Day 34 (Sept 3) – Temagami – Pembroke – Shawville, Quebec “wet & homeless”
Gas Bought: 9.064L @ $1.432 = $12.98
Km’s traveled: 414.9km
Overall average: 39km/hr
Moving average: 48.8km/hr
Total time: 10hr 38min
Moving time: 8hr 30min
Stopped: 2hr 08min
Good thing I got a Motel room last night, because it started lightening and down pouring overnight a few times. I left the hotel around 9am and continued towards Marten river
bike fish pic.
Not long after that photo was taken, it started raining off and on the remainder of the day. I arrived into Petawawa late into the evening and figured I’d try to find a cheap motel to get out of the rain. As it would turn out I would end up even checking out the most expensive hotel’s only to find out that every hotel, motel and campground was full due to some fiddling contest going on in Pembroke which everything was also full. I would end up spending most of the night in the Canadian Tire covered cart carrell. It being one of the only shelters I could find around, I parked the scooter inside, sat on my helmet and leaned up against the bike and fell to sleep till around 1:30am. When I would wake up cold to the bone and wet. Seeing as it was starting to sprinkle again and I could see lightening off in the distance, I wanted to stay ahead of the storm just long enough to find a spot to set up my tent and hide out the storm. Little did I know that this storm had other lingering plans…
I stretched a nice long stretch, took a little run to warm up and unfreeze the mussels, then I was off, heading towards Shawville, Quebec. About 10 minuets after I starting driving again the storm was right on top of me. Lightening right above my head and pouring rain. I knew I had to stop, I could barely see where I was going, on unfarimaler roads, riding a 2 wheeled lightening rod in drenching rains with lightening. Only problem was the fact that there was no where’s to go but straight and hope for the best. I somehow made record time to Shawville and was there by around 3am. Not being able to find a spot to sleep in this small kinda funky town. I seen two cops and ended up pulling into the parking lot around the corner to go ask them if them knew of a place I could go for the night. As I rounded the corner I seen both officers, who were in the process of arresting some drunk dude. I asked the officers if they knew of any areas around and found out there wasn’t any, I could back track to Ontario to find a spot or continue further east. Not wanting to continue on I drove around the town and finally found a park with a bunch of other tents and snuke in. I didn’t end up setting up my tent this morning as I wanted a fast exit if I had to. I pulled the scooter in under a picnic table area that had a roof and hoped on the scooter, put my feet over the handlebars and leaned back sideways onto one of my saddle bags. I had to say it was a bit weird at first but overall I had a good sleep surprisingly.