Day’s distance / Total distance – 362 miles / 1,580 miles
Another beautiful day with temperatures ranging from 55 to 85. High clouds at times but mostly sunny. Wind at my back all day.
I could not order a more perfect day.
My GPS routed me out of Regina via the Albert Memorial Bridge is rumored to be the longest bridge over the shortest span of water in the world.
The bridge is the pride of residents of Regina. I met two of those proud residents this morning -a father and son who live next to it. They told me about the record it holds which I mentioned above. Too cool.
After riding for over an hour, I pulled off onto one of the frequent ranch roads to eat a banana I grabbed at breakfast.
I promised more creative shot that still captured a sense of the geography.
Soon I was crossing into Manitoba – another first!
Well into Manitoba, and during my second fuel stop, I met Gordon. We chatted for a while. He told me of his ride in South America and I spoke of some of my rides.
He suggested I follow him into Winnipeg and that we use Hwy 26 to get there, describing it as a rural and sometimes twisty alternative to the Trans-Canada Hwy.
Off we went!
The road surface was pretty rough, with a lot of patches and more than a couple significant frost heaves. However, that didn’t keep us or other bikers (and bicyclists) from using it.
Fall colors are starting to appear in this part of the country.
I chose to stay at Fort Garry, a historic hotel in the heart of Winnipeg.
After a swim and sauna at the hotel, I strolled across the street to The Keg for dinner. Yum!
Tomorrow, Day 6, is my longest day, measured by expected time in the saddle. I’ll reach Thunder Bay on the shore of Lake Superior.
I first visited Lake Superior on Day 7 of my 2016 Northern States Tour at Silver Bay, Minnesota, some 130 miles to the south of Thunder Bay. It will be great to see it again.