Meant for Yesterday: Upsala

Well, I tried updating the blog last night but it did what it did in Winnipeg again and failed to post. It's really annoying that it does this because it was a big long post, and I lost it all. Here's an approximation of what I posted:

Initially we were going to cycle to a place called Raith but when we stopped for a pie and coffee break (well, okay it was two slices of pie each: french apple and strawberry rhubarb) in a nearby town, the locals informed us that Raith was a bit of a ghost town. Apparently there are no restaurants or shops, and when people die, the houses can't be sold and so  the population is dwindling.

We decided to stay in a motel just outside Upsala. The lady who owned the motel was very rude when we spoke with her. She curtly informed us that she would not negotiate the price and that we could take it or leave it. She later apologized for being a jerk and told us she was having a really bad day.  I really respected this because such ownership is pretty rare.

As we were walking through the parking lot to our motel room, a blue Chrysler PT Cruiser pulled up next to us with its windows unrolled. The lady caught our attention, and presented me with a couple bottles of water. It was the lady from the restaurant pit stop about ten kilometers back. "You forgot your water!" she said to me as she handed me the bottles. Flabbergasted, I thanked her. Who in Toronto would do this?

A couple seconds later, a native man pulled up next to us in his car. "You're really fast!" he exclaimed. I soon recognized him as the guy who had taken our picture at the side of the road about 60 kilometers back. He told us the picture he took wasn't really that good which doesn't surprise me considering how John and I are constantly covered in sweat, salt, sunscreen, dirt, and bugs. I also have this really scraggly beard, and sharp tan lines. I look like a homeless man who sunbathes in dumpsters. Still, I don't look as homeless as John and I think he's about to post a picture proving this fact on Facebook.

At around 1:30 am, we went outside to see if we could catch the northern lights. Our friend Shawn Goodwin posted a link to an article on CNN that said our chances to see it would be really high tonight due to a recent solar flare. The green echos of dancing light were dazzling. So glad we were able to catch it.