Day 17 - Pincher Creek (AB) to Coaldale (AB)

It is time to leave my comfortable hotel room that smells like soap. I drank some electrolyte water and luckily my headache is gone. I’ve got a long ride planned today - 100 km to Lethbridge and then 15 km Coaldale. There’s rain the forecast - I expect I will get wet. I bid farewell to the mountains and I get my day started.

I probably should have started an hour earlier because there is a tailwind until about 7:00, after which I will be riding in a crosswind coming from the north - which I will need to ride into slightly. This equals “work”. Not dreadful work (like a headwind), but work none the less. I decide to take off my jacket because it’s basically a wind sock and is doing me no favours. I’ve started to actively use the “Windy” app which is great for seeing the wind patterns and helping me to mentally prepare for the day.

The highway shoulder here is generous - this is helpful to manage the gusts of wind that come from transport trucks and good ‘ole Mother Nature. The mountains gradually fade away into the distance.

I stop at a Tim Hortons in Fort McLeod and meet a friendly Indigenous woman in a ribbon dress (that she made herself). I’ve never seen a ribbon dress before, only ribbon skirts. We chat a bit and she has come from Montana. Her Nation is located partly in Alberta and partly in Montana. That must be quite complex for planning - it is already complex when Nations are separated by provincial health boundaries. She wishes me well and is off to a gathering.

As I finish up my snack, and man stopped to provide with some information about the weather.

“4 mm of rain expected” he says. I thanked him and said “I best be getting on my way then”. He said, “You should probably find some shelter”. I took his information and added it to my decision making data base. “I do have shelter”, I quietly thought to myself, “only it’s 70 km away”. Looking at the forecasts, I figured I could make it.

As I travel through the countryside, I’m impressed with how lively the roadside is. Every so often something black flies out from the grass beside me (away from me, thank goodness). These things don’t bite me, so I only paid minimal attention to them. I think they were black birds with red colouring on their wings.

At one point, something brown came rushing full speed across the highway right towards the front of my bike. “A leaf”, I thought, but then I noticed it had a voice and was screaming as it narrowly misses my tire and goes off into the grass. I think it was a gopher. Even though it was a bit scary for a moment, there was also something hysterically funny about the situation. I now know what may have inspired the content for the roadrunner and coyote cartoons.

After a brief stop in Lethbridge I head the last 15 km or so to Coaldale where my cousin lives.

In Coaldale, I learn that they live 12 km out of town, so off I go again. I’m conscious of being a good guest and am keen to get there on time for dinner (I’m guessing that is around 5:00). As I get o my bike to leave Coaldale, I get a sinking feeling. I have another flat rear tire. DRAT! When I repaired the last flat, I bent the nozzle a bit…maybe it’s a slow leak. I take the rear luggage off and pump up the tire. It seems to hold, so I load the bike up again and start pedalling.

4 km down the road, it’s flat again.

I take the luggage off and pump up the tire. And off I go.

4 km later, I do it all again.

I get to the start of my cousin’s long gravel driveway and I feel like I should pump it up again, but this time, I refuse AND I refuse to walk. Back in Chilliwack a few weeks ago, I told my cousin I would RIDE my bike to her house - I will RIDE there!!! I lean forward and cycle with my flat right up to where my cousin is standing waiting for me in front of her house. I did it! What a great feeling! 😁

The evening was filled with great conversation and a chance to get to know my cousin and her husband a bit better. I also got to meet her son, daughter-in-law and their 7 very bright and well mannered children It feels so wonderful to be with a family.

After dessert I get to my bike maintenance - getting a few very helpful tips from my cousin’s husband - farmers are such great problem solvers.

After a 130 km bike ride and a tire change, I take a shower and fall right to sleep.

The next few days call for rain that the farmers need for their crops. I’m not sure how that will fare for me as a cyclist, but I look forward to what tomorrow brings.

Day 17 - May 30, 2026

Start Time: 6:30 am

Stop Time: 4:00 pm

KM Travelled: 131.5 km

Elevation: +448/ -716 m

Special Stuff: Family time