Day 9 - Gander

Its a cold morning but its clear skies and just a little breeze. This had the promise of being a very good weather day. Gerard had made me some toast and a coffee to send me on my way. I thanked him for everything and would keep in touch.

Once I got passed the initial long, steep hill the highway leveled out a bit. I was making better time today and enjoying the stretches of running. The next stop was Gander.

About 16 km this side of Gander the weather turned for the worse. Wet snow mixed with ice pellets. My shoes and feet were getting soaking wet. The wind and spray from transports were drenching me. This was not happiness. But I only had about 10 more km to go. Then God sent me another Angel. A man stopped to chat and make a donation. He said he had heard me on the radio. He asked me if I had a place to stay in Gander. When I told him no he gave me his voucher for a hotel room that I could have for the night. I couldn't believe it. I'll never forget that as long as I live and couldn't thank him enough. I gave him a hug and kept going.

The snow finally let up a few km before Gander. All I could think about was how generous that man was. When I got to the hotel I was drenched and in dire need of a shower. The woman at the desk gave me the strangest look when I walked in. The first words that came out of my mouth was I met an Angel on the highway today. I handed her my voucher and proceeded to my room. I took a very long hot shower and layed everything out to dry. I ordered room service so that I could rest my legs and feet.

Tomorrow morning I have an interview with CBC News before I head to Grand Falls. The weather forcast is sunny and warmer. I'm looking forward to that.