Day 93
August 13 - 147km (Kakebeka Falls)
Today was going to be a big day. I would be going through Thunder Bay today and get to see the Terry Fox monument. Chris and Tamara were actually in a town 20km out of Thunder Bay - they had a motel and offered to let me stay with them. I hadn’t showered in a bit, so I gladly agreed.
Again, the biking was tough due to the hills and poor shoulder quality. But I persevered. As I got into the limits of Thunder Bay, I met Xia again! I told him I wanted to see the Terry Fox monument and he agreed to come with me. We actually had to bike on a portion of the highway where cycling was banned (oops). A police car was pulled over, and as we biked past him, I thought he was going to stop us. I think he realized that we were going to see the monument though and let us go without any problems.
Seeing the monument itself was very moving. To me, Terry is a representation of pure willpower and is a major inspiration to me. I remembered my struggles up to this point - and realized how difficult Terry’s journey must have been. Regardless, he ran across half the country which is a testament to how powerful a mentality he had.
Xia and I split up after Thunder Bay. While I was exhausted, seeing Terry’s statue rejuvenated me. As I was biking to the motel in Kakabeka Falls, a kind lady stopped me and asked if I needed water. I actually desperately needed a refill, so she invited me in. She also offered a place to stay for the night - and while I considered it, I told myself I was getting to Kakabeka Falls. It wouldn’t be appropriate to cut my original goal short on the day I got to see the Terry Fox monument. Her name was Karen, and she made sure to remind me that there are good Karens out there!
I reached Kakabeka Falls as the sun set and met up with Tamara and Chris for the third time! It was honestly crazy how many times our respective journeys intersected. I took a MUCH needed shower and we chatted for a bit before falling asleep. We decided when we would say goodbye, it wouldn’t be farewell, because who knows? We may happen to see each other again. Chris and Tamara, thank you so much for everything; I hope we meet again.