Day 16
Date: June 6 , 2009
Distance: 131 km
Time in Saddle: 7 hours 15 min
Maximum Speed: 46 kmh
Average Speed: 18 kmh
Chase driver: Kirsty (aka The Commander)
Riders: Ken
After yesterday's distance shortfall , I knew that today would have to be a long one in order to stay on schedule. However, when I got on the bike this morning I felt that I had nothing left in the tank. With a little bit of encouragement from the Commander, I thought "It's not about the strength, it's about the will".
The people at Harvest press on with scant resources, fueled by the will to make a difference. In some ways, this ride is emblematic of that. It provides the strength by raising the funds and awareness needed to make it happen. So I decided to suck it up and start riding.
We finished the remaining kms to Lac du Bonnet and had a great breakfast at Al's. After that we took off down the trail towards Pinawa, unfortunately most of the trail was flooded. Not to worry, we charged ahead on the road that ran parallel to the trail.
Going into the Whiteshell was easier than anticipated. They had a huge sign. (I took a pic.)
In the park we were stopped by a lady who wanted to make a donation. She also wanted to make sure we had enough to drink and gave us a donation for juice. We ended up buying some juice at Pinewood Lodge, where we were greeted by Raqel, who had heard about the ride on the radio. She offered us some ice cream and made a $100 donation. How nice was that? I would have settled for the ice cream.
Our journey also included crossing over some neat dams (I took a pic.), and got stopped by a train (I also had to get a pic. of that). Apart from being attacked by giant black flies, the day went well and we managed to make up the needed time.
Tomorrow the ride finishes in East Braintree with a bbq and reception to wrap it all up.
Lots o' pics today.
As always, thank you for your continuing support. Ken
