When the west wind blows...

The wind blew and blew and I learnt about the power and relentnessness of the gusts across this immense expanse of flatlands.

I woke up late-ish again and am on the road by 9.30. The wind is blowing and gusting strongly with yellow fields around me and white clouds moving and skidding across the blue sky. Already I am down to 3rd gear on my bike and it takes about 3 and a half hours just to get 33kms to Neepawa, the next town on route 16 known as the yellowhead route to saskatoon. at times I just fight to keep the bike upright, other times the smallest rise seems like a mountain. I employ the 'dont look further than 5 metres in front of you tactic' so as to not be too discouraged by the slow progress.

At Neepawa and I stop for lunch at a diner and watch my bike be blown over and my helmet and sunglasses get flung across the car park by the wind and have to run out to save all my items from dissappearing back towards Winnipeg. A couple in the diner ask how I'm doing in the wind and say that they had passed me on the way into town. I'm feeling forlorn, vulnerable and tired but dont really want to show too much of this desperation with strangers so laugh about the experience with them. Inside though I feel a sense of emerging gloom at the idea of making the next town 28kms away but also am unable to let myself call time of todays mileage at just 33kms.

I set off on a slighly rising straight road away from town and cycle and struggle to keep the bike upright in the wind. After about 20 minutes I look back and the town is still shockingly present in my eyesight and I have to laugh at the python-esqueness of my efforts against nature.

Then, and this has happened on various occasions during the trip, I feel like I am blessed personally by the kindest fate. I am aiming to get to Minnedosa which is 28kms further along but at my current speed will take 2 or even 3 hours in this wind but a tractor comes past at about 25km's per hour and i jump behind it as it provides virtually complete shade from the tempest. I ride in its shelter, unsure how far it will go, but unbelieveavbly happy to get any form of shelter whatsoever.

There are a number of lanes and farm tracks it could turn down and I silently pray that it stays on the main road for a bit further, and then a bit further, and maybe a bit further still and it goes all 28kms to Minnedosa and I make it there in just over an hour instead of the feared 3 hours.

Then, with the old desire to get mileage under my wheels I start to think that maybe I could make the next town. I begin to head off beyond the town again but realise the futility of what I'm trying as the wind has showed no signs of abating. The energy expended doesn't translate into the distance I'm getting so finally give and turn around and settle in at Minnedosa for the night.