Go back to Day 5
Rest day @ Ruckle
Unlike my previous day off, this one didn’t include any ambitious cycling outings. I didn’t even touch my bike until well into the afternoon. Instead, I chilled in a hammock that was set up on the beach near my site. I also walked north along the shore, just to see what I’d see. I even ate oatmeal for the first time on the trip.
The highlights of the early part of the day were the hammock and seeing an otter, swimming, and then later skulking about on the beach.
Later in the day, I walked in the other direction (ie past Grandma’s Beach and the historic farmhouse) Once I came out to the road I saw another farm house off in the distance. I’d passed this farmhouse on my ride yesterday. If I recalled correctly it had a sign at the side of the road that said things like: ‘Coffee’, ‘Lamb Sausage’, ‘Treats’
I had no trouble convincing myself it would be a very good idea to further investigate the aforementioned ‘Treats.’ I walked the last stretch of road to the farm, despite having exactly $0 in cash.
Like many other stands on Saltspring, this was completely unattended and relied on customers to be honest. I saw a place where I could leave cash, but didn’t see any way of paying with my credit card. So sad! But then I noticed a sign on the wall describing how to pay with e-transfer. Nice! Last I checked, my phone was at 4%, should be enough to buy a treat or two. Hmm, actually my phone is at 2%, and when I open my bank up, it spins and spins and then times out. Try again. Black screen. Thanks for playing. No treats for you.
I start heading back to camp, keeping an eye on the power lines, seeing if there might be a public outlet where I could smooch1 some power. Most of the way back toward the campground there was a charging station for e-bikes. I thought of my e-bike Dover friend from yesterday and wondering if he’d made it this far and if he charged up here.
Despite the stern ‘E-Bike Charging Only!’ sign I tempted fate and hung there for a while, charging my phone. When I felt things were sufficiently charged I trudged back to the farm for my elusive treat. After no small amount of deliberation I picked my treat and tried to pay. Needless to say, the cell reception was still sucky, so I decided I walk back toward camp, where reception was excellent. When I got back to the charging station, I was able to login on my bank app. phew! I would be able to clear my name.
Please enter the amount you wish to transfer. $2.50 (the price of the treat)
Minimum amount: $5
Huh, I guess I have to leave a big tip. Send. Hmm, or I could go back and get a second $2.50 treat. I have to admit I was worried how it would look, as I go back to the farm and grab a treat, and walk away. ‘Hey you didn’t pay for that.’ ‘I did, I overpaid for this other thing using my phone. But I probably can’t prove it now because there’s no cell coverage here!’
As fate would have it, I arrived at the treat stand at the same time as a dozen English hikers. There was also a farm worker (farmer?) feeding a pen of goats in an entertaining way. The hikers were much more interested in the goat feeding than a self conscious treat thief. But just to make sure, I pulled out my phone and tapped on the screen a bit, to make it look like I might have been sending money to somebody. Performative Payment.
For the record, the treats were a delicious combination of Peanut Butter and chocolate.
The rest of my rest day was consumed with hanging in the hammock, cooking and eating.
Go to Day 7
- Using ‘smooch’ here is a tribute to France Jacques, who once referred to her landlord letting her ‘smooch the house’s cable signal’ ↩︎