Day 37: Plague

Last night, we found a lovely spot on a beach by a lake just out of town and set up our tents as the sun was setting. The moonlight shone on the lake, a loon let out a mournful cry and we dived in our tents to escape the clouds of mosquitos. 

We woke early to a sunny morning and a nice cool wind keeping the mosquitos away. The sun shone all day, steadily warming the air to 32 degrees! And the wind tried to keep us cool and slow our progress.

Several cyclists crossed our path today. A Dad and his two daughters riding with a support vehicle. And a couple staying at the same site as us tonight, all heading east.

We stopped at every picnic bench we came across today in a bid to mend our tired legs. We've been riding pretty fast as a team and even though we take turns at the front, the pace is starting to take its toll. But we got to see a lovely waterfall and some sparkling blue lakes, teeming with dragonflies!

At our last stop, a caterpillar fell onto the table from a tree. Then another crawled up from the ground. Then another, then another. They're everywhere! The road was covered, the trees were covered, the forest floor was crawling! Our bikes were full of caterpillars and they were falling from the trees onto our heads. We rode away thinking we were leaving them behind...

Along the road, they were still everywhere. And at our campsite, it's much the same. Apparently the population booms every seven years or so and we came at just the right time! Just when you think you've had all the bugs a country can throw at you - mosquitos, midges, no-see-ums, horse flies - another pops up! At least the caterpillars don't bite I guess.