Today had a little bit of everything, (some sun, some rain, some headwinds, some hills, some flats), and a lot of riding. Big Superior Hills and southerly winds made for a long day of riding until dusk.
I got up around sunrise, said goodbye to Boone, and hit the road.
After a few hours I made it to Marathon where I stopped at a grocery store attached to a mall, bought a bag of Decadents, and ate them while writing my blog post. Then back on the road. I've realized my response to all wind conditions is to ride more. Tailwind? Better take advantage and keep riding—who knows what tomorrow will bring. Headwind? Better keep riding to make as much progress as you can as tomorrow might be worse. I'd rather have a few long days and then a short day then get caught short of my next destination. It’s a good thing I like bike riding.
Late in the day I made it to White River, where the the town celebrates its tenuous connection to Winnie The Pooh (the bear that Christopher Robin would name his teddy bear after was bought from a trapper here before ending up in the London Zoo). There hadn't been a good roadside statue for a while so I took advantage.
Even though the light was fading, a thunderstorm was forecast, and there was free camping at the town's visitor centre, I kept riding so I could keep on schedule. I made to Obatanga Provincial Park just before sunset, where the campground closed in 2013 due to budget cuts, where I met a local parked at the gate for some late-evening fishing. I pushed my bike around the gate and we walked and chatted until he hit the lake, and I biked another kilometre until I found a place to settle undisturbed for the night. I managed to get my tent set up just moments before the rain started. I slept with earplugs in just to block out the noise of the heavy rain.
Today's Distance: 169 km
Cumulative Distance: 4173 km
