Day 27 - Broadview, SK to Whitewood, SK

Day 27 - Broadview, SK to Whitewood, SK

June 9, 2026

Start Time: 6:10 am

Stop Time: 7:30 am

KM Travelled: 25.9 km

Elevation: +74/ -72 m

Special Stuff: Generousity, the biking community, the incredible power of Mother Nature

The plan today is to get 24 km down the road to the hotel in Whitewood so that I can have a more comfortable ‘forced’ rest day. Thunderstorms are expected at 9:00am - when I envision the skies will open up and pour rain.I need to hustle.

By 5:15 am I’ve had my coffees and have done my puttering around, so just for the heck of it, I take a quick squeeze of my tires. “Well, what do we have here?” I ask myself. The back tire is soft – a slow leak! I feel like I should be annoyed, but I’m actually relieved to have found this is well in advance to my departure.

I jump into action – I know the drill. I’m through the tire change in 35 minutes – Oh Yeah! This time, I’ve clearly identified the culprit for the flat – it’s wire shard from a steel belted truck tire that has disintegrated. They are all over the place – and there really is nothing I can do to locate and avoid them. I just try to ride around tire debris .

I’m concerned about the thunderstorm. The ride to Whitewood has a headwind – which affects my speed – I’ve not had to do too much riding in the headwind yet, so I’m not sure how it will affect my speed. My logic is that even if I ride 10 km/ hour, I’ll get there by 9:00 (just before the storm). I watch the sky changing, but I’m not exactly sure what I am looking for. All I know is that in front of me, everything looks fine, but over my shoulder to to right, something big and angry is coming my way.

As I’m riding along there is noticeably less traffic on the road. I assume it is because of the weather warning.

I get to my new hotel at 7:30 am - way, way too early for check-in. I am welcome to sit in the lobby with my bike. I have a few conversations with interested hotel guests. One First Nations lady, a Council member for her Nation, is here on business. A little later she tells her colleague about my adventure, and he walks across the lobby and gives me a $20.00 and says to have dinner on him. (I say “thank you” - I wish I could say more but I can’t find words to express how I feel.) Such a kind gesture.

One hotel guest in his 20s approaches me from the restaurant. He and his friend are biking across Canada too! I join them as they have breakfast. They started at the same place I did on May 7th and will finish in St. John’s as I aim to, but they aim to finish by mid-July! “Wow!” That’s a month and a half earlier than I expect to complete. I think they must be super riders! Youth is a factor in the ride completion equation that is incredibly powerful. This is my first time chatting with other bikers, and I love the exchange.

My room is ready at 10:00 am, which is amazing! I’m allowed to bring my bike in my room. I settle in for a cozy day.

At 10:30 am, it rains for 20 minutes and then stops. Disappointing.

I spend the day catching up with some the household tasks (the lights still need to kept on back at home) and load up on supplies for tomorrow’s ride.

I’m a little sad that I did not get to Moosomin tonight (two towns ahead) - my original plan. My friend’s husband (the ones back Trail) grew up in the Moosomin area. I text my friend to let her know I did not make it to Moosomin. She responds back to let me know that her husband was born right here in Whitewood! Can you imagine? It feels special to ‘weather’ the storm right here where his life began.

In the afternoon, I check out the weather forecast – there looks to be tornado warnings in Moosomin. I watch the highway traffic from my hotel window. I’m very surprised that the  traffic going east has continued all day (it picked up after I got here). Even after the tornado warning came out, big rigs, personal vehicles and even trains are traveling through the tornado zone. Brave souls!

At 4:00 pm, I notice the traffic has stopped on the highway. I watch and see two MASSIVE objects being transported on the highway. They are crawling along like snails as they navigate off the highway to the truck stop. Each of the objects has a big rig tractor at the front AND the back. There are at least 5 pilot cars providing support. AMAZING – and I’m so grateful they did not pass me on the highway. Again, I cannot underrate “bigness” out here!

After waiting all day, finally at 7:00 pm, I get the nature show I’ve been waiting for. The sky turns dark, the winds picks up, the heavens open up and rain dumps down. The hotel manager and another person are outside taking a video of the performance. It’s all over by 8:00 (well, that’s when it was lights out for me). I have a feeling Whitewood is on the outskirts of tonight’s storm.

Tomorrow isa big ride to Brandon, Manitoba - 190 km away.