And the bike ride begins: Pick up was easy and Monica from Calgary Harley is very jacked up. Having never ridden a HOG before I was very attentive at the briefing. I had to take only 10% of my luggage as the 2 panniers are not big. Planned my exit from the city, right hand lanes and boom all gone. I have no means of gps guidance, phone in pocket….remember the route. Only later did I remember, put in ear phones and google maps will tell me where to go🙄. Starter raining 10min out, some dood on another HOG waved me down to say one of my panniers was open, 4 lane highway, trucks and stuff whizzing past. Stopped sorted then parked under a bridge to put on my rain pants, oops must have blown out of open pannier.

The rest was straight forward, speed limit 100km/h strictly policed. Biiig rain clouds towards Coleman so just had to suck it up. Rental helmet has no visor and the bike wind shield not entirely efficient, wind/ rain in eyes eish. The last 6km were the worst. Lightening, rain, getting dark, can’t see, sopping wet, cold…..doing stuff on a bike can draining…The BnB in Coleman is fantastic, Dawn the owner took one look at the bedraggled 60 year South African and took pity on me, hot tea, cookie the best massive cowboy bath and chucked all my wet stuff in the drier.