OK, so I have been talking about a surprise on this trip and I am about to come good on my promise. But first I have to say a few words about yesterday's ride from Brandon Manitoba to Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan. The ride was nice with very little traffic to slow me down.The highlight was a detour to my dear friend Bill Tholl's family farm which is north of the TCH just west of Grenfell, Saskatchewan. Bill, and his wife Paula, have given me detailed instructions and maps so that I could find the home. The12 miles to the Tholl farm is on the gravel secondary road to Neudorf that is lined with huge golden wheat, yellow canola and purple flax fields on either side. I can't imagine what it would have been like growing up there, though the final product turned out pretty well.
I arrived at the Temple Gardens Hotel and Spa at around 3:30 and spend nearly an hour soaking in the large hot mineral water pool for which the place is famous.
And then the mystery guest arrived. His name is Greg Basky, a colleague and friend of Jane who is an executive at the Saskatchewan Health Quality Council. Greg started riding 5 years ago and when he heard from Jane that I was going to be riding west this summer he kindly offered to join me for a few days. He and I introduced ourselves over dinner at Brown's Social House and started off together this morning. We rode from Moose Jaw to Lethbridge with a stop for lunch at The Star Cafe and Grill on Main Street in Maple Creek. Our very spicy (we were warned) smoked paprika chicken breast salads and ice tea were very good.
The ride from the Saskatchewan-Alberta border in sweltering heat was not very interesting, particularly the long bit where we were stuck behind a line of cars and a tanker trailer truck. At one point Greg took matters into his own hands and lurched out to pass the laggards; and what could I do? Well, crank the throttle and follow him. When we reached the Holiday Inn in Lethbridge at 4:15 it was 36 degrees and the asphalt was melting under our feet as we waited at red lights on the highway.
After some down time and a shower we ventured off for dinner at a really amazing establishment, the Owl Acoustic Lounge. As the name suggests this is a live entertainment venue where different groups and individuals perform nightly while patrons drink beer and whatever else, and order from what has to be the funniest menu I've ever seen. Here is how my $14 1/2 BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwich is described: "Savoury pulled pork stacked with coleslaw and Barbeque sauce. We tried pulling the pork apart when the pig is still alive and it turns out their skin is quite tough. We smoke it in-house and it comes out nice and tender after the pig has been prepared by a butcher. Not everyone pulls their pork the same, you have to see what works for you." While there was no entertainment tonight, except for the reading of the menu that is, our meals and the beer we had with them were great and the service were excellent. Our waitress gave each of us a menu as a souvenir of our visit. This is certainly an establishment I would recommend to anyone who visits or drives through Lethbridge. I must say that having someone to ride with, to share meals with, and to swap stories about bike trips is actually quite enjoyable. As I sit here single-finger pecking out the letters for each word for this instalment, Greg, a former journalist (ink stained wretch) and communications expert is effortlessly typing away on his computer as he completes his own blog post.
Tomorrow the blogging bikers ride to Creston B.C. Let's hope that it's not as hot as today, or at least that there aren't any tanker trailers.
Sorry that there are no pictures with this post but a technical problem, which one of the best minds from Saskatchewan is working on, prevents me from uploading pictures from my iPad to this particular blog application.
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