Griswold to Winnipeg

Distance travelled over last 3 days: 250 km
Total distance: 2986 km

Hick-town Griswold gave me ticks! After setting up tent, and before going to bed, I did a thorough check, and found one latched onto my hamstring. I really detest the little biters! With the landowners' help, I was able to get it pulled out, and I healed up just fine. No lyme disease, yay!

I didn't get far that morning. Less than a kilometer in, my ride started to feel bumpy; I had a rear flat tire. I'm running on Schwalbe Marathon Plus puncture-resist tires, so to get a flat was a bit of a surprise. When I got my hands on the tube, however, I could see it had been punctured. But exactly what had caused the puncture was not evident. No glass, no thorns, no staples - a mystery flat!

Because of their heavy-duty construction, the Marathon Plus tires take a fair amount of effort to get on and off, and as I finished up my repair, I decided to use a tire lever to help me get the tire back on the rim. Well, the plastic tire lever broke. I was able to finish the job, but I was down to one tire lever - not enough to a flat if I got another.

So I got on my way and just hoped for the repair to hold.

And, of course, it didn't. (see Murphy's Law)

Ten kilometers in, I was flat out of options. I knew that I wouldn't be able to fix this flat without a second tire lever. As I munched on a pepperoni stick by the side of the road, I contemplated getting a lift into Brandon, where I could get resupplied at the local bike shop. That turned out to be unnecessary.

A moment later, I'm halfway through my pepperoni stick, and I am surprised by a fellow cycle-tourist who pulls up from behind. The rare encounter was exactly what I needed. Armed with his own tire levers, I used his extra tools to get my tire off, and this time I located some rough spots in the tire bead which I covered up with duct tape.

Just like that, I was on the road again, and I made it to Brandon where I got my bike cleaned up, and purchased a backup tire - I was beginning to get suspicious about the rear Schwalbe.

By evening, I arrived in Bagot, just west of Portage la Prairie. I met Ellis and Deb, who gave me a piece of their land to camp on for the night. We had a little fun that evening talking about my travels and their experiences. They own some beautiful horses, which they keep on their property, too.

The horse strikes a pose!

When I got into my tent, it was dark outside. Armed with my flashlight, I spent twenty or so paranoid minutes searching every square inch of my body, clothing, tent and sleeping bag for ticks. As I lay in the darkness, every little tickle jolted me to action. After eliminating a couple of the brutish beasts, I was satisfied enough to go to sleep.

Day number 31 of my trip took me from Bagot to Winnipeg. I should be counting myself lucky. Between Bagot and Portage la Prairie, there is no shoulder to cycle on; Instead, I was taking up part of the slow lane. Usually I have no problems with this - I've commuted for many months on shoulderless roads, but on this particular day, I got clipped.

The offending car's bumper hit my left pannier. How it managed to avoid my leg and handlebar, I don't know. How I managed to maintain my balance and steering, instead of falling over into traffic is another mystery. I can only claim it as another one of many miracles along my trip. As a testament to the close encounter, my pannier still bears the scuff marks from the collision, but yet it works as good as new. Although I had been delaying on getting a rear view mirror for my bicycle, I put it at the top of my list for things to get from the bicycle boutique in Winnipeg.

After my close call, I lunched at the town of Elie, which happened to be good timing: a rainstorm passed through as I chowed through two plates of bacon and cheese omeletes complete with hash browns.

Late in the afternoon, I got a third flat tire just a few kilometers from my destination. This time, brother Randy drove by to pick me up in the interest of time. It was the rear tire that had flated out again, so I knew the Schwalbe tire had to be tossed.

I spent the night and a rest day at Isaak's place in Winnipeg. Brother Frank gave me a tour of the city, and helped me do my errands, which included getting a replacement tire for the rear Schwalbe, and a rear view mirror for my helmet. The Forks is a great tourist spot, very much like Granville Island in Vancouver. It's full of culture, boutique shopping and produce, and scenic walking. Unfortunately, the swollen Assiniboine river had flooded the adjacent pathway.

The MTS Centre - Home of the new Winnipeg Jets NHL team

VIA Rail Station in Winnipeg city center

Tomorrow morning I leave Winnipeg and set myself up for another border crossing. Once I'm in Ontario, cellular service will be spotty at best, and rest stops will be few and far between.