A break in Cowtown and a group ride towards Strathmore

Calgary, with the exception of Vancouver, has been the biggest city we have been through thus far, and we were all looking forward to the day off and the opportunity to hit the town to do some partying.

Thanks to Pat's brother Colin, we got on the guestlist at Cowboys on Wednesday night, and had an unbelievable time. With our Goodwill-bought clothes, it was interesting for the guys who had never been out in Calgary before to see the scene there. Lots of cowboy hats and boots, and people ready to have a good time. We partied so late that we had to wait until the CTrain started up again in the morning to get back to Dave's place. We definitely made the most of it.

Once we were up and running in the afternoon, Dave had planned a bbq for friends and some Calgary donors. We were a small group, but a good one, and the food was delicious. One Calgary donor, Erik Nowers, arrived in his red Lotus Elise, so all of us checked it out, took turns sitting in the driver's seat, and snapped some photos with it. Nicole, who brought us some more baked goods, entertained everybody by playing the violin. She was pretty incredible. At the end of the evening, Deb Foster, the MDC Calgary Chapter President dropped by with Candisse and Angie McCormick, two people very involved with MDC. Candisse was the face of MDC as a kid. It was nice for all of us to meet. They were very appreciative of what we're doing, and we were able to give them the donations we had collected along the way, just over $700! They also brought us over some leftover pizza from a function they had come from, which made for a great breakfast this morning.

Before leaving Calgary, we were scheduled to be on Q107 Classic Rock this morning. They were on location at the Deerfoot Inn and Casino, and had a buffet breakfast and about 50 people there watching. When it was our time to get some air, show co-host Patty Lorange came and got everyone's name, and then I had the opportunity to get interviewed by host Terry Dimonte, whom I grew up listening to in Montreal. It was really exciting for me, and the guys haven't stopped making fun of me for it. Nevertheless, they were great to us and have offered to help with some media at later points in the ride.

When we were finally ready to get on the road in the early afternoon, we were joined by Dave, and two of his friends Joe and John. It was really helpful because they led us out of the city along the bike paths. Getting through the larger cities is a real pain because it's dangerous to be on the Transcanada with all the traffic. They rode with us until Chestermere, about 35km, before heading back, and we continued along to Strathmore, another 35km. The flat road is a nice change from the mountains, but the scenery was not nearly as exciting.

We made it to Strathmore in good time, but had nowhere to stay! We didn't really feel like biking anymore, and with a storm approaching and the hour getting late, wanted to find some shelter. Mike and I found a church and asked if we could camp out on the lawn. They had no problem with it and it was good timing, because the storm came right away. We just finished setting up when it started to pour on us, and we scrambled into the tents. The rain's finally stopped and the forecast is looking good for tomorrow!

We'll most likely be making our way to Brooks tomorrow, but it all depends on the wind. If it's strong enough in the right direction, we could probably make it all the way to Moose Jaw. We also hope everyone is enjoying the pictures that we finally got up.
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