2014: Winnipeg to Yorkton

The Plan

After having had my bicycle stolen in August 2013, I had decided not to purchase a new one that year.  I had ridden from Saskatoon to Yorkton in 2013 on my old bike, but I did not want to ride it on a long distance trip again.  But, rather than buy a new bike in Edmonton, I decided I would save the expense and hassle of flying the bike and simply buy it in Winnipeg, and then ride back to Yorkton.  From Yorkton, I would take the bus to Saskatoon as I had in 2013, and then on home from there.  This would complete the Saskatoon-Winnipeg stretch I had wanted to complete in 2013 before losing my bike.  Since I wanted the new bike for as much of the summer of 2014 as possible, I decided to do my bike trip early on in the summer.  I ordered my bike from MEC in Winnipeg, and requested that all the additions and changes be made so that it would be waiting for me when I arrived.

May 29, 2014

Late in the afternoon on Thursday, May 29, I flew to Winnipeg direct from Edmonton on WestJet.  I took a small back pack and my two bike panniers.

Once at the airport, I caught a bus downtown to the University of Winnipeg, where I checked in at a dorm there.  

The place was nice enough, but lacked air conditioning, a real disappointment given that it was 31 degrees Celsius. 

May 30, 2014

The next morning I caught a bus down Portage Avenue.  I ate breakfast at a Tim Horton's in the MTS Centre and then walked over to Mountain Equipment Co-op when it opened at 10:00.  There were very few customers inside, but one that was besides me was the Manitoba premier, Greg Selinger!  That was a surprise. 

I picked up my bike from the guys in the back, and it had been all assembled with the new parts and accessories added as I had asked.  The employee helping me even dug up a new visor for my helmet and a missing clip for my pannier, so I was all set.

I paid for everything and cycled out of the store and down to the river. 



I spent the rest of the morning cycling along both the Red and Assiniboine Rivers, about a total of 40 kilometres.  Not only did it give me a good chance to test out the new bike, but it also allowed me to see some of Winnipeg's sites, including the nearly-complete Museum of Human Rights;

and the Manitoba legislature.

Late that afternoon I went to the YMCA and had a bit of a swim and soak in the hot tub.  I was disappointed how tired out I was from just that amount of cycling, but the hot tub sure felt nice.

After the Y I took a nap and then headed down to Shaw Park, where the Winnipeg Goldeyes play in an independent baseball league.  The stadium is right near the human rights museum.

I (along with nearly 5,000 other fans) watched the Goldeyes play the Lincoln Saltdogs.  Winnipeg was ahead 3-0 after 8 innings, but two relief pitchers managed to let the Saltdogs score four in the top of the ninth.  Instead of allowing the game to end in a 4-3 loss, however, the Goldeyes decided to send us home happy, launching a 2-run homer in the bottom of the ninth for the walk-off win.  

May 31, 2014

I began my cycling trip the next morning--but only cycled as far as Headingley, about 15 kilometres west of Winnipeg's downtown. 

I checked into Headingley's brand-spanking new Motel 6, did some laundry, swam in their saltwater pool, and then biked down to Assiniboine Downs to watch a few races (leaving up $1.20!), before turning in early.

June 1, 2014

I was on the road, Highway 1, by 7:30 after a quick breakfast of a cup of coffee, a couple of granola bars, and a handful of peanuts.

The morning was perfect--blue sky, no wind, and a temperature in the low teens.  Given the conditions, I was disappointed that I could not cruise at a speed over 30 kmph, but I was content moving well in the high-twenties nonetheless. 

At several points in the early morning I was startled by a little groundhog moving along in the grass beside me, their brown backs just breaking through the green grass, undulating like a white-capped wave in a blue ocean.

At Portage La Prairie I left Highway 1 and cycled through town, stopping at McDonald's for a real breakfast.  I had now put about 75 kilometres behind me, with roughly 130 to go for the day to get to Minnedosa.  I was averaging over 28 kmph, so I was very pleased, and figured I would be in in Minnedosa in five hours or so. 

I spent about 20 minutes at McDonald's and then got back on the highway, heading due north where Highway 16 splits from Highway 1, about ten kilometres outside of Portage La Prairie. 

As soon as I made this turn my speed dropped dramatically, and I was struggling to even keep it in the high-teens.  Eventually Highway 16 turns westward, so I figured the conditions would improve once that happened.  But I was wrong.  The next 120 kilometres were some of the toughest I have ever cycled.  The wind was gusting violently, and even between gusts was very steadily against me.  It did not seem to matter whether I was heading north or west, or northwest, wind seemed to fight me every way.

Around noon I popped in my headphones and tuned into the Blue Jays game live from Toronto, so that helped distract me some from the misery of having such a difficult time traveling so slow.

Shortly after the game ended I stopped at a gas station in a place called Gladstone and bought some snacks for lunch.  I was starving.

I stopped again not much further down the highway at Neepawa for more food.  It was now after 17:00 and I still had almost 30 kilometres to go.

The absurdity of the conditions really struck me when I finally was outside of Minnedosa and turned off Highway 16 onto 16A heading north into town.  16A runs down a large hill into the Little Saskatchewan River valley--a hill I would typically coast down at well over 40, if not 50, kmph.  This evening, I was cycling hard downhill to reach 15 kmph.  I laughed despite the misery.

I limped through Minnedosa's quaint downtown to the Gateway Motel.  An ex-pat British couple seem to own and run the place, and they arranged for me to do my laundry while I walked down to Sun Sun Chinese for take out. 



June 2, 2014

I slept in on purpose, and lingered over the motel's continental breakfast.  It was raining, and I was hoping it would let up later in the morning.  It was 8:50 by the time I loaded up and rolled out of the parking lot.  It was still drizzling, the sky dark and overcast, and the road was still wet, but the heavy rain had let up.

I had entered Minnedosa from the south, and this morning I took 16A north.  Immediately I had to go up hill, coming out of the valley Minnedosa is nestled in. 

It was a wet, cool, windy, slow climb, and I could tell it would be another long day.  Really I was not as sore as I might have been, but the wind was about as bad as it had been on Sunday, and even once I reached level ground I was struggling.

After about 9 kilometres I reached the intersection with Highway 16 proper, which would eventually take me west and north through Russell and to the border with Saskatchewan. The rain stopped quickly, thankfully, but it remained overcast for most of the day, which at least meant it was cool and rather pleasant to bike in.  But the wind continued steadily and my pace was slow for the next several hours and into the late afternoon.  From Minnedosa to Russell there are a handful of villages and hamlets, but everything is very small, and traffic is minimal, and the road bad.  Frequently I did not even have a paved shoulder to ride in.   

It was a real grind day, mentally just pushing myself onward kilometre after kilometre.  I stopped as rarely as I could manage, eating snacks from my jersey pockets and drinking from the water bottle in my bike mount.  The highlights of the afternoon was a deer running along with me close to the road for a hundred meters or so, and a couple of CNR trains blowing their horns for me when I gestured with my arm for them to do so.  The low points were semi trucks coming by, pushing me into the dirt or gravel.  

It was around 16:30  and the sun was coming out as it lowered in the sky when I limped into Russell, more or less hanging over my handlebars, begging my bike to coast, pedalling as little as possible.  I stopped at A&W to get a burger and a sweet, ice-cold mug of frothy root beer.  A&W root beer out of those icy glass mugs really hits the spot on a long day of cycling.     

From Russell the highway runs almost due west to the border and, 15 kilometres beyond that, northwest in a straight line to the little town of Langenburg.  I was biking into the warm early evening sun, which felt lovely, but gave me a bit of a sunburn, I realized later.  I was still moving slowly, but at least I was in the home stretch--plus I would gain an hour at the border.  The highway crosses the Assinboine River just prior to the border, and I hit my highest speed of the trip descending to the bridge--just over 42 kmph.  It was a gorgeous valley and I didn't even mind the climb out of it.

Shortly after that I passed the "Welcome to Manitoba" sign;

and then I entered Saskatchewan.



I was wiped once I got to Langenburg, but happy to know I had completed the vast majority of my trip, with only about 80 kilometres to go to Yorkton. 

A friendly Chinese couple checked me into my room at the Langenburg Motel, and I threw my clothes into the tub to rinse, took a quick cold bath, and an even quicker warm shower--all while watching the New York Yankees play a make-up game against the Seattle Mariners on my tablet.  I was worried if I lingered too long that I would miss my chance to buy dinner, so I hurried back outside, onto my bike, and rode down the highway towards the couple of blocks with businesses.  I was hoping to eat Chinese again, but the Golden Bowl restaurant had a "Closed" sign in its window, because it is closed Monday.  There was a typically small town Saskatchewan sketchy bar--although no hotel above, surprisingly--but otherwise my only option was Subway.  The lone grocery store had closed at 18:00, and it was now past 19:00.

There were four employees busily cleaning and putting things away behind the Subway counter, but one, the newest one, got my sandwich ready.  I ordered a turkey sandwich, a bowl of soup, a bag of chips, two cookies, and a bottle of Coke, but the girl was too new to even blink when she told me my total was $13.  Or perhaps $13 orders at Subway are normal and I shouldn't be so surprised. 

I took the collection back to my motel room and turned the ball game back on while I ate.  The hot soup especially hit the spot, but everything tasted great and I polished it all off, albeit over a couple of hours.  I took a longer cold bath and an even longer hot shower and shaved in between, and then I made a pot of coffee to drink with my cookies.

I adjusted the A/C to a comfortable level, and climbed into bed.  I read a chapter of W.P. Kinsella's novel, If Dreams Were Horses, and fell asleep.

June 3, 2014

I was up just after 7:00, the sun already bright between the cracks of my curtain.  I showered for a third time, put on my cycling clothes, some of which were still pleasantly damp and cool, and loaded up my bike.  I applied a good layer of sunscreen onto my face and neck and pushed my bike outside; it was as warm as it was bright. 

Once on the highway I could tell that it would not be an easy day of riding, but at least it was a short day, I told myself.  I stopped at Subway for breakfast on my way out of town, and ate an egg sandwich, a yogurt parfait, and drank some OJ.  I didn't want to waste time drinking a hot coffee, so I put it off.

The morning remained sunny and the wind continued blowing against me, although not with the intensity of the previous two days.  The road was straight and rather quiet, the red-winged blackbirds noisy, and I counted the kilometres one by one.

I managed to beat the really intense heat of the day, getting to Yorkton just after 12:00.  I had hoped for a fast, easy, triumphant ride, but instead it was only steady.  But I was finished, and now I just had to figure out getting home.

I stopped at Walmart to get coffee and a fruit and fibre muffin at McDonald's, and a towel, ball cap, and sandals.  Then I biked across Yorkton on Broadway to the rec centre, where I asked if I could use the pool.  Sadly it was 12:45 and public swim ended at 13:00.  So rather than be able to enjoy the pool, hot tub, and steam room, I just took a shower.  I dried with my new towel, changed into street clothes, and threw away my shoes and changed into sandals.  Back outside it was now getting very, very hot, and the sun very, very intense, exactly as it had been last year in August.

From the rec centre I biked back downtown to a restaurant called "Love," which had an Indian lunch buffet on.  The restaurant was dark and cool and I ate my fill of basmati rice, paneer mutter, butter chicken, and naan over the next hour or so.

The bus was scheduled to leave at 17:00, so after eating lunch I still had time, so I went down to McDonald's for another coffee and took the chance to charge up my phone. 

I went to the Saskatchewan Transport Company (STC) station plenty early, around 15:30, and bought my ticket and bike box.  The lady who runs the depot--the same lady I had interacted with last year--was a bit of a grump, once again complaining that I should have to pay freight on the bike.  But I insisted I didn't have to, and she rolled her eyes and said, "Thirty dollars for the box." It crossed my mind that it should probably be $31.50, with 5% GST, but I didn't bother asking.

I borrowed tape and a marker and dissembled my bike outside, hiding as much as possible in the shade created by the assembled box.  This new bike I bought has internal gear shifting, so taking off the rear wheel was much more challenging than I had anticipated.  But eventually it came apart and I got it all in the box, adding as much of my luggage as I could around it here and there.  I taped it all up, wrote my name and telephone number on the top, and pushed it against the wall to wait for the bus.  

Once the bus arrived the driver gave me the same complaint about the bike--"you should have to pay freight for this--it takes up most of my luggage area"--but I shrugged, helped him load it, and boarded the bus, chuckling inside and thinking--"Take it up with your bosses, folks, I don't make the policies."

The bus had Wifi and two electric plugs by each pair of seats, which made it one of the more enjoyable bus rides I have ever taken.  I watched baseball on my tablet, and, in between innings, the farms and small towns outside of the window.

We got to Saskatoon around 21:00, and there I had to decide what to do with my bike.  I could simply abandon it, and hope the baggage guys would put it in the parcel room; I could drag it into the waiting area and abandon it there, hoping it would still be there tomorrow; or I could try to persuade someone to store it for me.  I couldn't think of any other options--walking down the street with it to the hotel seemed impossible, and I certainly wasn't about to reassemble it and then dissemble it tomorrow, paying another $30 for a new box while I was at it.

I walked into the terminal to use the washroom, giving the baggage guys a few minutes to potentially resolve my problem for me.  But the box was outside the bus awaiting me when I came back, so I found a friendly looking STC employee  and explained my situation.  ". . . so I'm hoping you can keep it here for me, and I'll just pick it up tomorrow morning."

"Well, we could . . ." he began, and with that admission I was not going to take no for an answer.  He was reluctant, but threw it on his cart nonetheless, and I thanked him profusely.

From the bus depot I walked a few blocks to my motel, the Northgate Inn.  I ordered Panago delivery and went to bed once I'd eaten salad and chicken wings.  

June 4, 2014

The bus to Edmonton leaves at 11:00, so I went first thing to the bus station to buy my ticket.  I asked the lady about my bike, and she said she was not sure if I would have to pay or not to take it with me, so she said I should only do so if the driver told me I had to.

   

I still had lots of time, so I went for a little walk and took my time getting some breakfast at a cafe in a downtown office tower.

Around 10:00 I went back to the bus station, but this time to the building in the rear, where the parcel pick up counter is located.  The man there was taping up a box when I walked in.

"Hi, I'm looking for my bike, it's in a box back there somewhere."

"Oh?  What's your name?"

I told him my name.  "The box came in with me last night and I'm taking it on the bus to Edmonton today."

"Did you pay for it already?"

"No, it's coming as my luggage."

"Oh, then that's why it's not labeled."

"Yeah.  I brought it with me from Yorkton yesterday."

"Did you pay for the box?"

"Uh-huh, thirty bucks."

"Oh!  Hey I need a dollar fifty from you . . ."

I laughed.  "I was wondering . . ."

"Yeah, for the GST."

I dropped a loonie and two quarters on the counter.  "Now my till will balance."  He looked very pleased.  "I'll have a guy bring it to the bus," he said, as cheerful as ever.  "Just fill this out"--he handed me a sticker--"and put it on the box.  Meet the guy by the bus."

"Great, I said, thanks a lot."  A dollar fifty never bought me so much goodwill.  A young guy was pushing a cart with the box on it when I had walked back around to the passenger depot.  "Hi," I said, "that's mine, I just have to stick this on it." 

"Sure," he said, and I applied my sticker. 

"Thanks a lot."

"No problem, it's going to Edmonton, right?"

"Yeah."

"Should I load it?"

"Sure," I said, happy that the box would get on the bus without the driver having to deal with it and potentially ask me to pay the oversize baggage fee.  "Thanks."

Not only did he load it, he came to find me in the terminal to ensure it was okay to put the box on its side; what great service. 

With nothing left to worry about, I settled in for the ride, seven hours including a half hour stop in Lloydminster.  The Greyhound coach lacked both Wifi and electrical outlets, but the trip went faster than I expected it to nonetheless.

When the bus arrived in Edmonton it was raining cats and dogs.  I attempted to put my bike back together, but the back wheel which had been so difficult to get off was even harder to get back on.  I ended up pushing my bike the few blocks home through the rain.  Totally soaked, it was nice to be home.