Distance travelled: 113km
As Brian said, it rained last night. But that was not the end of it — it rained ALL NIGHT. I was hiding in the tent, thinking that is was the safest bet at staying dry. However, sometimes even the best of chances aren’t enough.
We pitched our tents last night in a gravel area which was off the side of a road. With rolling bumps clearly from larger trucks which had pulled over in the past, I ensured that we set up our tent in the flattest spot possible to save our backs a little damage. Unfortunately, the flattest area also happened to be somewhat of a divet. It rained, and rained and rained. It rained so much that there were puddles underneath me – not just outsite the tent, but inside as well!!!
Yup, great start to the day. I put on my soaked, cold clothing which I thought was safe in the tent, and shivered my way through packing up until I hopped on my bike and tried to work up a bit of heat to warm things up. Apparently at this time it was 12 C, not your typical summer weather.
We stopped by the Clarenville info centre and gobbled down a bit of food while chattering our teeth. I thought on the way my bike seemed a bit heavier than usual up the hills and was quick to recognize that a stream of water was still dripping from out of the tent bag – waterlogged. We went into Clarenville for some warm food as the weather started to brighten (chili and hot chocolate!!) and then finally found the library we’d been looking for to catch up on a few things. Met Jerry and his wife there, and at this point I realize his words couldn’t be truer and that it’s all about the journey, not the destination. From Vancouver Island, it was a pleasure to meet them and we snapped a couple pictures. After grabbing groceries we had an interview with The Packet, the local newspaper, before we headed on our way.
With quite a bit more of ground to cover, we hammered our way through the many massive hills which kept coming and coming. We did take one break though, as we pulled over to the side of the road so I could call up my little brother Steven as it is his 10th birthday today. Sorry I couldn’t be there for it buddy, but HAPPY BIRTHDAY!! Unfortunately with all these hills it was not long afterwards that I suddenly hit a calorie/fatigue wall so it seemed, as every pedal stroke seemed to become more and more difficult. What did not help was the fact that the chilling wind, temperature, and rain from the morning had done a number on my knee. To make matters worse, Brad’s back tire situation was looking worse and worse as the day went on and we really were not sure how much further things would last.
We hit a turn off called “Chance Cove”, and determined it was a sign to take a chance and see what we could find in terms of a place to sleep. 4km down the road we pitched a tent just on the side of the road in a little cozy where the bushes broke up. In an attempt to dry out the tent, Brian accidently snapped one of our tent poles and we started to realize everything was really coming undone. We met some really great locals who drove by. Brian Rolls works with police dispatch and is a volunteer firefighter who provided us with some duct tape for the tent reparations (thanks!). He drove me into town to pick up the tape and in the meantime we had a quick but meaningful conversation on doing what you can for others. It really means a lot to me when I hear that sort of viewpoint coming from others. We also met another family who provided us with a lighter as ours was dead from rain — they then also returned and gave us COD! mmm!
With everything falling apart around us, accompanied by the very kind people of Chance Cove along with all it’s beautiful scenery, I am determined to ensure this is our last uncomfortable night of camping. A night where cars don’t wake you up every half an hour would be splendid =). Either way, it is our intention that tomorrow will be our last day of cycling for our tour as we head into our destination city – St. John’s, NL.
Let’s get ready to rumble!
Sam
