Passing Wind...

The term Gale Force would be a bit of an exaggeration but it was very windy Thursday morning when we woke up in White City Saskatchewan. We dawdled over a leisurely steak and egg breakfast hoping the wind would die down but alas it did not, so off we ventured.

We got out on to the Trans Canada Highway and made it about ½ a kilometer before Albert heard me whining in his headset. “I’m not having fun.” He ignored me.

One minute later, “I don’t like this,” I said, as the bike was leaning at a 45 degree angle to keep moving while the strong winds from the south blasted us.

“Do you wanna go sit in the truck with Jim and Barb?” was his response in a very parental sounding voice. I’m sure it was an honest question; he just wanted me to be comfortable.

“No!” was my emphatic answer, due in part to my stubborn determination to ride the bike all the way across Canada and part due to my inability to release my death-grip on my husband. If he replied, “Then shut up!” he shut my headset off first so I didn’t hear it.

A short time later I added, “Should we ride beside Jim so his truck and trailer can provide a wind shield for us?” As if I have ever driven a motorcycle myself and have a clue what I am talking about.

“It’s not that bad,” was his reply in a not particularly believable tone that I could imagine him saying, “It’s okay baby, this won’t hurt you a bit.”

I’m not one that hears voices often, and even if I do, it’s even less often that I would tell you about it, but I had a definite feeling of hearing “Relax. July 19, 2007 is not going to be your last day alive.” I took some solace in that, but didn’t particularly relax.

Some of the farms along the way had a row of trees planted along the highway that really helped to shield us from the wind. Some did not, and Alb had to be ready to respond to the changes. As I noticed one extended field approaching that had not one tree in sight, I did not curse the owning farmer, but I very definitely thought, “God bless the farmers who plant trees for protection. May their crops produce ever-so-abundantly.”

We got to about the middle of this huge field and there was a large red and white billboard that simply said Trust Jesus. This was a reality check for me. “Jesus, I do trust you,” I stated. But I have to add that I really really hate it when He makes me prove it.

I decided then that since I was unwilling to get off the bike, there was absolutely no benefit in my sitting there with my guts tensed in a knot. It’s bad enough Alb had to deal with the wind without adding a stiff and tense passenger to the mix. So I inhaled deeply and let out a cleansing exhale and just chilled out. It was not long at all before the winds died down and I even managed to get a bit of a nap in before we hit the Manitoba border.

We drove 701 km that day and stayed at the Rock Garden campsite just outside Winnipeg.