When I woke up this morning, the weather looked gloomy but okay, so I made the decision to head out. I ate, packed, slide the apartment key under the door, and I was off.
As soon as I left the apartment it began to pour, and I faced a strong headwind as I biked down the road. Things looked grim, but I was locked out of the apartment, and had no choice but to continue. I made several wrong turns, and stumbled around town against strong winds, already soaked and cold. I hadnt even left the city and I began to feel hopeless already. A man saw my plight and stopped to offer me a place to stay, but my stubborn streak made me turn him down for reasons a mystery to me. I instantly regretted my decision as I crawled down the highway, cold rain howling in my face. It felt like I was biking in a hurricane.
I began to despair more and more as my hands and feet froze in the ice cold wind and rain. I lost all motor control in my hands, to the point where I couldnt pick things up or even take my gloves off. I stopped at the first motel I found and writhed in pain in the washroom of the attached cafe as I thawed my hands in warm water. The rooms werent available until after 11 AM, so I waited in the warmth of the cafe, with a coffee, slowly returning to life. I watched the winds howl outside, seeming as if it would rip the flags from their poles.
Once I had checked into my room, I cranked the heat to dry my soaked gear, and took a long hot shower. Revived, it was then time to kill time all day once more. The weather forecast is calling for improvements to the weather, but the winds will still be present in a reduced capacity.
I have a new route plan, clocking around 150 KM a day down the highway 16 each day, reaching Winnipeg in 5 days. This is doable if the weather finally cooperates, but will require a lot of work. I cant wait to finally make progress again. It will really help my morale.
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