On a hard day's end

The weather improved slowly after leaving the provincial park. There were drifts of the lentil-sized hailstones by the side of the road. Eventually, the rain stopped but there remained somewhat menacing clouds roughly upwind of me. The wind being generally on my port quarter for most of the day.

 The landscape has flattened out a bit since Calgary. Except for the sky, crowded with low clouds, there was a sense of emptiness. Even the long CPR trains, waiting for each other at passing loops, seemed dwarfed. The fields were dotted with beef cattle and pump jacks. 

There are a surprisingly number of small bodies of water beside the road. Each has its own population of water birds. Plovers seemed to particularly object to my presence. Many times, I see Swainson's hawks on the prowl for gophers and the like. The most fun bit of wildlife was a small herd of pronghorn antelope.

 

I got to Medicine Hat and found a cheap motel with many useful amenities including a laundry room. I am wiped, tired and sore to the point that I am only going to the laundry tomorrow morning. The estimated distance is only 67 kms compared with the 160 kms I did today and I know where I will be sleeping tomorrow.

On a different note: this is my 400th blog post.