Mom and I cycled west from there to Provost, where we met Dad again to refill water and food. From Provost we continued on Secondary Highway 600, through the hamlet of Cadogan and some really incredible scenery unlike anything I have seen in Alberta before.
There was one valley in particular we passed through where the vegetation was especially interesting and hawks or eagles were flying around screeching.
Once 600 joined Highway 41 it was south for about 11 kilometers to Secondary Highway 599.
Here Dad met us again, fed us lunch and picked Mom up, leaving me to continue on solo.
It was a hot day (31 degrees) and I was going through a lot of water. I was not making especially good time (actually Mom had been cycling quite a bit faster than me on her road bike), and by 100 or 110 kilometres in I was really getting tired out and my pace was slowing discouragingly.
I had to stop twice to reapply sunscreen as the sun got lower in the west (and therefore more directly in my face), but otherwise I was just grinding it out in the low 20 kmph.
Just before 599 joins Highway 36 I passed through this valley, which was another surprisingly scenic spot. This county is called Paintearth, and I think this valley provides a clue as to why!
A few more kilometres later and I was in Castor.
I was very, very tired, and must have looked just awful what with all the sweat and sunscreen and sunburn on my face. I went to the Co-Op truck stop down the road, where showers were advertised. I asked the guy inside the store how they worked, and he told me they were for card-lock holders, but he would gladly let me in (again, I assume I looked just awful!). So I had a nice shower, then stopped at Castor's Shangri-La restaurant for dinner of ginger beef and stir-fried vegetables before heading back to Edmonton.
Driving down last night it was dark by the time I got to Castor, so I had missed the wind farm. I had no idea there were all these turbines around here!
