Prairie Dog
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After a couple of days of waiting for the smoke from the wildfires to dissipate, we decided to head out once more to the Town of Lacombe but this time we would ride a loop around Gull Lake with stops along the way including the tiny hamlet of Crestomere, the Town of Bentley and of course the Gull Lake Resort then return back to Lacombe along the busy stretch of Hwy 12. Gull Lake is popular with the locals and also a destination for out of towners who want to pull their RVs into the very large campsite. Not my idea of a fun weekend but to each his own.
Once again, we hoped to employ as little PAS as possible on this trip but even I exceeded my own expectations as I rode the entire metric century without any assistance from the Creo’s motor. I didn’t feel that the added weight at the rear with fully loaded panniers and trunk bag significantly affected my progress but the final 10km toward the homestretch I was starting to find it a bit tougher. Seems like that’s usually the case when one nears the finish line. I really feel that the beefier 37C WTB Riddler tires in conjunction with the absorption qualities of the Creo’s Futureshock make for more comfortable rides particularly on longer hauls.
These barns have likely seen better days.
From derelict structures to more refined abodes.
This massive state of the art greenhouse which occupies 11 acres just outside of Lacombe operates year-round. Vine ripened tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers are harvested 1-2 times a week and are packed and shipped within a couple of hours. I’m sure we’ve purchased produce at our local grocer that was grown from here and didn’t even realize it.
The traffic even along secondary hwys can be brutal. Case in point, we had to stop and pull over to let this mobile home transport by due to the very narrow shoulders on #792 which I might add were in terrible shape. If it wasn’t for the driver of the pilot truck who gave us advance warning, it could have been a harrowing ordeal.
As expected, rural farms dot the landscape and it was nice to see some century old operations still hard at it.
It was kind of neat to see this old school house still standing.
Some enjoy admiring their parked Maseratis but I’m sure that locals here likely feel the same way about displaying their JD combines and threshers.
The local landscape by no means can rival the stunning images that @RabH posts, but for Central AB, it ain’t too shabby. Seeding has just begun in some parts and hopefully the farmers will have another successful year.
We paused briefly just before entering main street Bentley.
Bentley’s infamous Monkey Top Saloon. A popular hangout for bikers but not much action happening on during a Thursday afternoon. This place should be hopping by the long weekend.
Here’s the LBS and the only one in town which also doubles as a women’s clothing store.
Dropped in at The Drop Cafe and sampled their Belgian Chocolate gelato. Mainstreet Bentley kind of reminds me of that Canadian TV sitcom, ‘Schitt’s Creek’ created by the father and son duo, Eugene and dan Levy. Loved that show.
You get the feeling that some folks around here don’t feel that chummy towards our PM.
We made it to Gull Lake later in the afternoon and admired the surrounding wetlands as we rode along the boardwalk toward the center of the resort.
Not much to write home about here as the lake level was really low compared to our visit last year. Come the weekend, the campsites will be filled to capacity but with a province wide fire ban, there can’t be much to fill the time in the evening.
We left Gull Lake as quickly as we arrived and headed east back toward Lacombe along Hwy 12. Traffic was horrendous but thankfully the shoulders were much wider along this 23km stretch. Entering into town, we were greeted by a music and the smell of BBQ as this very large farmer’s market was bustling with vendors and customers alike. We didn’t have time to stop in to take a peek as it was getting late and my wife still had to attend a garden club meeting back home.
Once again, we hoped to employ as little PAS as possible on this trip but even I exceeded my own expectations as I rode the entire metric century without any assistance from the Creo’s motor. I didn’t feel that the added weight at the rear with fully loaded panniers and trunk bag significantly affected my progress but the final 10km toward the homestretch I was starting to find it a bit tougher. Seems like that’s usually the case when one nears the finish line. I really feel that the beefier 37C WTB Riddler tires in conjunction with the absorption qualities of the Creo’s Futureshock make for more comfortable rides particularly on longer hauls.
These barns have likely seen better days.
From derelict structures to more refined abodes.
This massive state of the art greenhouse which occupies 11 acres just outside of Lacombe operates year-round. Vine ripened tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers are harvested 1-2 times a week and are packed and shipped within a couple of hours. I’m sure we’ve purchased produce at our local grocer that was grown from here and didn’t even realize it.
The traffic even along secondary hwys can be brutal. Case in point, we had to stop and pull over to let this mobile home transport by due to the very narrow shoulders on #792 which I might add were in terrible shape. If it wasn’t for the driver of the pilot truck who gave us advance warning, it could have been a harrowing ordeal.
As expected, rural farms dot the landscape and it was nice to see some century old operations still hard at it.
It was kind of neat to see this old school house still standing.
Some enjoy admiring their parked Maseratis but I’m sure that locals here likely feel the same way about displaying their JD combines and threshers.
The local landscape by no means can rival the stunning images that @RabH posts, but for Central AB, it ain’t too shabby. Seeding has just begun in some parts and hopefully the farmers will have another successful year.
We paused briefly just before entering main street Bentley.
Bentley’s infamous Monkey Top Saloon. A popular hangout for bikers but not much action happening on during a Thursday afternoon. This place should be hopping by the long weekend.
Here’s the LBS and the only one in town which also doubles as a women’s clothing store.
Dropped in at The Drop Cafe and sampled their Belgian Chocolate gelato. Mainstreet Bentley kind of reminds me of that Canadian TV sitcom, ‘Schitt’s Creek’ created by the father and son duo, Eugene and dan Levy. Loved that show.
You get the feeling that some folks around here don’t feel that chummy towards our PM.
We made it to Gull Lake later in the afternoon and admired the surrounding wetlands as we rode along the boardwalk toward the center of the resort.
Not much to write home about here as the lake level was really low compared to our visit last year. Come the weekend, the campsites will be filled to capacity but with a province wide fire ban, there can’t be much to fill the time in the evening.
We left Gull Lake as quickly as we arrived and headed east back toward Lacombe along Hwy 12. Traffic was horrendous but thankfully the shoulders were much wider along this 23km stretch. Entering into town, we were greeted by a music and the smell of BBQ as this very large farmer’s market was bustling with vendors and customers alike. We didn’t have time to stop in to take a peek as it was getting late and my wife still had to attend a garden club meeting back home.
