This morning I said my goodbyes to my good friend Janine and headed to the motorcycle repair shop. After getting lost for a while I managed to make it there, sopping wet from the rain. Apparently this is the most rain they've seen in Calgary all summer. Awesome.
While I was waiting for my bike, one of the service guys informed me that my front tire was also very close to the wear indicator and should be replaced as well. I had a hard time believing that my front tire would be worn out after only 10K, but I figured "better safe than sorry" and got it changed as well. I'm hoping he was being honest and not just screwing me out of more money. Grand total? $400. I'm so broke it's not even funny.
With my bike's new rubber I set off on my way, glad to leave the traffic of Calgary behind me. Today is honestly the coldest day I have had on this entire trip. It was even colder than the mountain pass between Banff and Jasper. To make matters worse, it was not only raining, but the wind was very strong and in the complete opposite direction. What happened to the pervailing westerlies?! Once I reached Swift Current I was going numb and decided I had enough and got a motel room. I'll have more distance to cover tomorrow, but I'm hoping it won't be as cold.
I had quite a bit of time on my hands this evening, and wound up talking to the girl working the counter at the motel for several hours. She was pretty entertaining to talk to and it was a good way to spend the evening. Oddly enough this isn't the first time this has happened on my trip. You meet a lot of interesting people while traveling. I always find it a shame that I'll likely never see these people again, but it's fun nonetheless.
Tomorrow is my last day of riding for the trip. My bike was burning oil like a fiend today, but then again I literally had the throttle pinned and the RPMs at 7000 all day to fight the wind. Oh 1980's tech engine...
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