Watson Lake to Coal River Lodge

Day 25, Monday July 4, 106.3km

On the bike by 5:30am and it is only 1degC, nothing like a good hill to warm you up. Shortly after leaving Watson Lake we enter British Columbia again. By the end of the day we will have crossed this border 6 times.
Now we see big turds at the side of the road. Who is leaving those behind?

A little down the AH we find out. These pictures are taken while biking. Just this moment that darn pedal starts squeaking again. Hope it does not annoy the big beast. No, he just looks me over and continues with what he is doing.

Just before 10am we see a black bear at the left of the road, digging for roots. He looks at me at keeps on digging. Did not stop for a picture.
Shortly after noon we reach Contact Creek Lodge. Not much there, not even a campground. I am glad we selected Watson Lake for our day off. Contact Creek Lodge is our target for today but we decide to keep on going and camp in the wild. It is still early and the going is good. There are good views of the Liard River.

I don't want to bore you any further with steep hills. They are a part of our day. At around 1pm we pass another buffalo. At around 2pm we pass the border for the last time and will be in BC for the rest of our trip.
At 3:15pm we spot another black bear at the left side of the road. This time I rung my bell and he disappeared in the woods before I could snap a picture.
At 3:30pm we have done 97km and it is time to look for a camping spot. For quite a while we have not seen any water. This could become a problem. We spot another black bear, this on right besides the road. We kind of surprise him and this time I manage to snap pictures while biking. He starts running, away from us!

At 5pm and 106km the AH finally crosses a deep gully with enough water flow. Not the best camping spot but it will have to do. The bike is close to the road and I pitch the tent in the woods, not visible from the road. I ring the bell and blow my whistle at regular intervals to warn bears of our presence. Prepare a quick meal, and then in the tent and soon I am asleep. At 10:30pm I am awakened by a car stopping and a car door being slammed shut. Somebody is calling if there is somebody back there. I reply and he wants to know if everything is OK. He spotted my bike on the side of the road. I assumed this to be the RCMP and gave him the green light.

Day 26, Tuesday July 5, 43km

That darn leg is acting up again. On the bike by 7am and my leg is not 100%, still feel discomfort in the upper part but we seem to be able to bike. I have not mentioned my back and shoulder for a while. They are OK again. But that darn leg worries me. If it gets really bad I will take all paniers of the bike, unhook the trailer, put everything on the side of the road and try to get a lift to Fort Nelson and continue from there by Grayhound bus. I sincerely hope that it won't come to that!
Shortly after leaving we spot a small herd of bison. I count 7 of them.

At 8:10 a tractor trailer stops on the uphill and the driver informs me that he spotted 3 grizzly bears at the side of the road, about 5 minutes down the road by bike. They must have been gone by the time I got there, I never saw them. The AH now drops down into the Liard River valley with some good views of the valley.

Shortly after 1pm we reach the Coal River lodge and they do have a campground and small restaurant and internet. I am presently sitting in the restaurant working on this blog update.