Fort Nelson to Hudson's Hope

Day 34, Wednesday July 13, 101.4km

This is going to be a sunscreen day. Shortly after leaving Fort Nelson we reach the lowest point of the AH at the bridge of the Muskwa river at an elevation of 280m. The warm weather brings out the next pest to deal with:  there are a dozen horse flies around me and no matter how fast you bike, they do circles around you. Very few actually land on me.
Looks like we have started the least interesting part of our trip. The road is straight and a bit boring.

There are very few rest places and most times we have to take our breaks at the side of the road.
During one of those breaks I am laying down after a snack to rest my back. I hear a car horn beep and looking up I see a compact car parked at the other side of the road about 50m away. After a few minutes the car drives up and the driver informs me that there is a black bear on the other side of the road from where I am. I thank the driver and after he drives off I get up to investigate. Yes, there is a black bear minding his own business. I blow my whistle to let him know that I am near but he does not react and slowly moves on his way.
I go back in horizontal position and a pick-up truck passes and makes a u-turn. Two girls inside warn me about the bears present and I reply that I am aware and that the bear has been there for a while. They make another u-turn to continue their trip.
By the time I am ready to get back on the bike the bear is out of sight. Now a truck approaches from the direction I came from and I see something flying off that truck and bouncing a few times on the paved shoulder before it disappears in the green belt not to far from where I am standing. I find the piece that came off the truck and take a picture.

This is proof again that the real danger out here is not the bears.

The destination today is Prophet River but when we arrive there the campground is closed down and we have to continue on to find a good spot to camp in the wild. We find that spot at Bougie Creek. There is nobody around but me (and the bears?)

Day 35, Thursday July 14, 79.7km

Once out of the tent I find 3 other tents nearby. They must have arrived last night after I went to sleep.
It looks like another sunscreen day. It is tough going today. It is hot and progress is slow and I am wondering if we will make it to the Bucking Horse River.
Later in the day a thunderstorm develops and passes on our right.

That storm seems to organize itsself into a bigger storm right behind me.
Looking back the sky is ink black and it seems to follow me.

 It has cooled off considerably and we make it to the Bucking Horse River. It is clear that rain is on the way and we opt for a room in the Bucking Horse Lodge. Within 10 minutes after checking in it is pouring rain. My tent was packed wet this morning and I hang it out in my room to dry.

Day 36, Friday July 15, 53.4km

It is Kate's 5th birthday today. Happy birthday Kate!
It rained most of the night. Glad that we went for the lodge last night.

The oil and gas industry is quite prominent south of Fort Nelson, creating a lot of truck traffic on the AH. Many of those trucks move wide loads.

At around 10am we reach a point where the AH drops down steeply into the Sikini River Valley. There are all kinds of warning signs about a steep grade down and that trucks should check their brakes before proceeding. What goes down will have to get up again and after we cross the river we start the worst climb of this trip so far. Unfortunately my side of the road is gravel, making the climb even more of a challenge. Halfway up the climb a truck carrying a really heavy load is coming down. It is actually a 2-truck combination. The one on the back is for extra pushing or braking. Have to get a picture of this one!

Shortly after 3pm we reach the Pink Mountain campground. It is raining on and off and I cook supper under the shelter we created out of the hammock fly.

Day 37, Saturday July 16, 65.7km

It rained all night and somehow water got under my thermarest matrass. That gives another wet item to deal with. Once we hit the road it is dry but soon run into patches of drizzle and wherever the AH gets up a hill it disappears into the clouds.

By 3pm we are biking in the rain. There are a lot of gas fields in this area with a lot of muddy gravel service roads and a lot of trucks. Whenever the trucks come out of the service roads they drag a lot of mud and clay onto the AH and that combination creates a real mess once it starts raining.
By the time we reach Wonowon both Bob and myself are covered in mud.

According to the roadsigns there should be a motel here and there is indeed a big sign near a gas station/convenience store announcing the Wonowon motel but there is no motel to be found. The owner tells me that once there was a motel but it closed quite a while ago. I would have loved to ask why he does not remove the bloody sign but decide against it.

What to do now? Tent is wet, thermarest is wet and we are not very dry either. I hate the thought of having to tent in the wild again.

Across the road is a camp for oil and gas workers called the Wonowon Lodge and there is a big sign that room and board is available. I pay a visit to the office and I can get a room for $100 for the night. Request for a discount for a very wet senior citizen is turned down. At this point I gladly drop $100 to have a dry place for the night. It is cash only and I have enough on me to cover this. Later the girl I deal with has talked to the manager and they will include supper and breakfast. Now it starts to look like a good deal.

Later the rain stops and Bob and the bike dry up enough for me to wipe off all the mud. All the wet stuff is drying in my room. Another long busy day came to a good end.

Day 38, Sunday July 17, 77.2km
Breakfast is served starting 5am and before that time I have the bike ready for take off and it is dry!
But drizzle has started again by the time I finish breakfast and everything is soaking wet even before we hit the road.
At 11am we hit a big thunderstorm and we wait at the side of the road until the worst is over. No doubt we will get covered in mud once again.
Once the storm clears it looks like better weather is in view and by the end of the day we are in full sunshine.
At 2pm we reach the point where we get off the AH. The Charlie Lake provincial park is right here at the intersection.

We are early today and have time to get Bob and the bike back into reasonable shape. The chain is very dirty and I do the best job with the limited means available. I also install new pads on my Spongy Wonder seat. The old ones are showing signs of wear.

Day 39, Monday July 18, 79.6km

Today we start highway 29, the Don Phillips Way and count on having an easier time on this highway.
But we find out otherwise. We soon run into bulk carriers about every 5 minutes. There must be a mine nearby. Soon the highway 29 drops down into the Peace River Valley with a grade of 10%.
The campground attendant of the Charlie Lake campground told me that this valley is going to be flooded. BC hydro is planning to build a dam backing up de Peace River. Looking at the signs there is a lot of opposition to this project.
I was hoping that highway 29 would stay down in the Peace River Valley but wrong again. Twice it climbs back on the plateau with grades of 10%. Now I am really climbing the worst hills of this trip.

On top of that we have a fierce headwind and there are still lots of trucks. This is still an oil and gas area.
The valley is beautiful and we get some great views once on the plateau.

When sitting down for lunch I get another bear warning from a road crew nearby. They spotted a black bear earlier at the side of the river.
Nearly exhausted we reach Hudson's Hope at 4pm and get a warm reception at the visitors center.
All that I need is here. The campground is a few blocks down the road and the campground attendant suggests I pitch my tent under the shelter.
Hudson's Hope is a pleasant little town and people are very friendly.

  

Day 40, Tuesday July 19

Scheduled rest day today. Slept in till 7am and had breakfast at the campground. Laundry next and after that off to the tourist information centre to work on the blog. I have a good setup here and I get all the help I need.

Another good wind blowing again from the west. Glad we are not biking today.

Tomorrow the destination will be Chetwynd and according to the campground attendant I have some good climbs ahead of me. He also warned me of the Pine Pass on highway 97. That is the part of the highway that was closed earlier due to washouts. There are delays on the highway of up to 2 hours and traffic will be moving in blocks. Something to keep in mind.