Rest
If you read my previous post, you’ll know I had harrowing yet awe filled stormy night on the Taiga. I was low on sleep, and the following morning was still stormy. I headed out down the road, knowing that Mirage Outfitters was only 50 km down the road…at km 358.
Taking a rain day on a trip is always a hard call. There are some days the rain stops and the sun comes out, and others where the moody skies add to the experience. This didn’t seem to be one of those days. I pulled into Mirage still undecided. At a minimum, I needed to stop for gas as this is the last chance.
I walked into the lobby. The guy behind the desk was on the phone…speaking in French. He finished and I asked if he spoke English. “No.” I was already feeling a bit out of it after my crazy night, so I was kind of speechless. He knew a few english words so he asked: “Coffee? Gas?” A coffee sounded so good at this point. I headed back to the cafeteria and sat by the window with my coffee. Half an hour later I was still undecided.
So I sat down in one of the chairs in the lobby and paged through some French tourist info booklets. I think I sat there for a couple hours…my sleepless night had really done me in… I eventually decided to call it and stay the night. At this point there was a lady behind the desk. She didn’t speak or seem to understand English at all. Luckily, there was a guy there who translated a bit and got me through the basic transaction of getting a room. He left. I was to discover that if she spoke slowly and simply, I could sort of understand…at least enough to get by. That being said, it turns out everyone else at this place spoke English…but it was kind of fun to interact with these two. By the time I headed out we were all smiles and laughs, kind of understanding each other even if there was a barrier.
Lunch was being served, and the Cafeteria was offering poutine! I’ve always thought I should have an authentic poutine in Quebec, and in this case I did it in a lodge at the end of the world in the far far north.
I spoke with a few of the staff. It was interesting to note that even this far along the road, even if they had all been to the end of the road, the response was always: that’s a long way.
I slept for most of the afternoon, and went out for a walk after dinner. The storm clouds were just clearing. The following day was still a bit overcast, but in an epic way. I’m glad I took this rain day. Blessed to have a resting place after my encounter with a mighty God in the powerful storm.
The Narrow Twisty Road 