Ignace – Upsala

By Deanna on August 9, 2013 • ( 0 )

Today: 105.5 km

To date: 3,361 km

To go: 4,439 km

Another delicious breakfast in a random roadside diner – the home-made bread really makes it – note to anyone who plans on running a random road-side diner.

The ride today was very isolated – only one ‘town’ about 50 km in. I had been planning to stop there for lunch and was disappointed to find the one and only convenience store / restaurant closed. Good thing I always carry food for emergencies like these……. I sat on the side of the road and ate an apple with peanut butter and many handfuls of trail mix.

Several km’s later I saw in my rear-view mirror another cyclist approaching. I pulled over and let him catch up to say hello. Meet Tom – travelling across Canada from England. He strikes me as a very serious cyclist with his spandex clothing, lean physique and impossibly high cadence. After hearing he hasn’t taken a day off since the beginning of his trip on Vancouver Island, my suspicions are confirmed.

I let him ride off ahead and the competitive nature in me takes over – I try to keep him in my sights for the rest of the ride to Upsala…. having no idea of this serious race he is in, he breaks for lunch on a sunny rock and I pass him….. I meet Alex at the one convenience store in Upsala, and minutes later Tom rolls up. We all sit on the pavement and swap stories. Alex bought some Palm Bay Grapefruit cider which he offered around – Tom tried a sip of Alex’s and then accepted one…. this point is important because in days to come, Alex comes down with a cold and remembers this moment vividly………..

Alex & I have dinner (a yummy lasagna & raspberry pies) at the diner in town, and agree to meet Tom later in the campground. There is no shower (unhappy face), so I wash in the lake. We all share one site, make a fire and enjoy the views over the lake as the sun goes down.