Day 41, Wednesday July 20, 73.1km
It is sunny starting off. For the last week we have had to deal with a head wind and again today. Initially we follow the Peace River Valley until we cross the river and then highway 29 heads for another pass of 930m to connect with Chetwynd and the Pine River Valley.
Fewer trucks on this part of the highway and the ones we see carry long sections of pipe destined for a pipe line that is under construction. During one of my breaks a truck parks right next to us and we chat with the driver. Don't we look tiny compared to that truck!
We reach the summit at 12:40pm and expect to pick up speed descending towards Chetwynd but a fierce headwind is slowing us down. Reaching Chetwynd there is lots of dust and sand blown around and by the time we reach the tourist information center I am eating sand.
There is a RV park 15km further down highway 97 or we can go 2km in the opposite direction to the Westwind RV park. Bob and myself don't feel like fighting this headwind for another 15km and choose for the Westwind RV park. As to be expected, this RV park is like another work camp for migrant workers.
The main street of Chetwynd is lined with wood sculptures.
Day 42, Thursday July 21, 64.3km
A bit of rain overnight to make sure we will pack a wet tent. By the time we are leaving the sun is peeking over the mountains. We are heading for the part of highway 97 that was closed a few weeks ago due to washouts. What we are traveling now has parts of the shoulder washed out but I guess that is minor compared to what lies ahead. At 8:30am we reach the area where major reconstruction is ongoing and the highway is reduced to one lane for a stretch of 8km. I am told by the flag person that I am not allowed to ride my bicycle on this stretch and will have to hitch a ride in the pilot truck.
There is a wait of about 30 min before the traffic that is lining up now can go through and that gives me lots of time to take the paniers off the bike and to unhook Bob. There are actually 2 pilot trucks, one in the front and another one at the end of the queue. We will be riding in the one at the end.
Here is a picture I took from the pilot truck. One lane of the highway was washed out and had to be reconstructed starting from the river's edge.
Once past the construction area biking is very pleasant. The traffic moves in blocks with a half hour lull in between when I have the highway to myself. We are still biking alongside the Pine River.
At 1:30 we reach the Silver Sands lodge/cafe and RV park where I am told that there is no room but after they realize that I am tenting I am allowed to camp near a creek on the property at no charge. Shortly after the tent is up it starts raining and I move inside and doze off. When supper time rolls around it is still raining and I head to the cafe for a mushroom burger from the limited menue. Unfortunately the meat is way overcooked.
Day 43, Friday July 22, 89km
It rained most of the night. It has changed to drizzle by the time I emerge from the tent. Once again we fold up a wet tent and everything we touch feels damp. Are we having fun yet?
Right after leaving Silver Sands we run into another construction zone. This is not as a result of washouts, it is a planned re-alignment and repaving of highway 97 but what a mess it creates. We have to work our way through 12km of soaking wet gravel road and at one point the gravel is so coarse and loose that we have to walk, not an easy task with all the weight on the bike. After 1.5 hours of bike time we averaged less than 10km/hr, this is going to be another long day!
Past the construction zone we have time again to enjoy the scenery which is quite nice. High tree- covered mountains on both sides. We even see a few mountain streams with clear water and you don't see too many of those anymore with all the soil disturbing that is going on.
We are heading for our last mountain pass for this trip, the Pine Pass at 933m. We reach the summit at 9:30am and it is damp and cold. I have to dig up my gloves before we start the descent.
After the summit the skies are getting lighter and once we reach the Tudyah Lake provincial campground at 3:15pm the sun is making an appearance once in a while. This is probably a nice park when the weather is good but everything is wet and puddles everywhere, cars have left big ruts in the grass and there are lots of mosquitoes.
First thing to do now is to hang our wet stuff out to dry.
Day 44, Saturday July 23, 75.8km
Guess what! We folded a dry tent this morning. Cloudy skies this morning but it does not look like rain right away. Once again we have a headwind. I think that we have had a continuous headwind since we dropped down from Steamboat Mountain on July 10.
We are biking alongside McLeod Lake and it is long and narrow.
Just before we reach our destination we see some good examples of the pine beetle devastation.
We reach the Crooked River provincial campground at 2pm. This park must have better drainage, there are no puddles and for a change we are not bothered by mosquitoes. The sun makes an appearance in the afternoon. Most of the afternoon we relax in the hammock.
Day 45, Sunday July 24, 76km
The last day of our bike trip has arrived. This will be the last time getting up at 4am for a while. Every morning before getting out of the tent I flex the ankle joint on my right leg while massaging the area just above the right side of my knee. It is a bit painful but since I started doing this on July 12 my leg has been problem free.
Another cloudy morning and while making breakfast it starts raining. My plea must have been heard, it is only a few drops and no more.
Highway 97 is mostly at an elevation of around 700m and I expect it to drop down near Prince George. We do descend to an elevation of 600m in the Salmon river valley.
Once we pass the bridge across the Salmon River the highway keeps going up and once we reach the "Welcome to Prince George" sign we are up to 740m. It is another 12km to our destination from here. The highway now turns into a divided highway but they forgot to add a shoulder, traffic is passing us too close for comfort. It is not until we are close to the Nechako River bridge that the highway descends steeply and we get our free ride.
Shortly after the bridge we reach the last GPS waypoint of our trip and find our way to the Economy Inn where we stayed on June 1. We arrive there at 1pm. They have a room available with direct street access and I can store my bike inside.
It took 45 days and 2976km on the bike and 8km on the pilot truck to get from Valdez to Prince George.
Time to celebrate! Supper at Shooters and Sleemans Honeybrown is on tap. Life is good.
No comments:
Post a Comment