Day 16 - The Rain Begins

Today was rainy - not a downpour, I've avoided those so far, but it was drizzly all day, with some breaks of rain.  We started out in the morning with a headwind - I have learned that I don't like these.  In fact, I think I would take a rainy day over a head wind-y day.  I think - not sure. Said goodbye to our family once again in what seemed like nice weather - cloudy, coolish, and not windy (lesson from Mr. Prior - when you camp down in a pretty steep valley, you are sheltered from the wind - it will seem like there is little/no wind - this is wrong). 

The St John River Valley in the distance...and rain - everywhere

The ride was also pretty hill filled - rolling hills at first, but they got steeper.  After about half of the day, we rewarded our wet, and pretty cold selves with a Timmy's stop.  This was a good choice - tried to figure out where we might be able to stop on maps/GPS, but it's not looking good - might be more of a camp where there is flat ground type day...While in Timmys, a group from a leadership camp came up and wanted us to sing in a video with them - out of the whole Timmy's restaurant, I was the only one who was willing (and made Bas too)...so, we sang Na na na na, Na na na na, hey hey hey, goodbye for the whole store (and their video camera) to hear.  I improvised - they didn't seem impressed...oh well.  They promised us it wouldn't end up on YouTube.  After that, off to shop at Walmart (Bas felt shopping at Walmart was very a very North American thing to do).

Grand Sault - not looking so grand in August

Then, we hit the hills - the real thing this time.  They weren't terrible, and Bas tells me a trip isn't worth doing if it's only flat (I don't buy this), but they weren't what I would call fun.  Some of them were preeeeetty steep.  Eventually, after we were both running out of steam, we came around a corner and SURPRISE - a free campsite on the Tobique Narrows Native Reserve.  It was really nice - beautiful view of the lake, two shelters (one for cooking, one for bikes)....and free! 

This picture aggravates me - hills always look so much flatter in pictures - but, really, it was STEEP

Another lesson - Tuna Helper without Milk or Margarine is not really so good - especially when you add a little too much water...but, it fed me.  Hunger makes anything a little edible.