Day 13

Rebecca and Gerald were great hosts. I had another delicious dinner and went to the pub with Gerald to watch Montreal beat Boston in the playoffs (in ice hockey of course). 

I set off around 9.30am and it was already too hot. I made slow progress into the wind under the hot sun and by lunchtime I had only done 20km. I got to a junction with the cycle trail going one way and google maps telling me to go another way. I followed the cycle trail for a few kilometres but it turned off the wrong way and the highway had a no bicycles sign. I turned back to the google route and went straight up a steep hill. My legs were exhausted and about half way up I got off and started to push. I knew I still had 65km to go and I was feeling emotionally delicate.

A bloke in a van asked me whether I was going to the campsite. No, I said, to Granby. Granby? That's an hour away by car! And this road turns into a gravel trail up ahead, you should take the highway. It was all I could do to hold back the tears.

I went back (again!) and headed onto the no bicycles allowed highway. It was insanely hot, the road was hilly, there was no hard shoulder, and the wind was ridiculous. I was being pushed backwards and onto the soft verge alternately by headwinds and sidewinds. I walked up hills and pedalled down them, the wind slowing me to 10km/h on the downhill sections.

By 2pm I'd spent about half an hour in tears. They kept streaming down my face and the wind kept blowing them into my ears. Gusts of wind brought on pathetic sobs and I would stop on the roadside to hold my head in my hands and have a drink of water.

I didn't eat enough today. The heat made me lose my appetite and I knew I didn't have time to stop, so I pushed on oh so slowly.

I managed to drag myself to a town at 4pm, baking under the relentless sun. I was 30km from my intended destination but I didn't care, there was no way I was doing 30km more. I spent half an hour finding and getting to the only motel in town. I cried and ate, had a cold shower and skyped Dave. I feel a little better but still very fragile. Oh that there will be clouds no headwinds tomorrow...