The alarm went off way too early this morning, but the smell of breakfast cooking in the kitchen soon got us up and going for the day. Thanks Raul and Kathy for getting our day off to a great start! The eggs, bacon, ham and hashbrowns was just what the doctor ordered for a big day of riding. After several weeks of restaurant food, it was great to have two home cooked meals in a row.
Before we knew it we were at the Manitoba border...
Before we knew it we were at the Manitoba border...
Ken needs to work on his French before we get to Quebec!
Cam enjoys a combination A&W/Tim's lunch in Virden. The riding conditions were fantastic this morning - a nice tailwind and cloud cover to keep the temperature comfortable. We rode almost 70 kms before stopping in Virden for lunch. The only hiccup was we forgot about the time change at the border, which set us back an hour. (Our riding friend David reminded us of this when we ran into him once again just before lunch!)
If you are ever in this part of the country you should know that Virden and the surrounding area is a cellular "black hole" for Telus customers. It was a strange feeling to be without all the info we rely on from our phones over a couple of hours on the TransCanada highway. Fortunately the Virden Subway had complementary WiFi, so we were able to reconnect with the home base.
If you are ever in this part of the country you should know that Virden and the surrounding area is a cellular "black hole" for Telus customers. It was a strange feeling to be without all the info we rely on from our phones over a couple of hours on the TransCanada highway. Fortunately the Virden Subway had complementary WiFi, so we were able to reconnect with the home base.
The rest of the ride was uneventful, except for a live Garter snake sighting, until about 10 kms from Brandon when Cam had...
Flat tire #5! (Ken is still at flat tire # 0!?!)
AJ, our hero of the day! We checked into the Super 8 in Brandon, on the recommendation of several people, and were very impressed The hotel recently re-opened after a fire a few years ago, and everything is new and very nicely furnished. We shared the details of our trip (including the website) with the friendly young lady at the front desk named AJ, who gave us the best customer service we've had on the trip so far. She went out of her way to help us with a number of things, including finding a bike shop to fix Cam's rear wheel which somehow lost a spoke. Later that night she astounded us, by leaving a note under our door saying our she had personally covered the cost of our room for the night! Her generosity and compassion for the cause is truly humbling! Thank you AJ - you are our Hero of the Day!
Paul and Lynda Stade Sometimes after riding all day we can't bear the thought of getting on the bikes again to go for supper, so tonight we ending up walking 2 Km's to the Beef and Barrel restaurant recommend by Cam's Aunt Kay and Uncle Myron. As Ken handed our waitress one of our cards, a lady and her husband at the only other occupied table approached Ken and asked him for one of our cards as well. We soon discovered that Rev. Paul Stade and his wife Lynda were good friends of Corina from El Jordan in Bolivia! They are serving at the First Baptist Church in Brandon, and had heard about our trip from an email Corina had sent out. What are the chances we would run in to them at a tiny restaurant in Brandon? It's becoming very clear to us that God is at work in all the details of our trip! And to top it off, they gave us a ride back to our hotel! Thanks again Paul and Lynda!
All of our activities today were overshadowed by the events going on back home, where the overflowing rivers have created unprecedented flooding in Calgary and area. Ken's family had to evacuate their home, but thankfully no flood damage has occurred so far. Our thoughts and prayers go out to those who have been affected in some way by these events. A song that Ken has been listening to over the course of the trip called Hope Now has become especially meaningful in light of these events going on. The lyrics to the second verse are:
And when my life is like a storm,
Rising waters, all I want is the shore.
You say I'll be OK, and make it through the rain,
Your are my shelter from the storm.
Ride Details
- Distance: 146.9 kms
- Riding time: 6 hours, 6 minutes
- Average speed: 24.1 kms/hour
- Wind: North West (Light to Moderate)
- Cumulative: 2,229.9 kms
Tomorrow's destination - Portage La Prairie - 126.0 kms
For more ride details see Strava and our Photo Gallery for more photos from today.
- Distance: 146.9 kms
- Riding time: 6 hours, 6 minutes
- Average speed: 24.1 kms/hour
- Wind: North West (Light to Moderate)
- Cumulative: 2,229.9 kms
Tomorrow's destination - Portage La Prairie - 126.0 kms
For more ride details see Strava and our Photo Gallery for more photos from today.