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I was on gmail today and ended up in a chat with my son David, wife Susan and daughter Katie at the same time! David said I could change my ticket for an earlier departure for a fee. I decided to leave a day earlier so I'd have a day to give some help to my mother who is preparing for a move.
One of the regular firehouse visitors, Paul, (I knew he was a regular as there was a standing cribbage rivalry between he and Dempsey) worked on the road crew doing some road improvements on the next section of highway I would be riding. He filled me in on the locations of all the snowmobile shacks that are located along the highway. These could be good destinations, particularly if the weather is rainy.
Day 30 Monday July 19 to Pause July 28
I stopped into the airport office of Sylvia Shea, the airport administrator who had offered me a place to store my bicycle while I returned to Vermont, to tell her that my bicycle was safely stored at the fire station. We discussed my trip and she asked about bear protection. As the store at which I figured I could buy a bear deterrent noisemaker, "bear banger," would close at 5:oo and my return flight came in at 4:30, Sylvia offered to buy it for me and have it ready for me when I returned. I can't believe how helpful everyone has been in Happy Valley - Goose Bay!
My flights back to Boston were uneventful. The cloud cover was mixed, so I had some incredible views going into St. Johns and going across Newfoundland. Most of the interior of Newfoundland is accessible only by floatplane. I enjoyed the executive class seating provided by my son David and the meals and drinks that came with it, including a visit to the executive lounge in Toronto. Unfortunately, the flight from Toronto to Boston was delayed two hours, so I did't get into Boston until almost midnight. A bus and subway brought me out to David's apartment where I had a short night's sleep before getting up the next morning to catch the bus to Lebanon, NH where Susan and Katie would meet me.
Pause to July 28
To make a long week short, I visited my mom Tuesday afternoon to Wednesday noon. Returning home, I wasn't feeling well and proceeded to collapse on the couch exhausted, with stomach pain. I ended up not getting off the couch until the wedding, which was Saturday, while running a low grade fever. I enjoyed the pageantry of the wedding, where the wedding party arrived by canoes, but with stomach pain, couldn't enjoy the food or drink.
Not wanting to share the details, it wasn't until Monday that I was able to eat anything solid. I had lost more than 10 pounds during the week home, more than I had lost in the four previous weeks of cycling. I postponed Monday's return flight as I wasn't sure if I would be better by that time. I tried to schedule a return flight Tuesday for Wednesday, but no flights were available. With David using his Air Canada Super Elite status, I was able to get a flight on Thursday.
So, as I write, I am expecting to take a bus this afternoon to Boston, spend the night at David's apartment, and fly back to Happy Valley - Goose Bay tomorrow. I will have lost four days off my schedule, but if I am able to continue covering more mileage than I had expected, I should be able to return to Vermont by my August 21 target date.
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