Canada or Bust: Day 12

We got to sleep in on day 12! We had less than 50 miles to go, so we slept late, had breakfast, got ready slowly, and left the hotel around 11:30. I think.

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And then- for me- the biking part of the day started with a half mile walk to the nearest gas station. Yep, another flat tire! Nevin found a few wood splinters in the tire that I must have picked up on the road the day before. Thankfully it held up until we reached the hotel, but by morning it was as flat as it could get. Nevin still had a spare tire & tube along, so he changed the whole thing and we were good to go.
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We headed out toward Dryden in the early afternoon. Previously, we had thought this trip would need to be done all in one day, but Galen knew about a few places along the road where we could set up camp beside a lake. The idea of being able to break a 118 mile day of large hills into 48 & 70 mile days sounded great to us! Especially after starting out and realizing that this entire stretch of road was one steep uphill climb. Or so it seemed. I guess most of the uphills also had downhills. And I used those for much needed rest times!
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We knew that my mom & dad were on their way to Galen's that day, and we looked forward to seeing them along the way. When they finally reached us, it was wonderful to finally see family again! Seeing their van go by and knowing they were stopping at the top of the hill to see us gave me the burst of energy I needed to make it to the top for a break. We stopped for a while to eat (they fed us!) and catch up a little, and then we were all on our way again.
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And watching for the next batch of family.
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Finally, around 46 miles in, we saw Galen's beautiful truck and Galen & Edith's beautiful faces! He told us to wait where we were while he goes back where we came from about a mile to see if we can camp there. If that didn't work, there was a boat launch up ahead 2 miles that would work. We ended up going on to the boat launch and camping there for the night.
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They took wonderful care of us there! It was a perfectly beautiful place to camp. They set up chairs, told us to sit, and proceeded to build a fire, set up camp, and cook a dee-licious supper for us! Steak, fried rice, shrimp, fruit, veggies... wonderful, amazing food!
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We relaxed around the fire for a while, then Nevin and Galen jumped in the lake while I headed to the woods for a shower. Yep, he even brought a camp shower along for those of us (me) who didn't care to get clean by jumping into a frigid lake. Nevin also did his laundry in the lake. I just hung mine up to air out overnight. :-) After a little more relaxation, we hit the tent for some attempted sleep. It was so cool to listen to the loons calling over the water while drifting off! Or... While talking and telling tall tales and jokes, as the case may have been. We did eventually get some sleep, though.
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Day 12: success. Only 2 more to go!