Uncertainty for breakfast

Throw tomorrow into the wind and see how it lands … if it lands.  Thus, with that parting thought, yesterday ended.

Up well before the alarm today, everything got packed, having faith that all would go in a positive direction.  By 10:00 a.m. I scootered over to the service department to find my bike up on the lift with major components removed.  This time, a new tech was at the helm.  With a late checkout time scheduled, noon would be the decision point regarding booking yet another night in Calgary versus hitting the Go button and riding 6 hours north of Calgary.  At 11:15 a fully assembled bike was wheeled out for a successful test drive and all became well.  The error was owned by the service department and there was no need to remove my wallet a second time.  By noon, it was hasta la vista Calgary.  Although very pleased to be back on my bike, I do kind of miss that little scooter, too.

A due-north heading led to Red Deer and a lunch stop.

About 50 miles south of Edmonton the already-grey sky became a smoky grey.  Lightning strikes have ignited much of west-central Alberta.  As I exited Edmonton bearing northwest, the air became chewable.  One mile of visibility soon diminished to one-half of a mile.  Endless miles of prairie land dominated much of today’s landscape and while there were a few picturesque barns, the flat light due to poor air quality did not inspire me to stop for photos.

Highway 43 brought me to Whitecourt AB, which was the scheduled end of 294 miles for today. Surrounded by oil and gas fields, this little town is a well-cared for gem.  Tomorrow should lead to Dawson Creek BC and a return to the Pacific Time Zone.