Virden, Canada - Polarsteps

We left Kirkella mid-day with an extreme heat warning on for the area; it was mid-30s, into the 40s with the humidex. We drew on our desert riding experience, planning to make it farther than Virden, but when we stopped at the Tim's there to huddle and eat bagels in the shade, Kini's tire went flat; the heat had made the rubber soft enough to let through the tiny wires that get scattered invisibly across highway shoulders following truck tire blow-outs, and a couple of them had wormed their way through to the tube. After a couple of failed attempts to get the tube to hold air, we concluded that it was just too hot to keep riding anyway (we were pouring sweat in the shade) and headed through town to the local Lions' campground to fix up the bike tube and relax under the trees for the rest of the day. More thundershowers that night-- this is becoming a constant-- but no major storms. We're getting into the habit of checking the weather multiple times a day, and setting up our tent out of reach of potentially falling tree branches. -Sara