I rode with my iPod most of the time to help take my mind off of the headwind. The Eagles are really good for cruising music! I guess, riding a constant headwind is a bit like banging my head against the wall. Eventually, it doesn't hurt that much anymore. It sure feels good when it stops, though.
My mind wanders a lot, riding around seven or eight hours a day. Sometimes I daydream, sing along to music, or I come up with some great advanced biology test questions. (Yes, a lot of those aliens and zombies come from really long days in the saddle...), Or, I just space out on the scenery. I saw these tar lines on the road and thought: Pavement Picasso.
Yesterday was a day of technical difficulties. I have a water purifier that uses UV light to kill stuff in the water so I can pick up water from roadside streams and don't have to carry as much. Well, the stupid thing stopped working for while but then I tightened something on it and it's back to working again. Sam decided to be cantankerous and started squeeking and skipping the chain. I made some adjustments and then saw that one of the dérailleur pulleys had almost lost it's screw and was falling apart. Luckily, I caught it in time and was able to fix it and get back on the road.
The silly map said that there were two campgrounds along Nimpkish Lake but, as I found out later, they aren't signed and only locals, who know which unmarked road to take, use them. So, I searched in vain, meanwhile I was racking up the miles. Eventually, I found a dead end road that was blocked off with a big pile of dirt, hauled Sam over the pile and free camped. It was quite a nice spot, actually, and I slept great.
The next day, I got in to Port McNeill and took the ferry over to Alert Bay, which is a Kwakwaka'wakw village on tiny Cormorant Island. It has the world's tallest totem pole and, fittingly, a bald eagle was perched atop of it when I saw it. The local dance group had a dance performance in their Big House, which I went to. It was really special to see the people in their button blanket regalia. About half of the group is made up of children, some as young as five. An elder woman spoke to us at some length about their culture and how they are working to revive their old ways, like their language, dances, and potlach ceremonies that were outlawed for so long.
On my return walk to the ferry, I met Vicki who gave me a ride back to the ferry in her van called Vincent Van Go. She is on a several year quest to travel Canada. It was great talking to another fellow traveller. I will post her blog link later when I have wifi and can look it up.
After returning from the island, I checked in on Sam, who I had left at a bike shop to have his dérailleur checked out. (Wow, my iPhone knows the proper French spelling of dérailleur!) Anyway, Sam got some tlc from a great mechanic and is now running great.
WIND
For a cyclist, wind comes in three main types: tailwind, headwind, and crosswind. All of these come in varying strength and can have a profound affect on a bike ride.
Tailwinds are great and can be a huge help, like an invisible hand pushing me along. The main indication that I am riding a tailwind is that it is quiet. Usually, I hear wind in my ears as I ride but with a tailwind, I only hear the spinning of my chain. Miles fly by effortlessly.
A headwind is the worst thing to have when biking. It is far worse than hill climbing and worse even than rain. It is demoralizing since my mind sees a flat road and knows I should be going faster but my legs can't do it. That invisible hand that is so helpful with a tailwind is now a loaded weight on my bike, holding me back. Even downhills offer no respite since I can't coast but have to pedal. When the grass is bent over like this and I'm going towards the left, I'm probably not very happy.
Crosswinds are plain scary especially when they are gusting. It's tough to anticipate how to lean the bike to compensate for the wind so I get thrown around quite a bit. The draft from trucks usually aren't a problem but with a crosswind, it can really shake me up. If the wind is really strong, I will stop, put both feet down, and brace myself for the draft whenver I see a truck coming in either direction.
---Post From My iPhone
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