I awoke at 6:00 and went over to the Tim Horton’s. I am indulging myself in several cups a day and my stomach doesn’t seem to mind. I wrote a bit but I was not exactly inspired, but I have to keep at it since my discipline has always carried me through. I should go back and work on the handicap essay (as in golf handicaps) and now I have the fishing guide essay to do for Kaatskill Life. That one should be pretty interesting for one of my great rewards has always been guiding people, particularly my ex-partner. I still remember the first time I put a fly rod in her hand. I was fishing one of the finest streams in the country, Bear Creek in Yellowstone. She was sitting by the side of the stream and I convinced her to try her hand at fly casting. I carried her out on my back to a large flat rock right in the middle. I showed her a quick roll cast which she accomplished easily and in a few minutes she was on to one fine cutthroat, then another, then another. She was rather excited and it was the start of a long and I hope continuing career.
When I returned to my room I tried to get my phone working but even though I found out everything is set up right, I am sure I am not going to get any service until Kenora. I also looked into a replacement latex mattress but no luck in Winnipeg. I did my yoga and it was time to head out.
I decided to stop at Pukaskwa National Park before I went into Marathon, figuring if the water was too rough I could ride my bike and kayak in the morning. But the lake was remarkably calm and I was able to paddle far out past the point and get a view of that immense and undisturbed coastline. It was a wonderful paddle and certainly one of the highlights of the trip.