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September 14 Wednesday Bicycle touring from Springfield Ontario to Mt Pleasant Ontario Thunder and lightning and a downpour at 4 AM did little for my beauty rest. Sherry had wanted us to sleep downstairs on a couch, but I told her we were comfortable in our little home. At least that was until they told me we were in lightning storm alley and that their dog had been killed when struck by lightning one night in his dog house last year. The caffeine in the two Pepsi's I had drunk, and a late cup of coffee didn't help matters either. Plus, it was after midnight when we finally toddled out to our little bicycle touring tent, so we were way off our schedule. It was muggy besides, with no hint of a breeze. Even the rain didn't cool it off. Worse, when I did fall asleep, the rain came off of their house roof and landed in a tin pot. Plink Plunk. Plonk. It sounded like a bad bongo player. I finally shoved in another set of earplugs and it helped drown the din somewhat. Edison, their puppy who ripped up their living room rug (insurance paid for a new one -- that's why they named him Edison, because he is so smart), was let out. He stood around and barked at our bicycles and tent for half an hour. The girls then left for school, with much slamming of screen doors. I rolled up my bike touring sleeping pad and went inside. Sherry made a wonderful omelet with ham, tomatoes and cheese. She brought out two jars of preserves. One was thimbleberry, which she said was like raspberry but harder to pick with all the thorns; the other was strawberry. (When we left she gave us jars of each.) Sherry has five brothers and a sister. One brother was schizophrenic and was stabbed and died in Sarnia. Her mom and dad just split up and are living with their new "friends." Bud works 12 to 18 hours a day. The guy wasn't forty yet, but most of his hair was grey and he sported a big pot belly -- all that roast beef? Rather than a peer, he struck me more as looking like a father figure. After sitting around talking until 11:30 AM, we finally got back on our bikes and set off for another day of bicycle touring. It rained sprinkling drops as we left. I am feeling light-headed. Not good for pedalling a loaded touring bike in traffic all day. We pedalled along, jogging east and north-east through more corn, cabbage, and even a field of gladiolus. In Mt Pleasant, at 5:30 PM, I saw a sign for a community park. We pulled our touring bikes off the road and made supper. I asked permission at the house across the street if we could bicycle camp at the community park. The fellow responded, "It won't bother me one bit." So we set up our little Kelty bicycle touring tent under a huge weeping willow tree. Four teenagers came and stomped on a burnt-up picnic table. A family with two youngsters came and played on the playground equipment. Sharon is still really itchy from all the bug bites she suffered while cleaning her bike at Rondeau. The heat and humidity don't help in the non-itch department either. |
