Day 28
   
   5/25/01
   Mile 2715
   Drayton Valley, AB
   
   I let things warm up in the morning before getting started.  No,
   that's just the cover story.  Actually I just slept till about 7:30.
   
   So far in this trip, I'd managed to avoid getting bitten by snakes,
   dogs, lightning, police, and bureaucrats.  From this point forward, I
   would be potential dinner for bears and cougars.  The risk is small,
   but nonzero.  Procedures have to be followed - no food in the tent or near
   it, but instead hung from a tree a good distance away.
   
   In the town of Caroline, I bought a can of pepper spray for the bears.
   I mounted it on the top of the frame, up against the steering post, so
   I could grab it quickly (wouldn't do any good buried inside my pack
   somewhere).  Also within easy reach is my hunting knife.  It might
   help fend off a cougar attack, or possibly even a small black bear - but if
   it's a grizzly, too bad.  I'm just at the wrong end of the food chain.
   
   There is actually little chance I will need to use the pepper spray,
   but I won't just throw it away after the trip; I like my food very
   spicy, and a quick blast or two should work great on a burrito.  Kids, don't
   try this at home.  Adults either.
   
   (Note: I have ACTUALLY DONE THIS, with a small can of pepper spray,
   but I discovered it was old and had gotten weak.)
   
   It was a pleasant day of biking, quite enjoyable.  Ash trees lined the
   roads There was a lot of wildlife - plenty of deer, and a beautiful,
   large owl perched on a fence.  And one other form of wildlife: scores
   of motorcyclists headed the other direction, eyes following me past just
   like the cows do.  Come to think of it, they were traveling in herds,
   too.  Parallels to other species happen far more than we'd like to
   admit.
   
   I also saw the dumbest-looking setup I'd seen in the trip thus far: a
   HumVee pulling a camper trailer.  The juxtaposition was hilarious - a
   sort of Desert Storm meets Winnebago Nation.
   
   It got progressively hillier until I got near the city of Drayton
   Valley, where I had a rapid descent to the North Saskatchewan river,
   which is as big and broad as you might expect from the name.
   
   Kid's corner:
   
   Today I saw a pond.  It was an artificial one - but it wasn't
   man-made.
   Can you guess how?  Find out in tomorrow's travelog!

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