Tom and Della, our gracious hosts
A hundred Miles to go!
Whitbourne, NF August 27
Today, 100 km. Total 3026 km
Up late last night IMing with Valerie. She has been making plans for her trip to meet me in St. John's, and now has everything organized. She will be flying overnight via Montreal, and should arrive in St. John's early friday afternoon. I am so looking forward to seeing her. We will stay in YYT for the weekend to celebrate with the crew and take care of getting my bike shipped home, then we will rent a car and spend a few days exploring the coastal towns. Looks like we will have good weather, except for Sunday when the remnant of hurricane Duncan is expected to pass through.
After my late night, I didn't rouse until 7:30, but no matter as everyone else slept in too. Finally got the bikes on the road (Pete, Ryan, Bill and I) at about 10am, immediately hitting some good climbs with a strong cross-wind that kept veering to a headwind. I found this a struggle; my legs were pretty tired, as if they new that the Odessey will come to an end tomorrow. The group stayed together for a few miles, then Pete and Ryan broke away as usual. A bit later, Bill dropped back so I was on my own.
The cross-wind made for some hard riding, especially as the narrow shoulder had a wide rumble strip - every gust tended to push me into the bumps, especially when entering any open area. The constant roaring in my ears was itself tiring, and the wind had a way of turning against me on the many long climbs. I tried to vary my effort by getting out of the saddle, but mostly I would just drop into the lower gears on the middle ring, grit my teeth and crank myself upwards.
Judy did a great job in the support car, constantly feeding me coke and cookies to compensate for my smaller than usual breakfast. Several times, I stopped at hill crests to eat more sugary treats, and I even got into one of the emergency energy gel packs that I bought in Quebec City- this seemed to help.
At one of these refreshment stops, a car stopped behind me, a man got out and said "You must be Barney" Ana amazing thing to happen inthe middle of the Newfoundland back country! Turned out tht it was Pete and Judy's friend Tom with his wife Della. They had driven 100km from St.John's to meet us. We introduced ourselves, and it was as if we were long lost friends.
Tom and Della headed off again to look for the rest of the crew, and I resumed my painful push into the wind. After a while the highway turned from south to east, so the crosswind became a tailwind, an I realized that I was starting to pull the hills in my big ring. However, my legs were still really tired, and I was glad to meet up with the gang at an info centre. We decided to call it a day and drive into St John's for the night to stay with Tom and Della at their house. Tomorrow we will drive back to finish the final 80km of our ride.
Tom and Della have a house in Torbay, North of St. John's with a marvellous ocean view. They are incredible hosts. They sat us all around the kitchen table, and brought bout pot after pot of food, plied us with beer, and stood back to enjoy watching us eat. The meal started with bottled moose ( a kind of tasty stew that is sealed in containers to preserve it) with home-made bread, then poached cod followed by abundant steamed mussels and pan-fried scallops. All of these dishes were copiously refilled. Just when we thought we would burst, in came an enormous paltter of barbecued steak. And last but not least, a tray of my favourite date squares. No fuelling problems for tomorrow's ride!
Tom and Della are fantastic hosts, and kept us entertained through the evening with their lively conversation and Newfoundland humour.
As I write, everyone is turning in - in a few minutes, every couch, bed and section of floor will be occupied by a groaning, snoring satiated figure.
And so to bed. Tomorrow will be the last day of the epic ride, and I will be reunited with my Valerie. I realized today while riding that, after all that I have done, experienced and enjoyed in the last five weeks, I am now ready to finish. What a fantastic trip this has been.
Goodnight all,
Barney
PS Pete's blog, http://www.transcanada09.blogspot.com/
Thursday morning at 6.00am. Two young urban foxes rolled and tumbled on our lawn. For 20 minutes Dru and I watched them as they first played tag, chasing and cuffing each other, then hide and seek, one hiding behind a bush, the other sauntering by only to be pounced on by the other and, most amusingly, 'sleeping tigers', both stretched out on their backs, quite still until one with a great spring pounced upon the other, and so the rolling and tumbling began again, and the chasing and chasing round and round our willow tree.
ReplyDeleteThe morning was sunny. The world was a good place.
When you read this Barney, I expect you'll be with Val and the great adventure over. What an achievement! Thank you for sharing your every day. And for being an inspiration in what is still possible.
Give our love to Val.
Barney - always my hero, you are at the end of a heroic act of Oddysian proportions. I have read your blog every day and I think I have learned more about you than I have gathered in the last 60 years.
ReplyDeleteThe tail end of Hurricane Bill hit us yesterday and I smiled to think about how it swept by you 4 days ago. It brought me greetings.
I have had a lot of smiles as I read your blog - not least when I read about the 2 strangers who approached you and said "You're Barney!" which I misread as "You're barmy". Well maybe both, huh? Or who is more barmy? The one sitting on her fat arse reading it or the one out there in the moment doing it?
I am so proud of you, you are more than a little brave, you are a great chief complete with tomahawk, wigwam and a huge totem bedecked with wheels, cogs, chains and a massive chocolate milkshake.
All love to Valerie,
Janet XXX
Barney - I guess you made it that last day to St Johns and Valerie?
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