A trio of cyclists, all donning colorful clothing and camping gear, bundled up like saddle bags on their bikes, went through Kipling recently and headed over to Bell Park where the riders took a well-needed rest and possibly even a short nap.
Marcel Asselin and David Hall have been teachers for many years with Asselin just retiring this past year and Hall is set to retire possibly next year. They both enjoy having their summers off.
Mike Easton, originally of Redvers, worked at Sask. Abilities Council and recently retired as well so he also has more spare time to enjoy some hobbies and spending time with the family.
“You have to have a little time on your hands when you’re travelling by bike,” says Easton. “It’s a little slower than by car.”
“That flexibility is quite helpful,” said Easton, now that he is retired.
The trio headed out on a trip a week ago Tuesday and headed down to stay at Easton’s family cabin.
“We took four days to get to Kenosee and spent four days visiting and relaxing and then headed back to the city.”
They called that their four days of rest while in Kenosee.
Asselin and Hall have been cycling together since their 20s although Hall says he’s been cycling since he was four.
“In preparation for this trip we made many trips on the great bike paths around the city,” explains Hall.
As a teacher, Hall organizes bike tours with the high school students, one summer going to The Netherlands for Grade 12 seniors and their parents, where they spent nine days.
Two years ago, the trio organized a trip to Denmark where they did eight days cycling with the students and their parents.
Hall teaches at a private school in the city, whereas Asselin, who very obviously has a French accent, teaches at a French immersion school.
“Before COVID Dave (Hall) and I were going to try heading to Iceland,” says Asselin. “Hopefully next summer.”
“We won’t plan a big trip again until next year,” says the group. “There’s always stuff to do around the house.”
“It’s such a nice pace on a bike,” explains Hall. “You don’t miss much.”
“What’s really nice about Saskatchewan is every small town has this,” as he points out to the area in Bell Park where the trio stopped for a rest when they came through Kipling.
“It’s been great,” says Hall and adds, “from the smallest village and bigger.”
They have learned a lot about each and every small town they go through.
“What happened along the No. 1 Highway was it was so hot we decided to sit in a motel for the air conditioning and grab a pizza for supper and the leftovers would be our lunch the next day,” explains Hall. “That routine worked well.”
“We cannot rush,” says Asselin. “It takes time to get from Point A to Point B.”
If you’ve got the time, you might as well enjoy yourselves and make stops along the way.
The trio more or less maps out their travel as far as where they plan to set up camp for the night.
The group had plans to spend the night tenting in Glenavon.
