Thursday, July 28, 2005
Thursday, July 28, 2005
Day 31 – Distance: 149.5 km
Portage la Prairie to Beausejour, MB
We were up just about at the crack of dawn, thanks to the fact that Erika works very early hours. We were on our way by 7:00 a.m., but had to pick up a few things, then head back to where we had left off. We had decided the day before that we would try a route north of Hwy 1, rather than continuing on Hwy 2, where we had been, and where we had noticed a lot of road cracks. So, we drove to Portage la Prairie, which is just about due north from Haywood, and set off from there, leaving around 10:00 a.m. The winds unfortunately were not particularly in our favour, especially for about 12 km. I waited for Cassie and was able to draft her for about 6 km, which helped her out; I figured I had to work anyway, so I may as well be helpful! Around 1:00, we were near a little place called Warren, and since rain was imminent, we headed to the shelter of a little covered bleacher which had been built at the elementary school there. There were no seats, just a raised platform under a tin roof – perfect for our needs. We met Adele later, near a community called Stonewall, and headed into it for coffee and internet (Cassie only, unfortunately). Cassie opted to take the rest of the day off, as she was feeling tired, so I carried on to Beasejour on my own. I didn’t reach the campsite until about 7:45 p.m, and was very tired (and I’m afraid, rather irritable as a result)! However, I felt I had to keep pushing, as we really wanted to reach Kenora by Friday.
Manitoba scenery was lovely, but we were struck by the number of fields that had obviously been flooded out, and were basically laid to waste for the season. There were some great fields of sunflowers, but others that had patches of bare earth, or plants that were much smaller than they should have been.
Rants: Manitoba shoulders: there are none! I had to get off the road at least 4 times when transports were coming in both directions, or idiots in cars passed even though I was coming toward them. I found a finger is very useful for venting frustration.
Rave: Lockport – a small community on the Red River. I opted to walk over the bridge, as it was a narrow, raised, and the flags were standing straight out in the wind, which would have pushed me onto the road if I lost my balance. As I was crossing, I thought I should take a photo of the river, and was absolutely delighted to see a flock of about 20 or more white pelicans. I had only thought of pelicans as southern birds, but John Railton had told us we might see some. Check out the photo on the blog.
Day 31 – Distance: 149.5 km
Portage la Prairie to Beausejour, MB
We were up just about at the crack of dawn, thanks to the fact that Erika works very early hours. We were on our way by 7:00 a.m., but had to pick up a few things, then head back to where we had left off. We had decided the day before that we would try a route north of Hwy 1, rather than continuing on Hwy 2, where we had been, and where we had noticed a lot of road cracks. So, we drove to Portage la Prairie, which is just about due north from Haywood, and set off from there, leaving around 10:00 a.m. The winds unfortunately were not particularly in our favour, especially for about 12 km. I waited for Cassie and was able to draft her for about 6 km, which helped her out; I figured I had to work anyway, so I may as well be helpful! Around 1:00, we were near a little place called Warren, and since rain was imminent, we headed to the shelter of a little covered bleacher which had been built at the elementary school there. There were no seats, just a raised platform under a tin roof – perfect for our needs. We met Adele later, near a community called Stonewall, and headed into it for coffee and internet (Cassie only, unfortunately). Cassie opted to take the rest of the day off, as she was feeling tired, so I carried on to Beasejour on my own. I didn’t reach the campsite until about 7:45 p.m, and was very tired (and I’m afraid, rather irritable as a result)! However, I felt I had to keep pushing, as we really wanted to reach Kenora by Friday.
Manitoba scenery was lovely, but we were struck by the number of fields that had obviously been flooded out, and were basically laid to waste for the season. There were some great fields of sunflowers, but others that had patches of bare earth, or plants that were much smaller than they should have been.
Rants: Manitoba shoulders: there are none! I had to get off the road at least 4 times when transports were coming in both directions, or idiots in cars passed even though I was coming toward them. I found a finger is very useful for venting frustration.
Rave: Lockport – a small community on the Red River. I opted to walk over the bridge, as it was a narrow, raised, and the flags were standing straight out in the wind, which would have pushed me onto the road if I lost my balance. As I was crossing, I thought I should take a photo of the river, and was absolutely delighted to see a flock of about 20 or more white pelicans. I had only thought of pelicans as southern birds, but John Railton had told us we might see some. Check out the photo on the blog.
posted by BikingBabe at 5:04 PM
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