edwards block

Stettler to Consort. DAY: 159.24km. ODO: 1,732km. AVS: 32.7km/h. MXS: 57.5km/h. ATM: 4:52.

I was up at 7:30. I made a point of getting up early to see if the wind was less powerful early on, but clearly, this isn’t necessarily the case. The speed of the north-westerly wind seemed to have doubled overnight, and the temperature seemed to have dropped substantially.

After a cup of tea and a muffin at Tim Horton’s (why will they not let you put your own damn cream and sugar in the cup? This isn’t Toronto, we don’t need any of that “double-double” crap in the west), I set out on highway 56, destined for Canmore. After one mile, during which I was blown right off the highway twice by cross-gusts, I realised that this was no longer fun, which contravenes one of my fundamental rules for this adventure. And what is the best way to make it fun? Go where the wind is going.

I returned to Stettler and took highway 12, which just happens to travel south-east, which put the wind directly behind me. I had no idea where Highway 12 would take me, and I didn’t care. The wind was at my back! So much for Edmonton. I guess I’ll have to rest my Achilles in Saskatoon in a few days.

Check out my Average Speed for the day (32.7km). As long as I kept moving, everything was fine. It was warm and it seemed like there was no wind at all, except for the speed I was travelling. As son as I stopped, though, it was freezing and I could barely get the bike (or myself) to stand up.

I don’t know who named the towns along Highway 12, but I detect a certain theme. “Fleet”. “Coronation”. “Throne”. “Veteran”. “Consort”. I stopped in “Castor” for lunch, though I’m unclear on how that one fits the perceived theme. Another of those 19 year old waitresses who barely speak. They had a sign on the wall that said “If you’re grouchy or just plain mean, a $10 surcharge with apply for having to put up with you”. I resisted the urge to ask for a $10 credit.
A few isolated drops of rain had fallen along the way, but nothing to slow me down, until shortly past Veteran, when the deluge started. It poured all the way to Consort. With the wind, and darkness resulting from the thick black clouds, it got rather cold as well. By the time I reached Consort, I was ready for rest.

As it turns out, there is only one campground near consort, about 14km north of the town. That’s 14km into the gale. I was already starting to shiver, and the prospect of finding a non-flooded ditch to camp, and cook, in was becoming intimidating, so I hauled ashore at the first B&B I found, the “Cozy Haven”. You’d think that coasting across central Alberta with the wind at your back would be relaxing, but I was pretty tired when I got there. I’m not so good at taking it easy, so I was pedaling at my normal rate (think ‘gerbil on wheel’) the whole way. I probably did as much work as if there had been no wind at all.

Sign on wall of the laundromat in Consort: “Please do not put liquor in the garbage”.

Where to next? Highway 12 turns into Highway 51 at the Saskatchewan border (about 62km away), but I’m not sure how many services there are along the way. I will have to check with the local travel info office in the morning. Consort does not have high-speed internet yet (big trucks and beer are still sufficient entertainment for many Albertans, according to my hostess, Debora who, by the way, slept with a guy that went to the same school as I in Winnipeg in 1977).

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.