Day 87

August 7 - 118km (Wawa)

It was time to continue biking on the 17. I still had a long way to go - and the shoulder quality had not changed. Sometimes, there was a decent shoulder, but this was honestly a rare luxury. Many times the shoulder was less than the width of my handlebars.

I met Conrad and Ravi at a provincial park as I was filtering water from the lake. Conrad was a knowledgeable bike mechanic and gave me lots of helpful advice. I told them I was trying to get to Wawa by the end of the day and said goodbye.

That was a lofty goal, since it was extremely hilly. This was by far the most difficult terrain I had encountered so far. There were hills (that were really just mountains) that went on forever; all I could remember was climbing at an extremely slow pace.

Getting into Wawa was probably my greatest physical achievement on the journey thus far. When I got into town, Conrad was there with his friends. They had waited for me - even though it was getting late and had to drive back - and bought me a pizza.

I had a really tough day, but I was honestly so moved by the kind gesture. Conrad and company: thank you so much.