Sunday August 30 Mount Pearl, NL

(Photo: the moon over my campsite)

Light rain on and off overnight but windy, especially here at the edge of the pond so gear is 99% dry. Got going about 8:30 with a forecast that I had that said rain beginning tonight. Not so, 15 minutes into the ride or should I say before leaving the comfort stn at the campground, it starting raining and raining hard. Got to the InforCentre at the TCH soaking wet and was told that we were getting the tail of Hurricane Dan. I didn't know that was in the forecast. Rode another hour in the rain and noticed a minivan with a utility trailer blocking the shoulder of the road. The woman passenger got out and offered me a ride ("the trailer is for your bike" she said). I thanked her, she understood my determination/ stubbornness and off they went. I went a little further and stopped in a tunnel/ underpass, ate and the rain just about stopped. Got back on the road and the wind was unlike anything I have had so far (latter found out 60 -80 km/hr). I thought it was going to pick my bike up off the ground and throw me out onto the road. I preferred it when the road turned southward and it hit me head on and slowed me to ~ 7 km/hr instead of at the side. When I had some cliffs or trees to block the wind somewhat it was bearable but when I was crossing a stretch between ponds (or on a causeway) I was forced to walk! Yes, walk!! My first time this whole trip. Rain started up again, luckily the spray from vehicles did not soak me as their spray all went to one side away form me. I decided to stop at the neXt overpass (more overpasses on this stretch of TCH than all of Sask, Manitoba and Ontario) to find two guys trying to jump start their p/u truck. We talked for a while and they offered me a ride. I took it and they dropped me off at the only place they knew in the suburb of Mount Pearl. Warming up, drying off and doing laundry now.

OD 7845.0 km, 5:40:00, 89.60 km, 15.5 ave, 38.1 max