Day 16
May 28 - 86km (White Bay Convenience Store)
Again, it was forecasted to be a cold and rainy day; however, I was getting a little too cozy. Gene had offered his shed for another night, but I felt like I needed to make some progress as I had been on pause for too long. When I left, Gene started to cheer very loudly. Not for my trip or anything, but just because he was excited that I was finally leaving him alone.
As I started on the road, I once again felt sad leaving my new friends after only meeting them. We promised to keep in contact, but hearing Gene’s jokes on the phone wouldn’t be the same.
Anyways, I had a lot more confidence in my cycling after hitting almost 100km a few days ago. I was aiming for a convenience store and restaurant which would be the only stop for quite some time. It closed at 7pm, so I really wanted to make it before it closed. I probably could have pushed further, but I thought it would be more strategic to stop here.
I saw my first Newfoundlandian moose! It was quite small and darted off when it saw me. I wanted to see a bigger one, but I’m not complaining.
I pushed forward. The rain actually wasn’t too bad, and sunlight was poking out of the cloudy skies. I really felt like I was in a scene from a movie.
There was one point in my ride where there were no cars or trucks. It was just me and my bike, and the only sounds were the birds chirping in the woods. This feeling of being alone was beautiful and I turned off my music to enjoy the silence.
I eventually made it to the restaurant, but I was a little too late. I decided to camp nearby to get some supplies in the morning. I remember it was quite cold and I had difficulty making my tent.
The spot I chose wasn’t the most ideal. Truckers and cars pulled up as late as 3am to take a break from the road, but as a solo camper, I couldn’t really sleep until they were gone. I wanted to wake up early for tomorrow because I had a big day, but my sleep was quite disturbed.
Again, I was feeling a lot better with my mileage and excited for Corner Brook; Joy had a sister there who had a shower and bed waiting for me. With everyone helping me out, I really felt like I was a part of Newfoundland.