Out by the bike, I’m absolutely revelling in the sunshine, though it’s still a little cool. I need to stop by the local Wal-Mart for a few required supplies. This done, I’m standing by the bike sipping water.

Next to me is an open-air tent with several female Wal-Mart employees sitting down. I peak in and ask if this is the local bridge club. They laugh and confess that this is the place of banishment where they come for a cigarette during breaks.

There are several younger girls who seem very uninterested in life and there is a mid-forties woman. She eagerly strikes up a conversation; being interested in where I’m coming from and where I’m headed this late in the season. We soon carry our conversation outside near the bike.

Again, I’m struck by how nourishing for the spirit these interactions are; interactions that typically don’t occur in normal everyday life. Not that what we discuss is phenomenal or profound, but rather at a simpler, more authentic level. Feels good to me and feels good to her. Like we get a daily dose for the spirit. We say good-byes and I’m off.

The rest of the ride is pleasant and uneventful. Near sundown I stop by in Renfrew to grab a bite at the local Subway.

While sitting and finishing a delectable grilled chicken sub (I always ask for extra tomatoes and a few black olives), I realize that I really should be doing something about my sinuses. All along the trip, my sinuses have tended to act up in the cool air and I end up having a runny nose. It’s just a bit of a nuisance.

As I reflect over this trip, I realize that I spent a large chunk of it in the grips of a significant weather system. First as I approached it, and experienced the strong westerly winds on the way to Wawa. Then as I moved through it from Wawa to Thunder Bay. And then again, as I unknowingly moved back towards it from Duluth to the Soo. Had I known this before undertaking the trip, I would never have launched.

But now, having gone through it, I was left with a feeling of having experienced a little adventure. Maybe there is parallel with life here, I think to myself. If we were to know what lay in store for us in our lives, we might never have the courage or strength to march on. But taking it as it unfolds, we go through what each of us has to. I dwell on this for a minute and then, it’s time to go.

I decide that I’ll deal with my sinuses by stopping at the local drugstore. This is a small town and I haven’t been through here in over ten years. I end up having a very pleasant tour through the older downtown part.

Being in no rush today, I stop by and meander in various towns along the way. By the time I get home, it is well-past 11pm. My S.O. has been sleeping on the sofa waiting for me, despite the fact that I had asked her not to wait up. I come in, dump my stuff and, before I know it, I’m quickly snuggling up.

It’s been a good day. It’s been an interesting trip. That’s quite enough.

Daily Miles: last day 776km 481mi

Total trip: 4,300km 2,666 miles

Bruno
Montreal, Canada