The day brought a notable change in scenery: about halfway into the ride the boreal conifer wood was replaced by fields and farms. Less pines and birches, more wheat and sheep. Looks like I crossed the latitude at which modern agriculture becomes feasible.
The settlements got larger on average as well. I passed through some beautifully quiet ones like Oulainen and Porolampi.
After two days of strong headwind in a row I appreciated the mostly calm day for a change. It was surreal, I rode about three to four kilometers per hour faster than during the past days. It felt fast, that is for certain.
The plan was to camp out on the shores of Lappajarvi but I could not do that right away as I had another puncture about twenty kilometers before Vimpeli. Time was of the essence as I had to reach the town before 21:00 p. m. to go shopping in the only supermarket in many kilometers. Thus I did not change the tube right away as I did yesterday but inflated the tire and went on my way again.
I reached the supermarket in time however the tire was already empty again and I nearly rolled on the rim. Not great. I re-inflated the tire two more times before I gave up. In the meantime rain had started pouring down and I was getting cold while I was waiting for the clouds to go by under a roof of the local police and firefighter station. It was getting dark now.
Weary of the repeated pumping I gave up on the tube and started pushing the bike instead. My hopes of finding a spot to pitch the tent on the banks of the lake were disappointed as most of the lake's perimeter was inhabited, reminding of lake Inari. Ultimately I had to push the bike all the way to the campsite in the south of the lake because there just wasn't an opening between the houses.
Tomorrow I'll fix that puncture and have a good look at the tire as there might be more than one additional puncture. The worst part, I guess, is that I can't just walk into a bike shop on the way tomorrow and ask for a new tire because it's sunday and the bike shops will be closed. I'll have to hold out until monday for the replacement. The tire looks brittle though and thoroughly worn. I just hope it will last another long day.
gps tracks
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