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Muggy "Oh, what a bitter thing it is to
look into happiness through another man's eyes." We awoke from a restless sleep feeling terrible. The humid night hadn't helped any and we were both so itchy. The combination made for an uneasy night filled with much scratching and moaning - not that kind of moaning, unfortunately. Sharon woke to find her ankles swollen and rubbed raw. "I have a headache," she groaned, surveying her red and lumpy body. "I think there's too much mosquito toxin in my system." "Let's get out of here!" I said, packing to a jitterbug dance. Todd strolled over to say goodbye. "I told my mom about you guys and your trip," he said. He waved a cycle touring book in the air. "I want to buy a bike," he announced, "so I can come with you guys!" Meeting someone so enthusiastic about our trip was exciting. "Although," he continued, taking a hard look at our bikes, "I don't know if I could get mine to look like yours." Sharon laughed. "You may not want to," she said. With new eyes I gazed at our bikes and had to smile. Laundry hung off various niches. Lashed on my rear rack, on top of sleeping bag, pad, and tent, was a half-eaten bag of whole wheat bread and a box of day-old doughnuts. We looked like 21st century vagabonds. "It's a great way to see the world!" Todd enthused. "It is," Sharon confirmed. "One of these days," she told him, "if that's your dream, you'll do it." Todd nodded, and wiped his perspiring face. To say the conditions were muggy was like calling a hurricane a fresh breeze. It felt as though we were standing in a Turkish steam bath with the dial stuck on the kiln setting. A white haze hung in the distance, similar to when we'd cycled the Blue Ridge Parkway. "Is there a forest fire?" I asked. "Nope," Todd said. "It's Carolinian vegetation transpiration." Huh? We were a long way from Carolina. Todd chuckled. "Carolinian Canada is found only in southwestern Ontario," he explained, turning into Ranger Information Dude. "Carolinian flora may be situated amongst some of Canada's most populated and intensively farmed regions of tobacco and vegetable crops, but this entire area is unique in Canada with its profusion of species. Some of the vegetation established here isn't found anywhere else in the country, at least not natively, such as magnolias, prickly pear cacti, and sassafras for example." Our botany lesson concluded. We thanked Todd again and pedalled away. Heading out the park gates, I turned for one last so-long wave. Todd was rooted in the middle of the road, looking wistful, like a lovelorn lad who had sent a dozen roses to an admired female, and had them returned. |
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