Soggy Toe Jam (and Soggy Toes)

So last night in the tent in the rain in Ontario nearly everything got at least a little bit wet with the notable exception of Priscilla's feet. Those feet, however, have been cold and soaked all day for the past three days. Brrr!

Nonetheless, our indomitable heroine slogged on through the sogginess and rode fifty-something miles today. Halfway through she stopped in Gananoque for a break. She found an information center, complete with convenient internet access. Besides using the computer, she spoke with a woman who told her about a neaby Salvation Army and a used bookstore haunted by a ghost named Hubert. While they were talking, some French tourists arrived all in a muddle, and Priscilla, being French, was able to help them-- de rien, chere touristes!


At the Salvation Army, Priscilla scored big! A more truly waterproof jacket, an extra pair of rain pants, and a set of scrubs (a comfy extra layer when biking), all for three smackaroos. She piled on these new layers in hopes of warming up a bit and set out for the bookstore.


What?!? You thought she would be afraid? Good gracious no! After all, she normally lives in our haunted apartment (yes, it really is haunted by some lady who likes to hang out by the ivy; plus you can here water running in a particular spot in the dining room)! At the bookstore the saleslady was very kind and offered her some tea, which was undoubtably very welcome considering the wetness and coldness of Priscilla. Hubert was nowhere to be seen. However, the sun had come out, and in all her layers, Priscilla was growing rather toasty. So she took the new layers back off, packed them in her panniers, and set off.

Of course, as she did so, the sky turned grey. It began to sprinkle, and then to pour. Priscilla rode on, hoping it would blow over. The rain kept right on gushing, so she finally pulled over, dug the new duds back out of the panniers, and put them back on. She jumped on her bike and... the rain turned off like a faucet and the sun popped out again. Fed up, she decided to bike on, layers and all, come what may. What came was a little more rain, a little more sun, a little more rain, ad nauseum.

In the afternoon she began to think about a place to camp. Specifically, she daydreamed about finding a nice dry barn to camp in. Dismissing this as an idle fancy, she pedaled on, but decided that at 6:30 on the nose she would stop at the first house she saw and ask to use their yard. 6:30 arrived, there was a house, and so she stopped. She'd noticed an overhang near the front of the house, and asked if she might pitch her tent beneath it. The lady of the house said sure, but the man of the house said she might as well pitch her tent in the barn-like structure behind the house, where their daughters train their horses. Priscilla was delighted, so off she went. And now as I write this she is sleeping in her tent in the pseudo-barn, out of the rain, and likely dreaming of Mr. Ed.




Alors. Hier soir dans la tente dans la pluie d'Ontario, tout a etait mouille sauf les pieds de Priscilla. C'est marrant, car ses pieds ont passe les trois jours precedents trempes et gelees. Quand meme, Priscilla a continue sur sa route aujourd'hui, faisant plus que 50 miles. Vers midi elle a fait un pause a Gananoque. La elle est alle dans un centre d'infos pour utiliser l'internet (et au meme temps a aide des touristes francaises-- sympa, non?). Ensuite elle est alle chez l'Armee de Salut ou elle a achete quelques trucs contre la pluie, et apres dans un libraire a l'occasion, un lieu hante par un phantome qui s'appelle Hubert. Elle n'a pas apercu Hubert, mais elle a rencontre la vendeuse qui l'a offert du the.

La reste de la journee etait melange entre soleil et pluie, et elle a reve un peu de trouver une grange pour y faire du camping hors la pluie. "Pas possible," elle a pense, et donc elle a decide de simplement arreter vers 18h30 et demander a la maison la plus proche le droit de dormir dans leur jardin. Bon. 18h30 arrive, elle demande, et la femme dit "oui" mais l'homme dit "mais pourquoi pas dormir dans l'etable au lieu du jardin?" Et donc c'est ca qu'elle fait en ce moment, et sans doute elle reve du Jolly Jumper.