Day 3 - April 14th

km: 34              to date: 94
End point: TCH 6km East of Whitborne exit

bottles/cans: 52    to date: 184

Money spent: $0    to date: $42

Temp: 7C sunny, strong SW winds

If I ever get a chance to talk to a meteorologist, I have one burning question:

Is it possible to have a temperature of 5C with a windchill that feels like -25?

That was my constant thought for the first few hours of day 3. I wasn't always going straight into the wind, sometimes it hit me from the side after crossing open fields and over frozen lakes. Last I checked, this was supposed to be the warmest day for the next two weeks. : /

Winter is still abounding here in Newfoundland! But in a way that's a good thing. After a lazy five months off I could use some toughening up.

After only about 5km, I stopped by a river to filter some water as I was running low. I boiled some for my breakfast of oatmeal and then was on my way about an hour later. I spent the next few km wondering if I should take the time to boil the other water I got from the river before drinking it. Better safe than sorry.

Near the turnoff to Avondale, I got my first roadside visit of this trip. Two gentlemen returning from a morning of fishing stopped to see what I was up to. They seemed excited for me and shook my hand repeatedly in between handing over some leftover snacks from their morning outing. I was super happy and it helped boost my spirits. It wasn't until they pulled away that I realized I should have asked them about the water situation.

No need to worry. About 45 minutes later a truck pulled up in front of me and there was Albert, the one in the passenger seat from before. Guess he had gotten home and told his wife about meeting me on the road and she sent him back out with more snacks and some apple juice too. I thanked him and mentioned my concern about the water and he assured me not to worry:

"All de water across Newfoundland is as good as yer ever gonna taste" he told me.
Smiles, thanks handshakes and exchanging of emails and off he went.

I felt great running the rest of the afternoon. (Wind or no wind). I was reminded of all the awesome people that I met on the first trip across Canada and was look forward to seeing them again as well as meeting many more.

Around 5:00 I started looking for a place to camp. The heavy winds and rain clouds gathering meant my site needed extra care. Somewhat sheltered but on realitivly high and dry ground. After some backtracking and checking on both sides of the highway I found one that would have to do. It was a little close to the highway and visible to passing motorists but at that point it didn't matter. I'd deal with the noise and the occasional honking.

Overall a good day. Mileage is getting better and went to slept quite content.
Still lacking in the clean up department but that will improve when the rest of the snow melts and more bottles and cans become visible.