A Broken Tent Is A Dry Tent

The sound of heavy rain falling on my tent throughout night and into the morning disappeared with the realization that I was in fact dreaming since I no longer had a tent on which such rain could fall. That said, I had opened my window before going to bed last night (my room was just too quiet) and this morning the sound of heavy rain was now acting as today’s alarm clock. On the upside, at least I wasn’t going to have to pack up a wet tent.

On the upside, today’s planned ride was to Red Deer meaning I had a relatively short riding day of 80 km ahead of me. As such, I didn’t exactly rush to get out on the road this morning. I was hopeful that the rain would pass before I had to check out.

As it happens, it was housekeeping that seemed more intent on getting me to move on as there was a knock on my door at 9:30 – which seemed a little early to me. I was planning on heading out shortly anyway so I told the woman I’d be gone in about 30 minutes.

Moments after housekeeping had moved on to the next room, the phone in my room rang. It was Taewon at the front desk. He told me to disregard housekeeping and to not worry about rushing to get out of the room – it was raining after all. I doubt I’d get that kind of service at Super 8.

While making my final preparations to leave, I received a call from Alan from the Town of Stettler. He was following up on my tent report that I had filed yesterday. He said he was looking into it but it’s highly unlikely anything will come of the investigation. That said, I appreciated the call. At least I knew it was being taken somewhat seriously.

Despite Taewon’s offer to stay later, I was ready to go by 10:00. And the rain was kind enough to stop by then too. I returned my room key to Taewon at the front desk and prepared to head west again. But not before getting a photo with my first (and only) official sponsor. As much as I wished my tent didn’t get wrecked, I really enjoyed my stay at the motel as well as the conversations with Taewon. Be sure to stop by the Plains Motor Inn if you ever find yourself in Stettler.

The ride to Red Deer was generally uneventful – although, the shoulder over the first 20 km along Highway 12 was in pretty bad condition. Reports of Alberta having the best roads in the country may have been premature. However, things improved considerably once I turned onto Highway 11. The biggest surprise was probably the weather which cleared up completely after the heavy early morning rain. And the wind which has frequently been problematic was a complete non-factor today.

Actually, the biggest surprise of the day came in the form of an e-mail from Tara who generously contributed to my “New Tent Fund”. For the record, prior to her contribution no such fund actually existed but it does now. I’m still hoping I’ll be able to just get some replacement poles but, from what I’ve seen online, the poles seem to be the most expensive part of the tent anyway. Either way, thanks Tara! I’ll be sure to post photos once I figure out what my tent solution is.

It would be safe to say that I took a very leisurely approach to today’s ride. Anna, my Warm Showers host for tonight, works until 5:00 so getting to Red Deer quickly wasn’t at all necessary. As such, I stopped frequently for water, snacks, and the occasional photo. Even with all the stops I still made very good time and arrived in Red Deer by 3:00.

Having not really had a real breakfast this morning, I made my way to the nearest Subway which also happened to be conveniently located a couple of kilometres from Anna’s place. A lack of WiFi though made my simple Subway stop somewhat short (oooh, nice alliteration!). And so, I continued south about a kilometre to the Home of Free WiFi … aka. Tim Hortons.

Fast-forward a couple of hours later to where I met Anna at her apartment complex. Not surprisingly, Anna is great. Very friendly and incredibly generous – from hosting on short notice to a post-ride beer to an excellent dinner, and of course, being an interesting person to talk with … add in a warm shower, WiFi, and laundry machines and I couldn’t ask for more. Thanks again, Anna.

I’m not entirely sure what my plan is for tomorrow night. Calgary is certainly within reach from Red Deer, it’s more a matter of accommodation. Maybe I can find a nice bridge under which I could sleep.

Today’s totals:
Distance travelled: 83.88 km
Ride time: 3:51:17
Average speed: 21.76 km/h
Maximum speed: 53.22 km/h