The Conga Lines Converge

Imagine a sea of bikes decked out like this one.

While the rest of our bikes weren't turned out as splendidly as Flo Fuhr's here, nevertheless, the little town of Shell, Wyoming (population 50) was awash in pink as Conga riders from the US and Canada pulled in for a weekend rally. 

In three days we raised over $14k for breast cancer causes. How? People offered to shave their heads for the "right" donation, we auctioned decorated bras, and a couple of banditos wearing pink wigs and bras extracted "tata tolls" from oncoming traffic. The spirit was unlike anything I've experienced.

Christina Shook took hundreds of photos from the event, many of which will appear in the book I'm writing, "Life Full Throttle: What You Can Learn About Life From Women Who've Faced Cancer."

Prepare to laugh and cry.

Windy, Wet Saskatchewan

Making my way through Montana to North Dakota I was warned that I wouldn't find a hotel room and might not even secure a campsite for a couple of hundred miles.

Why? North Dakota is an oil boom region, as the Halliburtun trucks and sandblasting winds of top soil bear witness. I met a fellow from Grand Junction, Colorado who works as a roughneck in North Dakota three weeks every month -- an 850-mile commute one way.

From North Dakota I crossed into Saskatchewan only to have my bike blown over at the customs station after I took the above photo.  Yes, I should have pointed the bike into the wind, but when it's blowing at a constant 30 mph and gusting over that, all bets are off anyway.  I had to enlist the customs agent to right it again, and for safety sake he held it steady while I got on and powered up. Whew.

For the three hours it took to cross Saskatchewan into Manitoba my nostrils were assailed by the fetid water that formed lakes and ponds on either side of the road. Evidentally the spring floods were pretty severe, as this video attests.

Winnipeg: Beyond the Folk Festival

I visited some Baha'i friends in Winnipeg who took me on a whirlwind tour of their fair city. This statue is of the founder of the province of Manitoba, Louis Riel. 

I was disappointed to learn that Canada's history between natives and colonists was as bloody as the United States'. I always thought Canadians were a more civilized people, but apparently greed is an equal-opportunity dehumanizer. 

Winnipeg has a vibrant social calendar in summers, probably to offset the tough winters. Some day I want to attend the Winnipeg Folk Festival, but it wasn't in the cards for 2011. I was in town at the right time to catch a glimpse of the Fringe Festival, however. 

Before leaving, I gave a little talk at the Winnipeg Baha'i Center and as usual, several women approached me to confide a long-held desire to learn to ride a motorcycle. There really is something about being middle aged and getting the itch to ride!

Next Up: The Great River Road

The last four days of my trip were spent making haste for home. Some day I'd like to take a week to travel the entire span of the Mississippi River, from its headwaters in Minnesota to its mouth at the Gulf of Mexico. 

My last update will include highlights from my ride along the Great River Road from Minnesota to Iowa.

Until then...