The Junction Inn, Baie Verte Junction, Newfoundland Comes To The Rescue For A tired World Runner :)
November/23/2010. South Brook to Baie Verte Junction.
Total today 34.3 km Total for 22 road days = 944.6km
On the way into Eddy’s for breakfast this morning a sweet elderly lady donated 5 dollars to the charity.. She was at pains to get her name right. She told me a couple of times but unfortunately I can’t remember as I didn’t have my book handy to write it down. Sorry lady but thanks for the donation to Aware.
The waitress greeted me with a big pot of steaming coffee.
” Coffee sir? ”
” Of course, I can’t operate without it in the morning. ”
” I can save you a journey too because if you got any of those hungry man or hungry trucker breakfasts or anything that resembles hungry or big well that’s what I want! ”
I always believe in having a big breakfast as one never knows what will happen on the road, so it’s nice to get off to a good powerful start!
On the way out a man behind the gift store counter is shaking his head and asking me am I mad.
I say. ” Morning, You must be Wallace? Thanks very much for your very kind offer of the room for the night.I slept really well and had a lovely hot bath ”
It has snowed overnight and he tells me they don’t even want to go outside to tend to the gas pumps.
I say. ” Well, I guess there are people with bigger problems than me, I’m only cold. ”
Then I add.. ” They say it has to warm up to snow? So I am sure it will be a better day than yesterday… ”
Gotta keep working on the ceann.
I push on. It’s not too bad as the snow is not sticking. The roads are fairly busy and clear. The snow plow has been out. The hard shoulder is slushy. I put on my Ipod. I listen to Jerry Fish and then to Whitesnake. I’m in Heaven as it’s only cold for the first half hour.
Today is a short day, just 34km. A little shorter than I wanted but tomorrow looks like a 55er, just like yesterdays 50 odd nothing likely to be in between, just a scattering of empty holiday homes.
Sometimes the shorter days are the more tiring for me. I don’t understand why.
By now I am well conditioned to running a marathon or more every day. I don’t even feel tired or think about stiffness at the start of each day. I bounce out to the road.
As I mentioned before, pushing a buggy is about a 20-25% extra effort workload. Usually after 30km I am working hard mentally. The head goes down. It can be a mental grind.
Today I played games trying to estimate the amount of land covered by snow as opposed uncovered in the fields. I reckon 65% snow.
Earlier, after 13km I stopped for an English toffee cappuccino and a bar of chocolate in an Esso Station. I discovered the candy was a Turkish Delight, my favourite. I had just picked it by the colour of the wrapper, now I will seek out Big Turk every day.
12km on I am sitting on a guardrail is it called a crash barrier? This is by now my most frequent roadside location for a hot drink from my thermos.
Then there is a massive hill. At it’s steepest I clock my slowest speed so far of the journey, 3.9kmph going up the long drag.
The day is nearly done, just a little more than an hour. I got to pee about 3 more times before the finish. Gotta give up the coffee. I don’t really care now, just pee on the spot when there is a break in traffic. Biggest problem is taking off my 3 pairs of gloves.
Don’t know why I am so mentally jaded early today.
It feels like I am in competition again. Feel like I am in the second night of a 48 hour race. Eyes closed, just running, open eyes again a few seconds later.
I start using my mantras. Then I add the song to the mantras that was so successful in competition… I sing it aloud, I feel better. I see a sign for The Junction Inn 5km away. I check the distance on my gps wristwatch. That should be 33.7km
I count down the kilometers. It’s easier now. I push Nirvana on ahead and get about 15 meters a time. I have a hand strap wrapped around my left wrist so I don’t lose control. So I keep pushing and prodding her forward on and on.
I arrive at The Junction Inn. The bastards built it 600 meters further than they said.
The sign on the door says they got wi-fi so I pull out my netbook computer, logbook bag and instinct tells me the Magic Letter
I go inside and talk to Brent the owner. I tell him it’s too early for me to eat so I just want a cup of tea and a Big Turk. So we chat about my route and the usual questions as I power up the netbook. He asks where I am going to sleep. I truthfully have already spotted a couple of nice places. I never lost that instinct from my world cycle 30 years ago. Just down the road was a park with some open day shelters. Also as I sat in the restaurant I pointed out of the window to a white building that seemed to have nice cover.
I tell him I got a good sleeping bag, a tent and sometimes I don’t even bother with the tent as I got a lightweight tarp.
So I send off a couple of emails. A lad called Matt from Truro, Nova Scotia gives me an invite, I will be there in a couple of weeks.
Brent goes off. A woman called Val and an older lady come in.
The same questions… The same answers.
I am just about to post last nights update on this site.
Val can’t believe I want to camp either. I think she is one of the owners when she says she will give me a good rate. I ask how good. She says it’s normally 100 dollars but she will give it to me for 40.
I say with tax that will be 50. She says, no 40 including tax.
I say it’s still too expensive for my budget that I will camp tonight.
Val says: ” You will come back to me later tonight when it rains! ”
Then I say… ” You think it’s going to rain? Funny Wallace said that to me this morning. ”
” Who is Wallace? ”
” The owner of Eddy’s restaurant and motel… They gave me a complimentary room last night…. I am just about to put a nice piece up on the blog at the moment…Am having trouble downloading pictures as it’s a bit slow….”
I point at my netbook.
I had the Magic Letter face down on the table. It’s laminate, the blank back side made it look like a place mat. I think I could have easily gone off without it.
Quick as a flash I followed up my comment by flashing the letter. Both ladies read it with keen interest.
Then Val said… ” We will provide you with a free room for tonight but the satellite system does not work! You will get what you see on this television.”
” Thanks very much Val! Don’t worry about the television as I only watch the news and weather on Newfoundlands NTV. ”
” We would be delighted to have you Tony.
” We will put you in room number 10.
”Let me go up and turn on the heating for you! ”
Amazing people!
So I went to my room and the television was already tuned to NTV. The weather was on. It showed snow storms all over Canada, saying some journeys were impossible. I saw Gander which I passed through just last week was having a bad time. Many flights to the international airport were cancelled.
It also said today in Calgary was the coldest place on the planet after the South Pole!
Thanks Val and Brent And The Junction Inn :)
A run around the world would not be possible without the good decent people like I have met in Newfoundland.
Their website: www.junctioninn.ca
REASON WHY TONY IS RUNNING THE WORLD JOG PRESS HERE
November 23rd, 2010 at 10:11 pm
Hard work tony doing over 34kms in the snow. Fair play to Val and Brent coming to the rescue. Take care Ann x
November 24th, 2010 at 5:04 pm
hi tony…looks like your making good progress…..
if possible please call us 709-686-5365 ( home) or my cell 632-8209 my office 686-5365
i’ll be on the road with my work thurs and friday this week.
katheryn may be working. i’ll be home in pasadena some time friday afternoon and may be able to meet up with you to show the way to our house.
you have some long stretches of desolation before you get to deer lake
any way looking forward to this
stewart