John in CR said:
Long straight and smooth can be fun. I'll have to do a video of ebike riding on the beach when the tide is out. One of the places we go has at least 10 miles without interruptions of small rivers to cross and virtually no people. It makes for an incredibly peaceful ride.
A beach that's as straight as a prairie road would be unique.
The vista to one side would be flat but the other side would necessarily be elevated and undulating.
We ain't talking about Saskatchewan or Manitoba where it's mostly flat on both sides of the straight road. A few low rollers are all that add diversity.
During WWII it was found prairie boys made the best navy men because they were accustomed to flat horizons and sky all around.
Prairie towns that have lost their grain elevators have lost their "place" on the landscape. The elevators were navigational markers for the inhabitants.
Justin talks about grain elevators in his Cross-Canada presentation and how curious sights on the horizon can draw you off of your route. . . or not, depending on the state of the batteries.
A couple of favoured FMUPs (effin' Multi User Path) for group rides I attended have the opportunity to go overland and get closer to the head of the pack if you want to. I usually just do it for kicks if the grass isn't too soaked. I've gotten caught in too high a gear for some boggy conditions but not since the 5304 took over the torque requirements for pedalling through heavy sludge.
There's a blind right-hand sweeper off the Knight Street Bridge to Richmond that scares the snot out of me because it's a poorly implemented, but mandatory, bike route. It shares a sidewalk with pedestrians and bike salmon. I handle my bike like a locomotive operating under train orders advising of men working on the track. I'm able to stop in less than half a bike length while ringing the bell constantly.
Meeting a bike salmon who is towing a trailer over the bridge deck requires dismounting.
