edwards block

Drumheller to Stettler. DAY: 108.18km. ODO: 1,573km. AVS: 18.4km/h. MXS: 43.0km/h. ATM: 5:52.

Again, awake at the crack of dawn, but sluggish. I didn’t hit the road until noon. A big climb out of the Red Deer River valley started the day, but it was sunny, as usual.

In case you’re wondering, the Achilles tendon is still an issue, but it doesn’t seem to be a monumental one (yet). Riding from Calgary to Drumheller, I found that it started hurting after about 25km. However, regular stops to stretch it a bit, and walk around, seemed to ensure that it never got any worse. A couple of hours after I stop riding, it feels pretty good again. The same today. I am still planning to rest it up a bit when I get to Edmonton, maybe even consult a physiotherapist. It is rather annoying, and I would like to get rid of the pain altogether, if I an going to ride for three more months. I also don’t want to do any real damage.

As soon as I left the shelter of the Red Deer River valley, I was hit with a good, strong crosswind. This only lasted for about 20km, though, and then it became a good, strong northerly headwind, which lasted all the way to Stettler. The wind seemed to grow stronger the closer I got to Stettler, and the last 12km were quite a struggle. I did the work of 175km, but only covered 108km, and had an average speed for the day that was equivalent to riding up Kicking Horse Pass. I’m hoping for calmer weather from the north tomorrow. If not, I will probably make it a 75km day, and arrive in Edmonton on Tuesday.

I saw a lot of ducks on the way, but most were quite skittish and fled as soon as I came within view of whatever pond they were feeding on, which made identification difficult. However, I did manage to spot several Redheads and two Ruddy ducks. I also saw several Mountain Bluebirds, and a pair of Kildeer. Stettler isn’t high on my list of places to return to in future. It’s kind of smelly and quite suburban looking, the mosquitoes are vicious, and the civic campgrounds are reminiscent of a Johannesburg shanty-town full of ridiculously huge RVs. Several of my neighbours have satellite dishes on their rigs, and one is towing his own golf cart.

Drumheller (sightseeing). DAY: 41.93km. ODO: 1,465km. AVS: 18.5km/h. MXS: 45.0km/h. ATM: 2:15.

Good morning campground! There’s nothing like country music blasting from someone’s car stereo at 7:00am to start the day, but at least I was up early for a change. Also for a change, I had a leisurely breakfast, featuring raisin granola in skim milk (reconstituted from powder) followed by an apple and some peanuts (healthy, no?), with actual hot tea, or as close to the real thing as one can create in a Nalgene bottle.

I decided to stay an extra night here at Fawlty Acres, partly because I wanted to be able to visit the Royal Tyrell Museum and environs without having to worry about how long I was taking to do so, but also because, this being the first ‘outdoor’ long weekend of the year, I was feeling a bit sceptical about finding outdoor accommodation (this particular paradise being at capacity).

At about noon I made my way to the museum to look at dinosaur bones. The museum itself isn’t bad, though its target audience is clearly those with children. The actual audience bore this out, as there were more screaming three-foot savages than in Lord of the Flies. I suspect that I learned more about poor parenting techniques than dinosaurs, but I did learn a number of things about the evolutionary history of this part of the world. Miraculously, I was able to endure the crowd long enough to make my way through the entire exhibit without running out in disgust at the state of humanity. Why some people think they should have children just because they possess the ability to ejaculate or ovulate is beyond me, but I suppose there’s another evolutionary lesson in there.

After the museum, I rode back to town via McMullen Island, a bike/pedestrian path on which I saw no other human beings, which was, of course, just fine with me. What I did see, is a lot of sage growing along the path, and an elusive yellow or orange bird that I spent an hour pursuing without getting a clear look. An oriole or tanager perhaps. Also saw a Blue Jay. After touring downtown Drumheller a bit, getting a cup of tea and picking up some groceries, I returned to Club Dread for dinner.

After dinner, I got back on my bike and returned to the river, riding out past the museum almost as far as the Bleriot Ferry, looking for wildlife. I managed to spot a few Tree Swallows, quite a lot of Red-winged Blackbirds, and a dove of some kind.

Calgary to Drumheller. DAY: 151.76km. ODO: 1,423km. AVS: 21.4km/h. MXS: 58.0km/h. ATM: 7:04.

Though I suspected that perhaps my Achilles could use a longer rest, it was feeling considerably better, if still somewhat tender, and I decided to depart. I had still been unsuccessful at connecting with my cousin Ann-Louise and her family, but I was getting restless and had had quite enough of Calgary (my apologies to my Calgarian readers, but I find little favour with your chosen home).

I abandoned all hope of finding a quiet route out of town and just headed out 16th, which is the Trans-Canada, eastbound, intending to head for the town of Beiseker to the northeast, which is en-route to Drumheller, home of a dinosaur museum that has been recommended to me by many that I have met along the way so far.

Near the town of Irricana, I spotted a couple of American Avocets, in mating plumage, feeding along the banks of a slough.

Upon arrival in Beiseker, I met a German couple (from Stuttgart) travelling by RV in the same direction as I, as well as a local Beisekerite by the name of John, who was quite chatty. I picked up some lunch and dinner materials at the grocery store before continuing on my way. By this time, the Achilles was bugging me quite a bit again, which started to get me a bit down, as it seemed a harbinger of the end of this adventure. I decided that I would undertake to arrive in Edmonton, where I could visit a doctor or physiotherapist (although I suspect that all they would tell me is to stay off of it for a while and “come back and see me if it worsens”, which seems to be the first phrase taught in medical schools. I also decided that I would try to ride lightly, and keep my distances short, so as not to overdo things.

By the end of the day, I arrived in Drumheller, 151km from Calgary, for a total of seven hours and four minutes of actual cycling time, much of which featured strong head- or cross-winds after Beiseker. So much for taking is easy. Once the body-brain gets into riding mode, it’s hard to stop, until the juice runs out.

Here’s the Red Deer River Valley:

Because it was close to town, and my juice had run out, I stayed at the River Grove RV Park. Yuck! Think of the Green Point Campground near Tofino. Barking dogs, crying babies, car alarms, and liquor-fueled debates on various aspects of professional sport. Welcome to the Hotel Proletariat (I know, I’m a snob…).

I would like to leave tomorrow for somewhere less vulgar, but since this is the first camping long weekend of the year, this might be as good as it gets.

I’m sure you’ve noticed in your own travels those roadside markers placed, presumably, by the loved ones of traffic victims. Usually a cross, frequently adorned with flowers or other knick-knacks, and sometimes with a photo of the deceased. Though it may seem to some to be in poor taste, I have decided to make it a side-hobby to document some of these along the way. Such as the lovely marker pictured below. However, let me point out that, should I meet my demise along the road, under absolutely no circumstances should a roadside marker of any variety be placed in my memory. And especially not one with a photo. If you wish to remember me, buy a bench at Beaver Lake in my name, or hold a wake. But no roadside markers!