Why
we build in "rain days"
Borden Bridge trip June 10 - 11, 2000
Saskatoon
Cycling Club
© Darrell Noakes, Saskatoon Cycling Club
So, there we all were, watching the weather forecast yesterday morning, while I browsed back and forth between Environment Canada's satellite and radar images. Outside, rain falling from a low, dark sky splashed on the sidewalk and gurgled in the downspout outside my window.
This wasn't in last night's forecast!
From the radar imagery, it looked like we just happened to have got out of bed when the worst of the rain was over Saskatoon and Prince Albert. That explains the 6:40 a.m. phone call from John and Paulette in Prince Albert.
"Are we still going? Is it too wet? It's really raining up here!"
Almost two hours later, Bruce was on the phone.
"Hey! According to the weather channel, there's nothing between Calgary and Winnipeg! Where's Saskatoon? I hate these guys!"
"Well," I said, flipping from the text forecast to the radar image, "I think the worst of it will be by us soon. I think the weather will be OK to ride."
"I got an e-mail from Carole," Bruce said.
A short, early morning question from Carole: Is this a rain or shine event?
Saskatoon to Borden Bridge is only a short tour, 50 km to a scenic campground nestled in chokecherry and saskatoon bushes along the banks of the North Saskatchewan River. It's perfect for beginners or for an early season shake down cruise. In this instance, it was a perfect way for Bruce and Leigh to see how well they could tour on their new recumbents. Carole hadn't been out on a tour yet this season, with RAGBRAI only a few weeks away. John and Paulette wanted to get out and tour with the club. I was dying to haul something other than groceries and school materials in my BOB and to try out my new tent. We were all looking forward to this tour, but we weren't looking forward to a rainy weekend.
"How about we leave a little later?" Bruce said. "That'll also give us time to finish packing. I really don't want to ride in the rain."
We decided to meet at the Living Room on Broadway, sit and watch the weather while enjoying some coffee and scones.
"I'll let Carole know, so she doesn't wait for us in the rain," I said.
By 11:30 it wasn't raining nearly as hard as earlier, and it looked as though it might clear up. We were on Hwy 16 a little after 1:00 p.m. There was a light mist in the air.
"It feels like we're riding in Vancouver," I said.
Up ahead, dark bands of heavy rain were passing over our intended route.
Pointing up the road, I said, "I sure hope we aren't riding into that!"
We managed to arrive dry in camp and set up the tents before the rain arrived. I had to catch a ride back to Saskatoon for an evening engagement, but drove back in the rain just before midnight.
I could hear light rain falling on my tent periodically throughout the night. About the time I was thinking of crawling out of my sleeping bag in the morning, heavy drops of rain began banging down on the tent fly. I burrowed into my sleeping bag. At least I was dry inside my tent.
We were going to skip breakfast in camp. We decided I'd drive Bruce and John back into Saskatoon to pick up their vehicles and we'd come out and rescue the bikes and cyclists from a day of pelting rain and driving headwinds. We'd have breakfast at the café in Langham.
It wasn't a bad plan. It was raining so hard that the car began hydroplaning well before we reached the speed limit. Passing cars sent dense walls of spray onto the shoulder (where we would have been riding), reducing visibility to zero as they passed.
This wasn't in yesterday's forecast!
Before we left the campground, Bruce had tuned in a local weather forecast.
"We're supposed to have heavy rain this morning, thunder showers this afternoon," he said. "Seventy percent chance of rain."
As the group arrived in Saskatoon, the sun broke through the clouds. Now, Sunday afternoon, I've hung my sopping tent and tarp out on the clothesline to dry in the sun. The wind has nearly died down.
This wasn't in the forecast!
On a longer tour, we'd likely have stayed in camp until the weather cleared.
That's why we build in "rain days".
Postscript: The provincial government leases campgrounds such as the one at Borden Bridge to local operators. During the summer of 2001, we discovered that the campground was not open for the season. Although travellers were using the area for picnics and recreation, there were no services provided, including water. However, the new River Valley RV Park in Langham, 18 km away, welcomes cyclists. The Borden Bridge campground is still a pleasant place to visit, even if you're just going for the chokecherries and saskatoons.
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