Soggy Sasquatch (Permanent 19)
by Ian Attewell

I headed out Sunday morning on a solo ride to Harrison Mills. It had started raining fairly heavily by the time I'd reached Boundary and continued relentlessly until I was cold enough to take a break in Mission and warm up in a diner. The rain continued a little less heavily from there all the way out to Harrision Mills and I took a break at the convenience store before setting off back into the city. I'd struggled with the rain, headwind and what felt to me an upward grade all the way to Harrison Mills, but coming back was much more enjoyable. The rain cleared up for a while, the tailwind and downhill (?) grade made the next fifty kms or so a delight. I even took off my rain gear. At about the 170km mark the rain started again in earnest and I was pretty wet for the rest of the ride, which was alright because it wasn't cold. My Merino wool sweater kept me warm. Car drivers looked aghast at me as I was dripping water from my arms and gloves, but it was still a great day for a ride.

Coming off highway 7 onto the Mary Hill bypass was tricky due to the construction there and I wouldn't like to have done that in heavier traffic. Even on a Sunday afternoon there is no shortage of traffic. There is access to a bike path in that area, but by the time I noticed it I was past the narrow section. Apart from that, the ride was smooth with no punctures and the traffic was very courteous passing me wide where the highway drops to one lane (as you get closer to Harrision Mills).

Ride date: February 22, 2009
Go to: Route 19 (201 km)

Go to: Permanents results

February 23, 2009