I slept well last night after the climbs and distance. Sixty pounds does not play well with gravity. But it does drop like a stone when the climbing is over. Until the next time, and in Canada, there seems to always be a next time.
I had thought when I got to this campground most of the climbing would be over, and I’d be on a gentle slope to Pancake Bay. Boy was I in dreamland.
My morning start begins at 7 a.m. with a dew-covered tent. I’m mostly in shade, and it’s a cloudy morning. I pack all but the tent and cook breakfast. After eating, the tent is still damp. OK, I’ll pack it wet and hang it out to dry when I get to the next campground. The ground cover is still wet with pine needles sticking on the underside. Well, that too will need to dry after my day of riding.
I’m packed and off, or so I thought. On the way out, I spotted two very nice hammocks hanging in a campsite. I stopped to ask about the hammocks. One is the exact one that I’m planning to purchase. Claudette is interested in my bike and the way I have it set up. She would like to tour someday. Patrick is also eager to learn. The offer for me to get into the hammock to try it out is better than I had hoped. I now know without any doubt this is the one I want. I am now forty minutes late as I get to the road.
To my surprise, I immediately begin a very steep climb three kilometers long. And this is only the first of ten.
I drop into Montreal River Harbor only to climb another ridge. This time I drop to a bay, hoping it is Pancake Bay. My hopes were too high; I still have another twenty kilometers to go. The mind game starts, and I reassure myself that if I just keep turning the pedals, I’ll get there; if I don’t, I won’t. This simple logic is all it takes for motivation.
These last twenty miles became easier. I got to the park entrance to find out that Nancy’s site is a three-kilometer backtrack parallel to the road that got me to the campground. And, the icing on the cake, a short 17% grade to Hill Top Loop. What a way to finish a ride, heart pumping and lungs popping.
I am now done riding. I unpack the wet gear and hang it on a line to dry. We have dinner and then we bring Moe to the beach. He loves running free on the sand.
Tomorrow we need to move to a different site; it will rain overnight. We pack the screen tent and chair so they will be dry when we move.
It is dark and I’m ready to sleep.