Day 59: Tobermory to Millar Lake (WarPo versus WarTay)

It started as a "typical" day off: sleep in, bike cleaning, shower, laundry, and a trip to town for computer access at the library. But there was a subtle tension in the air. Evan, Leah and Shane dealt with it by fueling up with a gourmet ice cream cone while Alan and Ginny stuck to a light lunch so as to feel slim and quick. It was a short 30 km ride to the arena facility. After setting up camp and loading up the dinner provisions, it was time for the match. Spectators of all ages were already in their lawn chair seats eager to take in all the action. Some were scarfing down barbecue hot dogs and Canadian flags were fluttering above the court. Sammy Seagull and Jack the Crow were watching attentively from their favourite shoreline perches.



This was the showdown, the gold medal finals of the Miller Lake Family Campground International Invitational Water Volleyball Championship. It was the WarTays vs. the WarPos.

Before moving on to the play by play action, a bit of background is required. While biking, Leah amuses herself by scouring the road side ditches for hidden treasures, most notably wild strawberries or rag material useful for biking cleaning. Though she typically starts out in front of the pack, she often finishes at the end having stopped for a berry patch. But a couple of days ago she spotted a real special treasure, an inflatable yellow beach ball with a happy face on it in the ditch. Beyond spotting it, she had the wisdom to appreciate it's value, stopping to fetch it, uninflate it, and strap it on the back of the bike. So this is how we came to have the game ball, while the Miller Family Camp had set up the court in a couple of feet of water pn Miller Lake. Back to the action...

The wind was strong (at least when it came to punching a beach ball over the net). Each of the players was known for special moves. For the WarTay team, Shane had the unfair advantage of excessive height combined with a flat out dive for last ditch saves. Leah confused the opposition by continually asking that there be a "courtesy" throw back to the server followed by non chalant simple hiits that befuddled the WarPo opposition. On the WarPo side, Ginny often claimed she "wasn't ready" when things did not go well and
Alan has a devilish spinning serve but it did not always get over the net, and if it did, his return skills were limited. This left the quick diving Evan to valiantly attempt to secure the WarPo victory. The match was nail bitingly close as the two sides split the first four games. Each time WarTay one a game only to have WarPo come diving back to even the match. The fifth and final game came to a four-four tie (5 points a game) with WarTay serving. Shane sent a vicious spinning serve hurtling across the net that left Ginny and Alan perplexed and Evan gasping for air after a heroic but futile last ditch dive. The winning team is pictured below in front of the court after changing out of their game suits.



The whole entourage then shared dinner and celebrated with pie and ice cream (the only available ice cream came in a large box which meant that portions were excessive). Stay tuned for upcoming championship events.



Distance: 31.71 km
Time on bikes: 1:48:26
Average speed: 17.5 km/h
Distance from Vancouver: 4707 km
Start: 2:30 pm
End: 4:30 pm
Wind: North-East ( tail-light)
Conditions: Sunny

Cheers
- The Warpotay Team

Location:Millar lake, Ontario