Chuck:
We were not out in time for the 5 am fish-feeding. I’m a little surprised that Brad didn’t knock on the door so we didn’t miss the ritual. Cool morning, good for biking. First, I was riding on Canada-20 north, then on 39 west, then on Canada-22 north with “Construction Ahead for the next 15 kilometers”. This is major highway construction, replacing a bridge over the North Saskatchewan River with huge equipment, rocky muddy two lane (almost) traffic. Lines of trucks brought the flow to a standstill. As I was waiting, a lady in a small pick-up yelled “Hey biker, I’m also a biker, it is a narrow mess up there. If you want, throw your bike in the back and I’ll drive you to the other side.” I thanked her and declined. She was right, it was very narrow and messy and went on for about 5 miles. The slow traffic actually worked in my favor, since there was no shoulder; I just got in line taking a whole space. If I came to a wide spot I got over, stopped and let those behind me pass.
Usually, a bridge means hills on both sides. This was no exception. Lots of hills, slow going. A call from Betty, they are parked on the side of Main Street in the small town Of Entwistle. Half-hour later, another call. They will be in the Iron Wheel Pub across the street. Looks like the “B-Team” has had a hard day as well. Just the motivation I needed to knock out those last 10 miles. Finally, I wheeled into town and was hanging my bike on the rear rack of the car, when Betty came to warn me it might be a rowdy reception. What a great group of town folks. As they cheered, John bought me the first beer. We all swapped stories for a couple hours. Troy donated $20 to our sponsored Cancer Fund. Karen used to live in Yukon Territory and gave us all sorts of advice, Clint would’t stop telling Betty how to avoid bears…all was good. Ron the bartender/owner, had an excellent selection of brew, plus seniors always get “happy hour” prices. As folks drifted out, John & Doranda walked us down to their home, Bren stayed to watch the finish of a hockey game (Detroit vs Chicago). John wanted to show us his 1961 Cadillac and 1939 Jaguar (replica). The Jag was a work of art. These folks live on the edge of town, their place overlooks the Pembina River in a deep gorge below them.
When we returned to get Bren, Ron offered his rear parking lot to park our RV for the night. We saw that it would fit nicely and moved in for the evening.