Day 34: 6/23/19: Bassano to Strathmore, AB

I woke up this morning about 5 a.m., and was packed and ready to go at about 6:15.  The only restaurants in Bassano that opened for breakfast did not open till 7 a.m.  I didn't want to wait around for them to open, so I began riding aware that Strathmore, about 60 miles away, would be the first town with restaurants.  I had no tailwind by any means, but the wind wasn't nearly as bad as the last few days. It felt really good to be able to consistently go about 10-12 mph again with some coasting.

After about 15 miles, I stopped and ate a bagel and banana.  After about 30 miles, I ate a banana and granola bar with peanut butter smeared on them. Those snacks powered me to Strathmore.

I rode through several chilly rain showers enroute to Strathmore.  When I got there, I called the nearest campground, and the conversation went something like this:

Me: Do you have tent sites?
Campground (CG):  Any what?
Me:  Tent T-e-n-t sites.
CG: You will need to reserve on line.
Me: Can you tell me the price?
CG:  Depends on the size hookup you want.
Me: I'm on a bicycle and need a tent site.
CG: We have 30 amp, 20 amp...
Me: All I need is a tent site, no hookups.
CG: Our smallest is 15, and that is $35.

I just gave up.  Obviously this campground just caters to the big rig setups.  I didn't want to pay $35 just to pitch a tent among a bunch of RVs.  So I called Lisa to see if she would check on hotels in Strathmore.  She found one for a reasonable amount of points, so all my stuff and I are living in luxury tonight at the Days Inn (pics below).  I'm going to miss all the little small towns and their free to $20 campsites that are actually good for tents.

After I checked in to the hotel, I went to Strathmore Station for a Sunday brunch buffet.  Since I had not really eaten a meal today, I felt like I had to make up for lost time.

First plate

Second plate

Third plate with dessert saucer

I left there very sated.

Total miles today: 58.7