| |
| Day 60 - August 26 - St. Louis de Kent to Murray Beach 142km |
| |
| Breakfast duty calls again. Pancakes are quite popular with this group. Glenn helps me make them because I have limited use of my left hand from the crash. Better left than right I suppose. Most of my gear shifting is with my right hand. |
| |
| We're ready to go around 9:30 and we start up the highway as a group of eight. Dorothy, Glenn, Jim, Luc, Carol, Daniel, Glenn and I steer into the wind right off the bat. I'm not feeling too well; it's going to be a long day. The pace is fairly fast until we hit Bouctouche for a hearty meal. Breakfast again, this time an omelette. That will be my protein fix for the day...much better tasting than a PBJ sandwich. I haven't had one for weeks and I'd like to keep it that way. |
| |
| We plod on through the wind until we get to Shediac. You guessed it - lunch time. On hard days like this I burn more energy and thus require more calories. First we stop at the big lobster for a group photo. Then we say goodbye to Dorothy & Glenn and Carol & Daniel, who are heading home from there. The rest of us go to lunch at the wharf by Parlee Beach. Glenn, being from Ontario, had never seen mussels served in a bucket before. I suppose it does look a bit strange. |
| |
| A strong headwind makes it a challenging ride the whole way along, and I can't help but think how nice it will be to have it done. Tough days test my patience because I want to get into camp so badly that I take fewer breaks to minimize the time I spend on the road. That type of "get it over with" mentality can be dangerous if adopted on a regular basis. Being too focused on the ultimate destination would detract from the fun. Today is an exception to the rule. I just want to get there. I feel weak from my crash two days ago, and I'm not so sure I should be covering this kind of distance without at least one more rest day. It really hurts to go over bumps, and today there are lots of them. Or maybe I just notice them more now. Whatever the case may be, my legs are stiff and I look forward to getting to camp. I look at the guys and I can tell the feeling is mutual. |
| |
| Glenn sees a sign for milkshakes about 40km from the end. I've certainly had my share this summer, so I get a big cookie instead. Then before long it's back on the bikes for more of the same. A strong headwind/crosswind to take us the rest of the way to camp. Jim and Luc head back from there and I start my usual routine. Set up the tent, take a shower and eat supper. The guys at the front office are nice enough to let me borrow their phone jack so I can get some email done. Then I chat with Jan about mechanics as he tightens the cables on my bike. I don't know what we would do without Jan. He's a valuable guy to have around. |
| |
|
|
|
|
