Rural Alberta Adventure Report #1: Donut Mill

All great Alberta adventures include a stop at the Donut Mill.

Albertans know that any trip between Edmonton and Calgary on highway 2 must pass through this legendary institution on Red Deer’s Gasoline Alley on the south edge of the city. The Mill produces some of the finest and freshest donut creations in the west. For many people and families, including my own, it would be inconceivable to drive through Red Deer without stopping in for some treats from the Donut Mill’s case of goodies.

So when the Dusty Musette touring crew was scheming our recent Rural Alberta Adventure route, it made perfect sense for us to kick off our trip from the Mill. We needed a genuine Alberta landmark for our jumping off point, preferably one that could quickly get us onto the gravel roads we were after.  Throw in the possibility of Bismarks and Boston Cremes, and we knew we had our departure point.

Victoria Day kindly drove us and our touring rigs down the highway early one morning a while back and we unloaded in the parking lot under the famous windmill sign. Once we were packed up and ready to roll, we faced what turned out to be the toughest challenge of our day: picking just twelve donuts from among the donut plenty to bring along the for the day’s fuel.

Turns out that gravel and donuts are the perfect combination. Ride a few range roads; eat an Orange Creamsicle. Cruise down some township lanes, then chew back a Coconut Sprinkle. This was the modus operandi for the first day of our journey.

And with bellies full of cruellers and jellies we pedalled off toward the the badlands, pushed by a tailwind but powered by a windmill.