Trip 1: Entry 8 - Fort Frances

Hey everyone,

Made it out of Glenboro Sunday morning, somewhat reluctant to leave my adoptive family (thanks Kevin, Laurie, Paige, Mac and Syd) and the comforts of that fantastic small community. Kevin and Laurie even escorted me on bikes to the first turn off, 32kms along.

The themes for the last three days have been head/sidewinds and butt care. The winds have been very discouraging and have held me to sub 26kms/hr average speeds. I was hoping to average more like 30 overall. I've forced myself to ramp up the hours again, starting with just over 6 on Sunday and today it will likely be in the 8hr range.

The butt situation, so far, seems to have reached a steady state where it is quite uncomfortable in the latter part of the day, but is not a show stopper. My 'good' shorts are starting to fall apart and will need to be replaced in Thunder Bay. I feel there is still uncertainty about this issue and it is frustrating.

For the most part the lay of the land has been very flat since Glenboro, especially yesterday and today. I assumed I would be in Canadian Shield country coming into Fort Frances, but it hasn't quite shown up yet. Definitely more trees now, which help some with the wind. The heat today has been stifling and it is very hard to keep up the hydration. Supposed to be even hotter tomorrow. The 17 hours (including one night's camp) in Minnesota was somewhat stereotypical. I heard a gunshot near where I was camped last night and then today rode by a young man with no top on carrying a large wooden cross the opposite way on the highway and got a "God bless you" as I rolled by. To each their own, but I can't imagine that in Canada.

I'd better get going again. Haven't had a proper shower since Sat., so may splurge on a pay-site if one materializes in a couple of hours. Covered in salt again. Oh, and I don't think the meds took care of the poison ivy, so may need to deal with that tomorrow or the next day. Just hoping I'm getting all the bad karma now so that the big trip will go smoother. Still not sure how I'll deal with the lost days in terms of getting to Kingston on time for the wedding.