Lethbridge to Taber
On the road by 8:10 with 'all' of our rain gear on. 7 degrees and raining hard as we made our way out of 'cycling unfriendly' Lethbridge. It is difficult to enjoy the scenery under such circumstances. It appears that the Taber area is mostly cropland. Alfalfa, wheat, potatoes were visible to us through the haze. We passed by a very large McCain's plant but are unsure what is being produced there. (Sorry Mary Lou)! Taber is also the sweetcorn capital of Canada and is the headquarters of Frito-Lay Canada. One wonders if a lot of potatoes are grown here?
It was kind of ironic that everything is irrigated in this area. 375 km long irrigation canal and today all the farmland was flooded. That could well be because of the 50 mm of rainfall overnight and the 75 mm that fell today and by the time this storm clears out. (Hopefully by tomorrow morning)!!!
Many things were tested today: our rain gear, our layering of clothing, our abilities to ride in 40km winds, and certainly our ability to persevere. It really was hard to stay positive and yet while stopped for 'hot chocolate' a couple of times we were inspired by the local people's interest in what we were trying to accomplish. (Maybe they all just thought we were nuts, who knows)!!!
We are staying at the Heritage Inn. Again not camping, but as we entered Taber looking like 'drowned rats' in the 'pouring' 4 degree weather, we felt a warm dry room might be prudent. Southern Alberta weather is certainly not hospitable.
Daily Distance = 54.00 km in the pouring rain. Time on the bikes = a wet 4 hours 40 minutes. Average Speed = a blistering 11.52 km. Maximum Speed = 20.35 km. Wildlife Sightings = wildlife are not dumb enough to be out in weather like this except for the Shovellers.
Kevin = 3 Sue = 0.
"Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass...it's about learning to dance in the rain".
