I not give up!!!

And the Crop Duster was very cool to watch spraying a field!

Well folks after the u turn I tried to find a way to escape from "Hotel California" reads as Devil's Lake. Amtrak service BUT bike was not allowed. Bus service cancelled in the last year or so. I started back to Lakota n with mild tail winds got bk to the gravel shoulder section n rode about 6 miles on it n again said that this is not safe. I went to the other side of the highway AND there was a paved shoulder(OMG) so I rode facing the traffic including one highway patrol car for 15 miles and then carried forward normally. Got to Crookston Minn about 117 miles total. Motels were all full but I pleaded and magically at the second motel the lady called her last reservation who had not arrived and they cancelled. Bingo!! Photos r "De Ja Vous" minn border Red River bridge n Welcome to Minn sign. 

There n back again(Bilbo like)

Got on bike this AM n rear tire was almost flat sooo I put a new tube in n pumped it up. I will chk the old tube tonight n rpr if necc. I rode 30 miles east to Lakota on Hwy2 n damned if the shoulder went to gravel for as far as the eye could c. Tooo windy to safely try to navigate ahead so I made a u turn n am bk in Devil's Lake. The Amtrak train will not take my bicycle so I'm stuck here for another night!?!? 

Photo is a road sign but is missing the words "of a kind". I saw a road kill raccoon today. Cool dead wildlife!

Where is Sully???

Well I took a right turn due to a sign saying 25 miles of road construction ahead on Hwy 5!! Am now travelling ESE on US Hwy 2 n still in ND. Saw a Snowy Egret today n many honey bee frames - photo of one. Garter snakes here r no smarter than in MB or SK.

Sin is about 5 miles from Condo, the nearest v small town?

Shoulder on Hwy 2 is gravel in parts so I did a fair amount of walking today - yikes!

Day off in Belcourt

I went for a walk. Back at it tomorrow. 

Made a(mother) mistake - now in N Dakota

What is this plant? There was a whole field of this plant right beside the Hwy.

Decided to use the N to NE wind rather than fight it all day - so I went S from Brandon on the shines looking on the map Hwy 10. I planned to ride about 30km S and turn E on Hwy 2 but Hwy 2 had gravel shoulders - ouch. So I continued S on Hwy 10 which immediately went to gravel shoulders too!! See one of my photos. I continued S about 90km and crossed into USA. Which provided paved shoulders from there on. Finished going E on Hwy 5 and will plan to stay E on it for about 2 days. Saw a young coyote today along the Hwy and my usual quota of Garter snake and other hwy carnage. In Belcourt ND staying in the casino Hotel. I've never heard of this place before either!!!

Smart Call

I decided after chugging through 3 prairie storm cells between 1 and 4 pm and being not too wet(good rain gear) and yet not too dry that taking on another 45km(about 75km to here) at 5pm, heading into a series more of these storm cells would b confirmation that I'm nuts. Photos of puddle with dark cloud background outside my room n also my room with maximum use of any n all potential drying sites.

Virden MB

Decided that if I needed to I could survive on fresh road kill including badger, skunk, bird n snake. Went over 200km with the tailwind. Photos include wind generator(s) at Red Jacket/Moosomin n welcome to MB sign. 

Indian Head SKl

Another unusual stop over. Photos of the 3 wheeled kalidescope, Derek Olson my friend who rode with me today n a swan n a pelican!!

Flat as a duck's instep

A typical? Farmyard and typical? Sign

Moose Jaw to Regina reminded me that the term "flat lander" used to describe my dear wife, who was born in Regina, an understatement. Photos were again a struggle so we have one farmyard and one sign both right beside Hwy 1. 

Donation Link

This link should be on the blog so people can find it! Ciao Sully

In Moose Jaw

Unbelieveable that in 165km there was nothing to take a photo of. Road kill including a garter snake,skunk n a badger. Day 18

Back on Hwy 1 - who'd a thought

Hwy 1 East 

Shorter day into light wind. In Swift Current with cousin Don n Judy tonight. Photos r mainly of flowers in the ditch n the white one is one I didn't recognize  

Abbey - Cabri - Dabri

I got checked into the (old but only place here with a room avail) hotel in Cabri after not stopping in Abbey. About one hour later a storm blew in an proceeded down the highway that I would have been on. Haul, rain, lightning and wind at least 80kph! Lucky that I stopped here. Photos today of the storm, a black(brown?) eyed Susan, antelope that you can actually see and a garter snake that didn't quite make it across the hwy. adding Dabri on the end makes a nice rhyme!!

Tailwind makes uphill feel like flat ground

Interesting lawn grass at a farm along the way - note the mini cactus growing in the lawn - no barefoot on this grass!!

Saw a deer n a hawk today who both would not sit still for a picture. Went a bit more than I thought with the wind behind me. I'm told that my planned route going east on hwy 44 is rough n lacking a shoulder so I'm probably headed to Swift Current n hwy 1. The wind in the morning will decide it. Photos r of Mantario where I thought that I would stay(nearly a ghost town n Eatonia where I finished today. It was a good day. 

Head wind means ride uphill all day

Photo is village of Chinook which may b ghost town in the next 20yrs?? 115km today took 1.5 hours more than 135km yesterday. Looked all day for red fox n saw none!  Not a lot to see out here. 

On the road again

I think those r antelope in the photo but may b deer? Arrived in Hanna about 5 pm from east of Didsbury, about 130km. A big day after 3+ weeks out of the saddle. Red Deer R valley was tough and it is more hilly than I remember out this way. Will aim to keep tomorrow to about 100km or take a few more breaks. 

Get ready to go East

Photo is outside the Crossfield Fire Dept. 2 weeks after my last ride Todd Knight and I left Cochrane up through Gleneagles and headed North and East immediately across country on paved roads to get set up to go East to Brandon MB via Hwy 9, etc. we ended up about 10km due East of Didsbury and rode about 100km. I'm starting from there soon!

A bit too far!

Photo is a Grizzly bear up off the highway near Lk Louise. Todd Knight, John Koning and myself set out about 07:30AM from Lk Louise with our target being about 180km away at Cochrane. We rode highway 1A and saw a bear and some elk in the first hour. We skirted Banff and stayed on the most excellent bike path to Canmore. A nasty storm started about 10km b4 Canmore and soaked us so we stopped for lunch and dried out there for about 2 hours. I got within 5km of Cochrane and stopped due to a leg cramp. This ride was about 2.5 weeks after my initial arrival at Lk Louise. 

Golden to Lk Louise

Bit late but must b caught up b4 I depart again. Stayed at a nice BnB in Golden and was late arriving so I barely got dinner at 10pm in the local restaurant. Photo of the Bow River which I bowed down to because that water goes to Hudson Bay downhill all the way. I was tuckered and the last km into Lk L the shifter started acting up n I walked the last 600 meters to the hostel in Lk L.  Muscles remained sore for 10days n my massage therapist asked "did u stretch" I didn't lie to him but will stretch going forward. Val picked me up the next morning n I went to Windermere to rest.