July 9 - a much-needed rest day

[Brock]

What is to be said about a rest day? Not much. We take it easy.

After a long, long sleep to rest our bodies from the constant berating we have subjected ourselves to. We outsleep the kids in the group camp sites nearby as they rise early for breakfast and pile into vans to explore the great outdoors. We outsleep the touring cyclists that have fallen in around us and have another destination in mind. We even outsleep beat poet Seamus, although we pass him on the way to the general store and bid him a fond "good luck!" as he beats the pavement in search of another ride north.

Coffee from the store holds us over. I barrage my followers with twitter postings of pictures from the many days we have existed outside the connected world. We read messages on our electronic devices.

A lazy ride back to the campground gets us to brunch, consisting of a few things purchased from the store and some leftovers that another camper left in the bear-proof food storage box earlier. Corn on the cob makes for a great brunch when paired with a three-egg omelet prepared in a pan over the fire (Adele's been adding steadily to her repertoire of meals that can be prepared over a campfire) and sausages.

We make our way back to the lakeshore and enjoy the water, both aesthetically and as swimmers. I try a few phone calls from the pay phone with a sock full of quarters that our friend Aaron gave us. Here's a trick with pay phones for all you kids that haven't had to deal with them: dial the number and stick your quarters in. If your party doesn't pick up by the fourth ring, hang up and your quarters will come rushing back to you behind the change door on the bottom of the phone. Beats paying $1 to leave a voicemail saying very little.

We hiked along the peninsula near the visitor center and swatted insects. The little varmints are persistent.

We buy postcards and plan to mail them to friends. Adele grabs a frozen ice cream treat from the store and I opt for a bag full of salty corn snacks. We steal the wireless network again.

I finished reading Around the World In 80 Days by Jules Verne as Adele cooked another dinner over the fire, this time butter fried onions with sausage and eggs. Delicious.

Tomorrow it's back to the grindstone of long distance bicycling, but for now I am enjoying my time off. And after all, what a pleasant grindstone it can be.