Paul's Ride Guide: Heading South

I was on the road this past couple of days, exploring the south and south east part of our beautiful province. All of Alberta is sunny and hot right now, but even more so in this part. Other than wearing chaps for bug deflection, it was too hot for a full on leather jacket. I was seriously thinking of picking up some lighter weight, ventilated kevlar gear, that's for sure. Who could complain about the heat though, since we get so much chilly and wet riding here! Still, there's always a bit of an issue as it seems no amount of SPF100 will ever keep my large proboscis from getting sunburned/windburned! haha!
One thing about riding in the prairie part of out province is that there's plenty of flat and straight road, which does allow you a bit of time to look around and focus on your surroundings. With some of these being side roads, it wasn't uncommon to be riding for long stretches without seeing other vehicles, unless they were in a cloud of dust on some gravel road off in the distance. Of course, you still need to be attentive, and several times I had to avoid water fowl sitting or waddling down the road, including a mother duck and a dozen ducklings who were sunning themselves by a roadside slough. Also, when you see some brown heads with big ears sticking up out of the tops of golden crop growing in the fields, you know the deer have the potential to bound out at any given moment, so best be attentive.
Quick fact: Southern Alberta is the second largest producer of pulse crops in Canada, with peas, beans and corn being the major produce. Check out the 'Bean Capitol' of Bow Island, where we happen to have our Burger Ride Stop at Peter's Restaurant.