August 9

When I said goodbye to Amelia and her mom and switched on my ignition, my dash told me I had a blown light bulb in my headlight. Dang it! It was another hot and sunny day, but it’s still better to have lights! I could tell I still had my bright head light because I could see its reflection on the vehicle ahead. I made a mental note to find someone to change it for me when I got to Sault Ste. Marie.

Once I rolled into Sault Ste. Marie, I was on the look out for a bike shop. I need my chain tightened too. I saw a place, but it was already closed. At least there was something and I was there till Monday morning, so I’d get it taken care of. I was surprised by how unphased I was. I guess this means all that built up cortisol over the last 16 months must be gone! Maybe it’s because I booked a suite at a nice hotel for two days, but I know it’s also because the fuckery gig is slipping into the background with every mile I put behind me.

I followed Petunia’s directions, but the heat must have been getting to her too because she had me going in circles. I pulled over to get a closer look at her directions. She said I’d arrived, but I was in a parking lot for some long-closed business. I looked up to see if I could see the place. It was the next parking lot over! Not crazy about getting back into traffic just to take then next parking lot, I noticed a foot path through the trees. That’s good enough for Jules, so I zipped through the trees and right into a primo parking spot across from the front door!

The Outdoorsman in Wawa was a lovely motel and the owners were wonderful, but the Water Tower Inn had a pool calling out to me and a beautiful suite waiting for me. Check out the big reveal below!

After dumping my gear in my amazing room, I went for a stroll to explore the Water Tower Inn. There was an outdoor hot tub and although it was smokin’ hot outside, I knew it would feel good on my tired bones. After a 30-minute soak, I jumped into the icy cold pool inside. OK, not so icy cold REALLY, but just the right temperature after the hot tub. Next stop? Shower and food!

It was Saturday night, and my luck was still up! I saw a sign on a pillar next to my bar stool boasting the award-winning live music! The band was pretty great playing everything from the Beetles to 80’s rock. I closed the place down and enjoyed sleeping in the next day.

With a whole day to spend off the bike, I headed out to find a bulb for my headlight. Thanks to Brian, I knew which bulb to buy and that they had them at Canadian Tire. It was a long and sweltering walk. I spotted a shopping mall off to the left, so I decided to walk through that until I couldn’t anymore. The air conditioning would be a welcome relief, even if it was only a short while. The mall doors were open, but the stores didn’t open for another hour yet. It was a bit spooky being the only person in the mall with everything closed. Another zombie apocalypse feeling. I’ve had a few on this trip!

I started off down the mall when I heard children laughing. I turned around and there was nothing there. What the hell, man! Remember, I’ve already determined I’m the only one there. I started off again and I hear the laughter. I stopped dead and just sort of waited there. One foot wanted to bolt off down the mall, but the other pivoted to force me to have another look. That was when I saw the ‘kid-ride-on-machine-thingy’ outside one of the stores. THAT had a repeating child’s laughter sound to draw people in. Or in my case, to send people running. OK, I didn’t run, but I didn’t stick around, either.

I bought the bulb, hit up the grocery store for some fruit and a pair of shorts which I changed into in the washroom for my walk back to the hotel. All in it was a 5 km walk. Not a long distance really, but it was eleventy four million degrees outside. I felt like a homeless person shlepping down the street with my jeans and apples in a Canadian Tire bag slung over my shoulder.

Back to Brian. This wonderful, sweet, beautiful man of mine has a lot more confidence in me than I do in myself. He sent me the directions to replace the bulb. It looked easy, but I gave up after step one. I took the cover off the back of my light and took one look at the two wires through the sweat streaming down my face and thought, “Nope.”

I’m going to a bike shop in the morning, I’ll just ask them to put it in. It was too hot, too awkward, and too much fuckin’ around to really want to do it myself. I retired to my room to lay in front of the AC and zone out on some TV instead.

Dinner was a wonderful treat that night! I walked down to Giovanni’s Restaurant and had Fettuccini Alfredo. With the beet salad, a basket of bread and a bowl of freshly grated parmesan cheese, I had enough food for THREE people! I enjoyed have of everything and boxed the rest for a second dinner later that night.

If you’re ever inThe Soo, consider staying at the Water Tower Inn and dining at Giovanni’s!