers. I chose to forego a visit to historic Old Fort Garry in favour of a visit with my former colleague Ricki, and discarding the recommended route to Winnipeg, headed straight down the Trans Canada Highway enjoying a newly-paved shoulder and a tailwind.

Posing With Ricki Outside Her House  

This didn't mean I had to miss out on wildlife: I  saw a deer calmly walking across from Assiniboine Park - which is right in the city! Road conditions, however, subsequently forced me to a crawl - sorry, Winnipeg: you get my vote for worst roads in the country.

As usual, I went looking for a postcard and had difficulty finding any store that carried them (on principle, I refuse to buy any that cost more than the inflated price I paid in Canmore, so that ruled out purchasing one at The Forks). But I found some in a downtown mall and was about to make my selection - my hand was actually holding one in the rack - when I got busted by a mall cop who objected to the presence of my bicycle and made me leave. I should've taken his picture, but that didn't seem like the proper course of action at the time.

More of same: prairies, road, train, sweaty cyclist

I then managed to get lost temporarily when I missed a sign downtown because it was hidden by the overhanging branches of a tree. But I eventually made it to Beausejour, where our campsite lived up to the town`s name - it had the most wonderful shower barely contained in a rustic structure; it was as close to showering outside (a real treat) as you could get.


But today`s learning point came at Ricki's: after several weeks of camping I couldn't believe how wonderful it was to experience real toilet paper instead of the typical newsprint-on-a-roll we`ve had to contend with.



Day 27
Simply put: the advertised `rough road`deteriorated to fresh chip-and-seal and the promised `lovely ride through the park`wasn`t. And then the weather turned.

 Lumbering through the chip and seal. Note the gathering clouds.

Why isn't this man smiling? Read the sign (this after 80 km of bad road already)

The good news was that I got to the campsite ahead of the deluge that hit all but 4 of us - even though once again my dry arrival was impeded by stopping to help someone.

I was riding by and heard a voice from the ditch....

But we bagged another province (and I still haven't clued in that there's a smudge on my lens, not on the screen as I had been surmising).

When the heavens opened, almost half of our group (apparently including several scheduled for cook duty that night) opted to stay in a motel. These plucky two didn't.

And we have heard our first loons, a sure sign we're in prime canoe/camping territory.