(Saskatoon Cycling Club tour)
June 21-22,
1997
© Darrell Noakes, for the Saskatoon
Cycling Club
Our annual Solstice tour to Rosthern has come and gone for another year. Although several members mentioned they were looking forward to the trip, only Mark and I departed that drizzly Saturday morning in June. Was this an omen of things to come, or just a midsummer night's bad dream?
The forecast called for scattered showers and, besides, it was warm out, so we decided to go for it. As we passed the Wanuskewin turnoff we faced that age-old dilemma of cyclists: if we speed up just a little bit will we make it between the break in those two rain clouds or if we slow down and let them pass can we get through before the next one arrives? We decided to head for the break. However, a little ways south of Warman the two storms merged (so much for our break) and let loose with rain like I've never seen before! In the time it took to decide to pull off the road to find shelter I was already soaked to the bone - I could even feel water trickling through the chamois of my cycling shorts (ick!). It was a very warm rain, so we just kept on riding even though our toes squished with every pedal stroke. The hard rain washed all the grit and oil off the roads, so it was a very pleasant way to ride. Heck, I even washed my chain cleaner than it's been in years! The downpour barely lasted 15 minutes, so we had the rest of the day to dry out as we rode.
When we got to Osler, we decided to search for the restaurant indicated on the 1-km-to-town sign on the highway. Normally, small town restaurants are on main street, so that's where we headed. We couldn't see any restaurant, but we sure could see dark clouds rolling in from the west. We asked at the food store if there was a restaurant in town and they directed us up one of the side streets, where we found the Mennonite Kitchen. What a find! We arrived there just as the staff sat down to recover from the lunchtime swarms. That was a good sign. Bruce and I long ago discovered the First Rule of Eating on a bike trip: always go for the place that has the biggest crowd (the corollary is: NEVER eat at the place with no-one in it). After their delicious farmer sausage lunch special - and black forest trifle for dessert and a piece of rhubarb cake for good measure - it was back on the road. It had rained during lunch, but we now had clearing skies ahead of us.
We stopped briefly in Hague, then continued on to Rosthern, where we needed to pick up groceries before Friesen's store closed. We got to Rosthern with plenty of time to spare, so we wandered around the grocery store filling our baskets the way only cyclists can when they're hungry at the end of the day ("Funny, with that huge package of farmer sausage in the basket, I'm still hungry. Maybe I should throw in that bag of cookies and those bananas and see if that helps. Nope. Still hungry. Maybe if I picked up some of these...."). By the time we got through the cashier it was raining again, so we ducked through all the covered doorways until we reached the bakery. Still hungry from all that grocery shopping, I picked up a sausage roll and had them nuke it right there. Mark picked up a cinnamon twist.
The rain let up somewhat while we ate, but hadn't stopped, We decided to make a break for the campground anyway. Bad move. Cyclists are magnets for headwinds and rain, and as soon as we were safely out of town it let loose like I'd only ever seen once before (coincidentally, the same day). So much for arriving dry at camp.
Even with the rain and being soaked, we found it quite warm at camp. Besides, the kitchen shelter provided plenty of room to spread out our things and get supper going. In typical cyclist fashion, we had lemon-pepper linguine with tomato-basil pesto sauce for an appetizer, followed by some of Friesen's famous farmer sausage fried with onions. Add a little pudding and some bananas for dessert, a bottle of Marechal Foch to make the experience civilized and soon you're ready for some supper - again.
A little after dinner, a couple of other cyclists rode into camp. One was a runner from Saskatoon, the other a member of the Wascana Freewheelers. And guess what? The sun was shining! Hey, time to eat some more!
That's when we discovered the Third Rule of Eating on a bike trip: ALWAYS wait for your food to cook thoroughly before eating it. (The Second Rule of Eating has something to do with restaurants that describe desserts as being "smothered" in strawberry coloured UFOs - unidentified floating objects. But that's another story.) Mark somehow managed to ingest something that should have stayed in the pan a little longer. Around midnight he got very sick and never fully recovered during the trip.
The next morning we awoke early under clearing skies (actually, Mark never really slept) and made a good, stick-to-your-ribs pot of oatmeal. Then, after packing up our gear, we headed into Rosthern for breakfast. Most of us have tried the pancakes or French toast at the Chinese restaurant in town, but few of us have tried the Chinese fare. When I consider all the times we've eaten there on various trips, I wonder how we could have missed trying the other portions of the menu. This is one of the best Chinese restaurants in Saskatchewan!
Under cloudy skies we got back on the road, looking forward to dry pavement and tail winds all the way into Saskatoon. Mark bailed out and called for a ride in Hague, where visions of the previous night's supper still danced in his throat. I continued on to Saskatoon alone.
A steady drizzle started just as I approached Warman, followed by a change in wind direction. At least I was getting close to home and a warm shower. Highway riding in the rain can be pleasant. It's only when you get into town, when the traffic spews up all the crud on the road, that things are no longer fun.
At 33rd Street and 2nd Avenue, I had my first ever experience with a driver that actually tried to run me off the road! I've encountered stupid, obnoxious idiots lots of times, but never any who actually endangered my safety. As I was crossing the railway tracks at the intersection to head south on 2nd, some twit leaned on her horn then tried to pass between me, the tracks and the curb. She brushed right by me, accelerating the whole time and looking everywhere but at me (I got a good look at her through the window as I screamed at her as she went past). As soon as I recovered my balance and got through all the tracks, I tried to catch her but she had too much of a head start. After riding 65 km, it's not easy trying to get up to traffic speeds in the rain, in a headwind, on potholed street, dragging 50 lbs of soaking wet gear along for the ride. I lost track of her - along with what was left of my lungs - just as we were approaching the downtown core.
All in all, in spite of the rain and bad driver, the trip was a welcome break from the week. The cycling did what cycling does best: release tons of endorphins into my brain and build a well deserved, monstrous appetite.
Post Script: Bonus! New shower and washroom building at Valley Regional Park in Rosthern.
Post Post Script: On a recent trip to Osler, we discovered that the restaurant is now called 2nd Avenue Kafe. New name, but still wonderful meals.
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