The good news? - There was NO rain last night. What a relief!!!!!!
We got an early start as it is going to be a long day - 172 K.
The first 19K were perfectly flat on Highway 17. Then we turned off on a secondary highway and while it was nice to get off the busier highway, the road surface was rough which makes it harder to ride on and there were a LOT more hills.
A couple of them were around 15% but very short. Still those steep ones are a grind. I have managed the hills (after the Rockies) without going into the bottom third set of gears. That means either my legs are that much stronger or I am working harder than I have to and putting too much pressure on my knees???? I like to think that I am saving those granny gears for the Cabot Trail. I know what is ahead and it isn't pretty, but maybe this year it will be.
I remember Mike B (from Tour Atlantic) telling me that the first time he did the Cabot Trail that he had to stop once. The next year, he got better gearing and made it up without stopping. Could I be so lucky this time????? We will just have to wait and see what happens. If I have to stop - it is no big deal. But I have a goal.
After that stretch we were back on Highway 17. By this time we are so used to riding with the traffic that I would prefer a smoother surface and traffic, than a rough surface with less traffic.
There were hills all day, but nothing was a big deal. Oh my - how blase we are becoming with the hill talk!!!!! I know that the Cabot Trail will take the wind out of my sails, but until then - I am enjoying this!!!!
The day was cold to start (what else is new!), but it did warm up as the day went on and I gradually stripped the outer layers one piece at a time. Next thing we knew it was a glorious day with a tailwind and that made the 170 K go by very quickly.
Our crew was on supper duty this night and we were making chili with tofu. Now I am not a big fan of tofu, but actually eating it isn't a big deal, but there were all kinds of weird things in this chili and I declared up front that we were NOT responsible for the taste of the meal. We were just following the recipe. And you know what - it was actually pretty yummy!!!!!! Never judge a recipe by its ingredients!!!!!
Fred quit the tour a couple of days ago, but managed to get back during the day today to pick up the rest of his gear. He brought us a parting gift - a couple of YUMMY cakes. There seems to be NO LACKING of fancy desserts on this trip and people seem almost to be trying to out do each other!!!!! Thanks Fred for the cakes - they were delicious and the men were fighting over the last few pieces, but I kept the peace by doling out the remains to those who seemed the most hungry!!!!
Let's just say that all campgrounds are NOT created equal. while this one had decent washrooms, there was no sink or showers close by. Just flush toilets. But I hopped on my bike to ride to where the sink and showers were. Not that they were far, but simply because I was too lazy to walk that far. Oh yes - we have had our share of wild and wacky washrooms. But we have all survived - it is the "charm" of camping!!!!
I have to say that it is nice to be back with all services - well at least cell service. There was WiFi at the camp office, but I was too lazy to ride my bike back there to get the internet.
My gluts were a bit sore today, but that is more just a result of the long day than anything else.
Oh yes - have to tell you about the quilt store. So we are 70 K from Blind River. I see a bill board on the side of the road advertising a fabric store - it looked like a drapery or clothing fabric store. As we got closer to the sign - there was another sign tacked to the bill board announcing QUILT STORE. Hey we are going through Blind River. So that gave me something to look forward to. As we arrived in Blind River, we stopped for a bite and no quilt store. I had already made up my mind that if it isn't right on the route - I am NOT stopping. Then as we were leaving town - ooops - there is the sign for the quilt store, but we did NOT see it as we rode past and I was in no mood to go searching for it - so we rode on!!!!!!!!!!!! Now - does that make me a crazy quilter on a bike?? To NOT stop at a quilt store that is mere meters away???? Have I lost my touch?
Well - it is not as if I need anything!!!!!!
On that note - I am out of here!!!
Have a great day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Ciao!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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