Paradise Hill to Llyodminster
Now that was a wierd day, weather wise at least. I had expected days like this when planning the trip, and am surprised there hasn't been more.
The day started with the sun shining and puffy clouds. I kicked myself for not starting earlier. Chug, chug.
Twenty kilometers down the road is started to spit, I could see the raincloud, and it was small, so I ducked into a bit of bush while it passed over. The weather was nice again, except for an awful headwind that had blown up after the wee bit of rain. I made it one sideroad. I could see a storm brewing, so I found a grove of trees and set my tent up along a sideroad. I sat inside the tent for an hour as the rain came down and a few bolts of lightning as well.
I packed up the wet tent as the wind died down and continued west. I made it to the Alberta border and the wind came back, blowing strong from the west. At that point, the border is marked by a highway, and at the intersection was a store/gas station. I stopped there, ate junk food and coffee for lunch hopeing the wind would die.
It never did. I made slower than expected progress for the last few days and all of Saskatchewan, for that matter. There I was, staying at the border and prevented from entering Alberta. So, I made another decision, just back on my bike and headed south to Llyodminster.
South. Since Winnipeg I have been pushing north. It seems that every bit of latitude I have gained, I have fought for. And here I was, willingly giving that up. Furthermore, heading south puts me back on the Yellowhead, at this point a four lane divided highway with speed limits of 110. The very road I had went out of my way to avoid brings me back again.
The campground in Llyodminster is located across from A&W. So a cold glass of root beer cheered me up at the end of the day.
Stats:
Distance: 76km
Max Speed: 55km/h
Avg Speed: 16km/h
Time on Bike: 4h52m
The day started with the sun shining and puffy clouds. I kicked myself for not starting earlier. Chug, chug.
Twenty kilometers down the road is started to spit, I could see the raincloud, and it was small, so I ducked into a bit of bush while it passed over. The weather was nice again, except for an awful headwind that had blown up after the wee bit of rain. I made it one sideroad. I could see a storm brewing, so I found a grove of trees and set my tent up along a sideroad. I sat inside the tent for an hour as the rain came down and a few bolts of lightning as well.
I packed up the wet tent as the wind died down and continued west. I made it to the Alberta border and the wind came back, blowing strong from the west. At that point, the border is marked by a highway, and at the intersection was a store/gas station. I stopped there, ate junk food and coffee for lunch hopeing the wind would die.
It never did. I made slower than expected progress for the last few days and all of Saskatchewan, for that matter. There I was, staying at the border and prevented from entering Alberta. So, I made another decision, just back on my bike and headed south to Llyodminster.
South. Since Winnipeg I have been pushing north. It seems that every bit of latitude I have gained, I have fought for. And here I was, willingly giving that up. Furthermore, heading south puts me back on the Yellowhead, at this point a four lane divided highway with speed limits of 110. The very road I had went out of my way to avoid brings me back again.
The campground in Llyodminster is located across from A&W. So a cold glass of root beer cheered me up at the end of the day.
Stats:
Distance: 76km
Max Speed: 55km/h
Avg Speed: 16km/h
Time on Bike: 4h52m