Four Days Toward Winnipeg 2013: Pre-ride Musings

Well, I am nearly off again on my 15th long-distance bicycle ride and my second solo ride. This time I have laid plans to ride north to Winnipeg, Manitoba, and back--about 2300 miles. And, on this ride, I am foolishly starting out after a winter of sitting on my behind before my computer gaining 20 extra pounds and with only a handful of training rides behind my behind. My first days will be painful and painfully slow methinks.

At this writing, the snow pack in the north continues to be very high and the temps very low. Winter storms hit in April and May with MN, the Dakotas, and farther north accumulating up to 50 inches, and . . . well, click this link to see the May story. When spring finally springs in these northern climes, there is a high possibility of flooding, particularly along the Red River which begins near Wahpeton, ND, and flows north to Winnipeg, creating a border between ND and MN before emptying into huge Lake Winnipeg, which in turn empties into Hudson's Bay and ultimately the Arctic Ocean. Why does the Rivière Rouge flow north? Gravity, daahlinks. The elevation near its source is a little over 200 feet higher than Lake Winnipeg.

Alaska

Because of the snow and potential for flooding, I consulted with cousins Paul and Janneka Guise in Winnipeg, and have changed my original start date of May 5 to Sat., May 11. I have also developed a second route. Paul has given me some good route advice. Below are my changes.

FIRST ROUTE

Hungary

Since Winnipeg is almost directly north of Stillwater, the first route I developed was a no-brainer, straight-haul almost entirely on, or very near, Hwy 77N to 75N (Lord Selkirk Hwy) in Canada. It is a route that contains no mountainous terrain, so in Feb. when I was creating it, I thought that the biggest obstacle would be lack of cover. This route with its agricultural flatlands and rolling prairie has few trees or protection from the sun, wind, and rain. However, a couple of months later, I now find that snow and flooding may be the biggest obstacles. Fargo, Grand Forks, and other cities along the Red River route are likely to be flooded in late May on this coldest spring ever. Also, Paul thinks that the Lord Selkirk Hwy, which parallels the Red River, may be under water in late May when I want to be on it; thus, I've devised an alternate route. I'd like to take the alternate route up through MN and this first route through the Dakotas back if the weather permits.

ALTERNATE ROUTE
The alternate route follows the first route to Sioux Falls, SD, but then veers east to Worthington, MN, and continues north through Minnesota, mostly on US-59. This prettier, more populated route sees me pedaling east of the Red River through the cities of Fergus Falls and Detroit Lakes and among some of Minnesota's many small western lakes. I bicycled through some of the towns on this route in 2009 with Bill Upton when on the C2C ride. This new route is about 100 miles longer than the original and a little more challenging (snow? mosquitoes, a couple of long days), but most of the time I will be at least 50 miles from the ND flood plain.

Mt Tam, Sausalito, CA

Outside Bellingham, Washington

I have loosely planned overnights on both routes, factoring in two rest days before Winnipeg (each after about 8 days of riding) and then two days in Winnipeg before heading back to Stillwater. After my January birding trip to Ecuador, my travel funds are at an all-time low, so I must take my tent and sleeping bag to lessen the motel toll. The round trip will take about 50 days give or take a few, and I will average about 50 miles per day. I will be riding my trusty Specialized road bike and pulling my ancient B.O.B. trailer, this time very lightly loaded as I plan on eating on the road and having husband, Jeff, send clothes and other necessities on to Winnipeg.

Where there are no campgrounds, I will stay with Warm Showers hosts when available and will stay in motels the rest of my nights, except those three nights in Winnipeg where I will stay with relatives. This time I have Google Maps, GPS, and Warm Showers apps on my iPhone, and there's a little bracket for the iPhone on my handlebars, so I should not get lost. "Should," I say, because the older I get the more "directionally challenged" I've become. Yes, I'll probably cycle some bonus miles.

I still laugh at my encounter with a guy in Buffalo on last spring's charity ride to Rhode Island. Both of us were lost. He called me over and asked for directions and then sized up my cockpit, telling me that I had to get GPS and scoffing playfully at my little gimbeled compass, which he said was low-tech and "probably made in Columbus's time." Course he didn't say anything about his "no-tech" travel as he was lost, too, and without any resources, technical or otherwise.

2000 West Coast Ride; the only ride on which I used panniers; I now pull a B.O.B. trailer. This photo--taken by daughter Jess in the CA redwoods--was used by Arkel, the mfg of the panniers, in their advertising

Why, I have asked myself, do I still follow this compulsion for long-distance cycling each spring/summer? A psychiatrist might tell you differently, but here are what I suspect to be my motivators:

"Old age crises" is beginning to set in; I will turn 71 on this ride and need to ride now while I still can so that I have no regrets later in life when I have to be less active--and, hey, when I do have to be less active, I can read my trip accounts and reminisce. (I make an illustrated trip account booklet after each adventure and am now transferring them to blogs so that I can share them more readily--see my account books below.)
Husband, Jeff, a professor at OSU, still loves his teaching, is self-sufficient, loves to cook, and after 43 years of marriage (44 years Aug. 9, 2013) a couple of months of independence is empowering for both of us.

1998 RDP Bronco Road Time Trial
Endurance rides give me something to plan and to look forward to during the more homebound winter months.
I like gaining muscle and losing pounds.
Each day on the road brings a sense of personal accomplishment and discovery.
I love being alone with my thoughts and few responsibilities other than finding food and shelter each day, but I also love sharing photos and my daily experiences with family and friends; hence, this blog and my past blogs, websites, and emails.
The excitement of what lies around the next bend in the road tugs at my wanderlust and blows away the foggy depression that hovers with inactivity.

Tune in Sunday to hear how my first day went.

P.S. If you would like to read some of my cycling, birding, and other blogs, all are listed when you click "View my complete profile" under my profile description in the right margin.