Yesterday (Saturday) was one of those days that test a person's resolve. It seems that my days have been alternating between incredible beauty, and days from Hell. Yesterday was one of the latter.
Starting out in Hinton, Alberta I wanted to try to fix a couple of problems with the bike, so I got off to an 11:00 AM start. None of the problems were fixed. The day was going to be colder than any of the days so far, making it essential that I get my heated vest working. It hasn't worked since the heavy rains of a week ago when I also lost function of my Bluetooth GPS. Unable to fix either issue, I bundled up and hit the road at 11:00 AM. The objective was Ft. Nelson BC. The expected ETA was something after 9PM. I wasn't in the mood to miss any more objectives. Press on and if necessary ride through the night, but I resolved to make Ft. Nelson regardless of what it would take.
The ride itself was disappointing. Alberta is a beautiful province, but for the whole day, I saw nothing but trees, trees, and more trees. Apparently forestry is a big industry up here, as evidenced by the numerous logging trucks on the road. It was just a long day of slogging through a vast sea of green, with no particular geographical features worth mentioning. Staying awake and alert was more of a challenge here.
Hinton to Grand Prairie was along rte 40. When I entered Grand Prairie, a sign listed the population at 50,000. This is a town big enough to have motorcycle shops. Perhaps I could find one that sold Tourmaster clothing and I could replace the non-functioning controller to my heat vest. No luck after trying three shops. Another hour and a half wasted, I returned to the route which is now rte 16.
I picked up the beginning of the official Alaska-Canadian (ALKAN) highway at Dawson Creek mid afternoon. It felt good that I was finally on tha Alaska Highway, making me feel somehow closer to my destination, and because of the historical significance of the road itself. A short distance out of Dawson Creek, I saw a fash of red passing me on the left. It was my friend Canyon Evans, a young rider that I met at the Calgary campground. I took his picture with my windshield cam and motioned him to the side of the road. I asked him where he was planning to pitch his tent for the night. he had no specific plan, so I sugggested he check in to the campground in Ft. Nelson. He agreed and we proceeded to Ft Nelson.
Canyon Evans: Sharing the Alcan.
Only 5:00 in the afternoon and I was now starting to get the shivers. Not good. GPS said I'd arrive at Ft. Nelson at 10:30 pm. Time to suck it up and just get there somehow. Boring that the roads were, they are also fast. Physically exhausted and cold to the bone, I rolled in to Ft Nelson at 9:45. I pitched my tent and crawled in. No wifi service here except in the laundry room next to the office. I'm sorry, but I thought sleep was more important at this point. I'll have to file this report in the morning. Canyon pitched his tent and mingled with a large group of dual-sport riders from the Czech Republic that were also at the campground. I joined the conversation for a brief while, but soon went back to my tent. Plenty of time to catch up on the news later. It was strangely light out even though it was about 11:00PM, but I was tired enough to pass out quickly.
It is now Sunday, and my objective is to make Whitehorse by nightfall. Canyon decided to ride along with me for another day. Since nightfall this far north is around 11:00 PM, I might push beyond Whitehorse and ride through the night with maybe a power nap in the saddle (known as the iron butt motel to long-distance riders). If I can do this, I will be able to arrive in Anchorage late Monday. Anchorage will be a rest day for me, so I can't wait to get there.
One final thing for now. While in Canada, I'm on international roaming, and I'm a cheap old bastard. Therefore, I'll be keeping my cell phone stashed in my saddle bag until I get to Alaska. If anyone calls and I don't answer or reply to voice mail, it doesn't mean I don't love you.
Later,
Dave
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