Cycle Canada, Day 18, May 22/06

May 22/06, Monday                                                    Day 18                  1625 Km

Foam Lake Municipal Campground                                                       ~ 122 Kms                          ~ 8:00 Hrs

A hard slog against the wind all day. Had lunch in Wynyard and the map showed a bit of a town at Elfros so we decided to press on and get our provisions there rather than hauling them the extra distance.

At Elfros there was only a bit of a town and that bit was closed for the long weekend holiday. We bought milk and ice at the bar/hotel, the only business that was open.

Back on the highway we did another hour into the wind then started looking for a place to bunk down. Being on Highway 16 and the baldish prairie there just wasn't any place to camp. About an hour and a half later we pushed, slowly, into Foam Lake. (The "miles to" signs lie.)

In Wynyard some folks on motorcycles were stopped at the same time as us, including a couple who were on their way to Alaska from somewhere in the east-central states (I forget exactly where). I recognized the look of someone who has been sitting, unmoving, on a motorcycle for hours and is starting to go hypothermic. I hadn't thought about the weather turning cool. Because we had been working so hard, I found the temperature rather pleasant.

My stamina was definitely building by this point on the trip. We had really dragged ourselves into Foam Lake and we were both a bit grumpy. We set up the tent then I dropped the trailer and headed down the road to the convenience store. By the time I finished shopping I was feeling pretty good again. The bike felt light and fast (especially without the trailer). I rode hard to get back to the campsite and even tried a couple of jumps on dirt berms on the side of the road. I didn't notice exactly when Doug's mood lightened but by the time we finished our pasta and the second drink we were both feeling better.

We were now into the May long weekend and the campgrounds were officially open. I think we paid for camping this night although no one came around to collect and there were no other people camping there. The bathroom was open and we put our bikes inside overnight.

The next morning I had my first crash. Leaving the campsite I rode too slowly in too high a gear across the grass and fell over when I hit a gopher hole. I went over and took the end of the handle bar in the thigh. Ouch!