A biking story from the archives...
Somewhere between Hodgeville and Gravelbourg during a 4-day bicycle trip in southwest Saskatchewan, our friend Anika yelled back to us, "I'm going into the next farm and ask for a cup of coffee!"
Rain was dripping off her helmet and down her cheeks. The shower caps we all wore over our helmets weren't helping in the downpour; we were soaked and pedalling hard. The group of 15 riders had spread out during the morning, our support vehicle was nowhere in sight, the four of us were on our own.
Sure enough, a farm appeared close to the road. Anika turned in and the rest of us followed. She knocked at the door and with her charming smile asked if we could buy a cup of coffee. With no hesitation or sign of surprise, the woman said "Of course you can! But you sure can't pay for it. Come on in!"
We shed our dripping gear in the porch and tip-toed to the kitchen table with squishy wet socks. Steaming hot coffee was soon in front of us, and our hostess was apologizing for not having her usual fresh muffins that day. In spite of our protests, our socks and gloves were soon in the dryer and our feet were warming up in the farmer's dry wooly socks.
When it was time to get back on the road they gave us plastic bread bags to wear over our dried socks and inside our wet biking shoes, a trick we learned that adds a small level of comfort on rainy days.
This was in 2010 and was Linda's (in the pink sweater) first time in Saskatchewan. She's one of the Fernie Fossils, four experienced female cyclists that sometimes come with us, and she still talks about the hospitality of prairie people. She has biked in more countries than anyone I know, usually in sandals.
We continued on our 55 km ride with warmer feet and smiles, until our next planned stop at a farm near Gravelbourg, where our cousins welcomed us in their quonset with more coffee and warm rhubarb muffins. Linda's opinion of prairie farmers was confirmed. They really are the best!
Riding all day in the rain was no problem for these seasoned cyclists. The group here is happy and hungry, just waiting for that little glass of wine with our dinner, then tucking in early at the Gravelbourg Convent B&B.
The next morning: a 65 km ride to Lafleche and Limerick (where we had a contest in the coffee shop, original limericks of course), then on to Assiniboia. Sunshine all the way!
We tried hard to see the petroglyphs the following day in St. Victor, where our 4-day trip ended and we loaded up the bikes. Also where I fell off my bike and broke my hand. Damn!
