With the tough decision the avoid the harsh conditions to the far North, I could not come this far withouty seeing more. So I left Edson before daybreak and went West. The bank signs were saying 8C. I don't know what that is in F, but its kinda cold. As I made my way further West, it continued to get colder. About an hour into it, I decided to stop for a coffee to warm up and tossed my electric vest on. That proved to be a necessity. I also slipped out of my 3-season gloves and dug out my ski gloves.
I rode down thru Jasper on the Icefields Parkway. It was cold. Real cold. Who wudda thunk it?? I spent HOURS in the parks taking lots of photos (which I will share later). I spent half my day going only a third of my total distance for the day. I can't complain. It was a highlite.
Calgary was slow. Once past Calgary, I hauled ass across the rest of Alberta and into SK. Somewhere in SE Albert, it rained on me. It wasn't bad, and I was still wearing my rain gear. I think I even said "is that all you got?". It got hot shortly after and I switched back into my mesh gear. A half hour later, it rained on me again. After about 17 hours in the saddle and nearly 900 miles, I sputtered (literally) into the first gas station in Regina SK.
Here in Regina, I had a VERY NICE room waiting for me at the Holiday Inn Suites, thanks to Scott Payne. Scott is a good friend that I've known for less than a year. He cashed in some Priority Club points and arranged the stay. Rolling in late and having absolutely no worries checking in was a huge help, and greatly appreciated. I wasn't gonna call him out on it, but he deserves the credit. People like Scott continue to help me out and it has made a tough trip much more managable.
I'm moving slow this morning. Have tried to stick with Eastern Time for this whole trip, but find that now as I'm heading back East, my body seems to be on Moutain Time (or maybe its still making the shift to Alaskan Time). I'm heading toward the border this morning. Crossing into ND. That's another new State for me. My next stop is Gurnee IL (North Chicago). It was my intent to do that leg in one shot, but I'm gonna hafta break it up.
Don't know where I'll be tonight. I might camp if I find myself in a warm area and I'm feeling up to it. Hopefully there will be a few interesting things to see today.
Will try to post a few updates along the way.
Sent from my BlackBerry.
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