Part One-Nokomis to Minnedosa

June 14th, 2019/Nokomis to Kelliher

Day's total/KM 105/elevation gain 105 meters
Total to date KM 2163.2/Total elevation gain 17422 meters

A bit of back tracking this morning to get to Hwy15. Once I turned East I was again met with strong headwinds. The first 40 km’s was a battle! At Raymore the winds were lighter but still coming from the South/East. Eventually  the winds did subside and I was able to cover some ground at a reasonable speed. I stopped outside Punnichy for a roadside snack then back to it. I spotted an unfamiliar site, it was a store alongside the highway, generally the towns and stores are situated aways back from the highway making it somewhat time consuming. I grabbed a soft drink and chips, at that point the brief showers had turned to rain, still 20 k’s to go. By the time I rolled into Kelliher, chatted to the grounds worker another storm was about to unload, setup was in the rain. By the time the fly is attached the tent floor is soaked, it's the joy's of having a two piece tent.

June 15th, 2019/Kelliher to Melville

Day's total/KM 79/elevation gain 89 meters
Total to date KM 2242.2/Total elevation gain 17511 meters

The rains continued into the night and morning, heavy at times. When I woke the cloud cover was thick and low, no sun today. I’ve been riding with another cyclist from Japan,Taro, after some debate he opted to ride. With no pressure from him I as well decided to ride, not sure if it was a smart choice. He left well before me and was off to Yorktown, we bid each other a safe journey. I packed as quickly as possible wanting to take advantage of the brief pause from the rain. I was once again heading East along Hwy 15. As luck would have it the rains soon started, it continued the entire 79 kilometres accompanied by the usual head winds blowing hard from the South/East. It was a tough day.
When I finally arrived in Melville I was soaked to the bone and cold. The campground which was somewhat situated in town had a pay station. I figured on a day like this it would be vacant, there was a women inside willing to collect my money. I passed her my wallet and said my hand were too cold to fuction. At that point she handed it back and insisted I head to the showers, the campsite was free. I setup, showered to warm, cooked dinner in the tent and stayed there the rest of the evening. The rains continued, tomorrow’s forecast doesn't look promising.

June 16th, 2019/Melville to Esterhazy

Day's total/KM 79/elevation gain 156 meters
Total to date KM 2321.2/Total elevation gain 17667 meters

I set my alarm for 6 AM and woke to the sound of rain. At 6:30 I got dressed and had a look at what the day had to offer. Defiantly no sign of the sun, good news was the cloud cover was higher, it also looked thinner. I make coffee and breakfast in the tent, my usual rolled oats. 
With breakfast soon over, I'd wished it to last longer, it was now on with the rest of the day. It’s never fun putting on wet clothing from the day before, ya gotta do what ya gotta do.
I was soon thru Melville and heading East once again on 15, winds were light coming from the South/East but nothing like yesterday. I was able to make somewhat decent time and the rains soon subsided, what a relief! I swung South on Hwy 9 and East on 22 to Esterhazy. I arrived mid afternoon and sourced out the campground, pitched then gathered up my laundry. A few groceries then back to camp for supper and a shower. I fell asleep to the steady sound of rain.

June 17th, 2019/Esterhazy to Birtle

Day's total/KM 93/elevation gain 308 meters
Total to date KM 2414.2/Total elevation gain 17975 meters

I followed Hwy 22 thru to Hwy 8. At the junction I opted to stay on 22 despite it being gravel, it was another 30 KM to Binscarth. It was a good choice, the gravel didn’t last, another 10 Km’s or so I was then back on rough pavement. Welcome to Manitoba! The crossing was uneventful, a single post sign “Manitoba Welcomes You”. There was however at the crossing several monuments marking the past. A one room school house once stood and a General Store, I find the history fascinating.
I soon descended into the valley crossing the Assiniboine River, then the climb out, the legs weren’t accustomed to this, they'd gotten soft from the Prairie roads. The views across the valley were foreign, those were hills I was looking at. The gravel continued in sections throughout the 30 km’s into Binscarth, I only counted about a dozen cars, it was a nice little section. 
I’ve had three consecutive days of being chased by dogs. It’s a fight or flight response-I choose flight then fight if needed-the adrenaline and heart spike immediately. The first two encounters I had to assess trajectory and intent. Putting the hammer down on a fully loaded touring bike is exhausting. 
The third encounter-a hedged driveway, ear buds were in, I detected a bark, naw, couldn’t be. Three dogs charged from the cover of the hedge across the highway and were on me. The first one appeared friendly, his buddy, a pit bull wasn't trustworthy. All told I wasn’t bit or attacked, it’s just rather nerve racking.
Hwy 22 was now the 478 when I crossed into Manitoba, I followed it into Binscarth. On exit I took Hwy 41 then 42 into Birtle. I bought some groceries, the usual beers then backtracked a few k’s to the campground. The tenting area and washrooms could have used some attention but the site was well treed, something I wasn't use to. It was private, no other tenters, just the RV’s that were some distance away. It felt a little strange to be in the woods, I’d become accustomed to the more openness of the prairie. It was a great place to camp!