August 9 - Day 94

I wasn't able to access the internet yesterday, something is wrong with dad's IBM account. Maybe he changed the password, but I wasn't able to reach him at home, so my update will have to wait until today, or maybe Moncton. Or maybe Charolettetown. Who knows? When dad told me the IBM account was working, I knew I should have pressed him for any details that might be important, such as the new password, if there is one.

This morning, the fog was so thick that you could only see a silhouette of the large tree in the back yard. But by 10 or so the fog lifted.

My departure to Fredericton won't be happening until the afternoon, possibly late. This is somewhat depressing, because it means I won't get very far at all. But things always have a way of working out. Here's hoping.

Breakfast was as picture perfect as a cereal commercial, where they show you the "complete breakfast" the cereal is only a part of. Juice, coffee, toast, chocolate chip cookies, and a full banana cut up into the cereal bowl.

This place is a kind of living museum. Pictures and paintings that date back a century or more, bookshelves equally filled with old books. The hall to my bedroom is covered with photographs, making a kind of living photo album. Their front garden is picturesque, and everything inside and out has a kind of precision to it. A kind of immaculate quality without going so far as to cover everything in plastic. It is neat and orderly, yet feels like a home to be lived in.

Found a book here from the TV show That's Incredible, which was most interesting. It had ghosts, UFOs, bee people, snake venom, a guy who jumps over moving cars, and a memory drug called PRL-8-53 mentioned in it. Brought back some memories of the show for me.

Lunch consisted of leftovers from yesterday's banquet and brownies, the remainder of which were given to me for my trip.

In the car now to Fredericton. The bike and gear is in the trunk and I'm riding with the husband and their granddaughter (1st year university student). It's only 1pm, so I stand a reasonable chance for some distance covered today.

The guy at the bike shop can't find anything really wrong with the wheel, and didn't recommend a new one. So, after truing it slightly, he put on a new tire and tube himself. Here's hoping it holds together for one more week.

Onward...

Time spent cycling: 2:30 + hours

Distance traveled: approx 65 km (approx)

Total distance: 5469 km

Average Speed: 24.3 kph

Maximum speed: 41.3 kph

Current Location: Backyard in Mill Cove (bike computer went out for up to a half hour)

I didn't leave until 3pm. This seriously killed my time today. However, by getting a lift into Fredericton I covered a total distance of 100k+. So it's not too bad.

At first things seemed good coming out of Fredericton. No problems per se, but then it started to spit, then drizzle, then rain...

I turned into the strangest little bookstore in order to avoid the inevitable downpour.

This is the strangest book shop ever. It's off the side of the road, not a store or house of any kind to be seen within ten kilometers of it. It is sheltered, but in the opened air, covered from the rain by a tin roof. The bookshelves were cobbled together from whatever the owner could find, and close up at night to prevent theft. It has been around for probably thirty or forty years at least, and has a few thousand books in its holds.

The owner is an amiable fellow with coke bottle glasses (one lens more coke bottle than the other) who does this for a living. He only works from May to October and that's enough to sustain him (though admittedly in a lower class setting). He sends his off months traveling across the country in search of more books. Amazing!

As the downpour ensued, I took this opportunity to do the interview with him. A bit on the too-religious side, but nice to talk to. Because of the new trans Canada road being put in, he is going to be put out of business soon, so he's already found a new store outside of Saskatoon to move to. I wish him the best of luck.

After that, I bought an SF book by Alfred Bester and moved on.

Then came the spitting, then the drizzle, then the rain...

The traffic became intense and there was nowhere to hide from it this time. Eventually I ended up in Mill Cove, and found a place to stay the night. Naturally it stopped raining by then. Oh well.

Some kids took an active interest in the bike, and I gave them each a ride in turn. The people in the house let me keep the bike, gear, and my really wet pants inside to dry off overnight. So now with some cheese popcorn from a gas station and chocolate milk, I'm going to read and go to sleep.

For the time being the internet is a no go. I have the new password, but the browser I use to email with expired and I need to DL a new one. So I need a good half hour phone time before getting to email anyone. Not easy in a city. (correction: I found out how to easily circumvent it, so I'll do it in Moncton or so)

G'night all.