I did not sleep well last night! It got very windy and the tarp was not one of my best setups! So my ride to Clarenville was a bit of a challange, but thanks to my work yesterday fairly short. Nice to have a room to chill out in.

I fell off my bike into a bog! I was attempting to "pull over" to let some ATV drivers pass but when I put my foot down into what I thought was grass it ended up being mostly made of air! I ended up knee-deep in disgusting water right in-front of two old guys! ...that took me down a few pegs.

First puncture today. Not only of this trip, but on this bike. The rocks got me eventually. I just so happened to be passing some people collecting water from a natural spring when it happened, so it made for quite a good lunch spot.

Booked a motel for tomorrow night, so I pushed on and did 98km today, that way I can get to town earlier and make the most of it. That meant setting up camp in the dark. Found a spot next to a lake and surprised a duck hunter. He said he wouldn't shoot in my direction, which I thought was very good of him. Saw some shooting starts before bed.

Nice to have a day off yesterday in Grand Falls-Windsor. I had already gone to the supermarket and stocked up on food, so I didn't leave my AirBnB all day! It's funny how quickly you get used to the creature comforts.

Good day on the trail today, some interesting railway bridges. A couple of guys on ATVs stopped and had a chat. They were impressed with my trip and I enjoyed listening to their local tongue.

Bit of a highway detour due to a tunnel under the road being completely filled in.

A "big town" here is one that has a store of any kind, so getting a good meal can be tricky. I'm learning to make the most of what I can get, but tonight I managed to find Heineken singles, which is a big improvement on the beer front!

Ended the day at a warming hut, a bit of a treat seeing as it's my first hut this trip.

More of the same trail-wise. In the hills, surrounded by marsh that looks a little like the Savana. Tough going, but making good miles. Saw two moose AND AN OWL! Could see the owl's silhouette in the light from the setting sun. I could tell from his ears moving that he was scanning his domain, while also keep an eye on me. Nice sunset, found a better spot tonight - even if it is in a ditch!

It's pretty remote out here; completely silent and another great start show before bed.

Tempted to take a day off at Corner Brook, but still feeling strong. I decided to push on to Grand Falls-Windsor and take a proper break there.

I had a nice breakfast with Ryan, then hit the highway. I had it in my head that the TCT took the highway all the way to Deer Lake, but I realised too late that there was a few kilometres of trail that I had missed. I think it was my sub conscience telling me to mix things up, because as much as I hate the traffic, it was nice to be moving fast on a smooth surface for a change.

Very marshy beside the trail, so it took a very long time to find a spot to camp at. In the end I crashed out beside the trail and cowboy camped. Got some rain in the night, but I threw the tarp over me, so it wasn't too bad. I'm either getting better at sleeping rough, or just exhausted!!