Who'll Stop the Rain?

The day went great until about 6:00 today. We had covered just under 400 kms, with only 1 more session of riding left to make our goal when it started to rain. We saw lightning, but the rain wasn't coming down hard and it looked isolated. We decided to go for it because we were both in good shape and figured that we'd seen the worst weather we were likely to encounter when storm-stayed on Cape Breton.

This weather wasn't more severe than the wind at Cape Breton, but there was a lot more rain. Add to this the fact that we encountered a construction zone of about 3 miles with no pavement, and you've got a formula for some seriously hairy riding. The rain came down so bad on the gravel that we were basically riding along a series of creekbeds, with the water just pouring across the road. Luckily the gravel had been packed so it wasn't excessively muddy (just the mud carried into the road by the water).

I led while we braced ourselves to just try to get 5 miles down the road to the next town where we could consider options. I rode almost the whole way with one eye on my mirror, so worried
about Yi in these conditions. The water, gravel, and mud all magnify even the smallest of errors. A bit too much brake or steering input, or the wrong guess about which rut to put your wheel in and the bike can get away from you faster than you can believe. I felt OK about the road, but it was very tough and took a lot of concentration.

While we were stopped waiting for our turn at a one-lane construction zone, a bolt of lightning struck very close. I mean it must have been within 100 meters - the instant it hit, we could both smell ozone and hot pine. I have never been so close to a strike like that, and for Yi it added an element of stress that was really not required at this point.

Compounding the difficulties for Yi is the fact that her visor was wet inside and out, and fogging up on her. She was wearing glasses today, so she couldn't just open the visor and squint - lesson learned: always use the contacts if there's any chance of rain.

I can't say enough about how relieved I was that we both made it through with no spills, or how impressed I was at how Yi handled herself under the conditions. A dude in a pickup truck who followed us through that section stopped at the same gas station after us and came over and said "Great job! I don't know how you two rode through that." With the immediate danger gone, Yi went through some kind of stress/adrenaline dump and was overcome with emotion for a little while. I had a hard time convincing her of how amazed I was that she had kept the bike upright - an advanced ride from a beginner rider.

While we were planning our next move, another local came by and told us that he rides too. He was quite a character and had a beautiful dog in his truck with him, and that seemed to cheer Yi up a lot. The rain let up quite a bit, and the local gave us some advice on the local motels, called the motel for us, and then led us there in his truck. Not really necessary, but a nice gesture and an added element of fun in the adventure.

We have encountered some riding that is much more hairy than anything I expected based on other rides I've done this time of year. We've both had our resolve and our skills tested pretty heavily. I am glad and thankful that we've managed to pass those tests, but damn am I ready for maybe a couple of nice days in a row - I feel like we've earned it!