SASKATOON — Ashlyn George turned her passion and love for the outdoors and writing into a travel blog because she wanted to help adventurous people like her see the beauty of the sights through her own eyes and experience them firsthand.
That is why receiving an email from Lonely Planet Publications inviting her to be a co-contributor to the first-ever Best Bike Rides Canada travel guidebook felt surreal, as she had the chance to share the less-travelled places she had been to.
“As a traveller myself, I've used Lonely Planet guidebooks for so many of my trips. To receive an email in my inbox asking if I was interested in contributing just felt like a surreal whole-circle moment for me,” said George, whose career has been built around exploring and sharing her outdoor experiences.
She wrote the Saskatchewan and Manitoba sections of the book, spending months riding trails across the Prairies to show cyclists the bike trails, whether avid riders or casual visitors who want to experience the region from a different perspective.
One of the book's central themes is accessibility, which George said is evident in every featured destination offering bike rental options, making the routes appealing to international visitors and newcomers who may not travel with their own equipment.
“I specialize in outdoor adventure activities, and to be one of the co-authors of a book about bike riding across Canada was really unique. It's a great way to see the outdoors, low-impact, and family-friendly. If you don't have a bike, you can access one so you can experience these places,” added George.
George believes many people underestimate the diversity of the landscapes of Saskatchewan and Manitoba, assuming the Prairies are simply flat expanses of grassland. Instead, she discovered river valleys, forests and surprisingly varied terrain.
“We think of the Prairies as flat, but there is a lot of range to our geography and topography. We have incredible river valleys. You can ride in memorial forests, so there is a lot of diversity,” said George, who highlighted Saskatoon’s Meewasin Valley Trail as among Saskatchewan’s best.
The Meewasin Valley Trail is part of the Trans Canada Trail network, which includes Prince Albert National Park, Buffalo Pound and Wakamow Valley trail system in Moose Jaw, and Wascana Centre in Regina, all of which offer something for riders of different abilities.
Her favourite ride, however, came while she was exploring the Squirrel Hills trails near Minnedosa, a 566-kilometre drive east of Saskatoon, where she met a local volunteer who was maintaining the trails. Their conversation about cycling led to a tour of his pottery studio, housed inside a converted church.
“That is my favourite thing about travel. The unexpected meetings with other people that you don't know you're going to encounter. Not only did I get to bike the trails and learn more about the community, but I also got to see his pottery shop in a converted church,” said George.
Those chance encounters, she said, are unique experiences that transform a simple ride into a memorable adventure, since the point of travelling is going somewhere to do something and having all these side adventures and experiences that come with it, changing your life in big and small ways.
Her travels also brought reminders that nature demands respect. While cycling near Pinawa, Man., George encountered seven bears in a single day. The most unnerving moment came after dark when she unknowingly walked between a mother bear and two cubs.
“My heart was just racing. Very big lesson learned that even if you think you're getting out of the vehicle for 30 seconds, if you're by yourself and in an area where there might be bears, take the bear spray,” said George, who forgot her bear spray and had to rely on her courage and instincts throughout the day.
That incident reinforced another element she tries to incorporate into her work: providing practical advice. Armed with degrees in English, education and biology, George sees travel writing as a form of teaching, sharing knowledge that helps others enjoy the outdoors safely.
“I always try to sneak in little tips and tricks and pieces of advice for people. That distills down to what travel is about. It's about the people you meet along the way and the places you're passing through,” said George.
