<\/p>\n
Yukon<\/strong><\/p>\nCanada ride, Yukon – Photo Album<\/a><\/p>\nRide in the Yukon at SpotAdventures<\/a><\/iframe><br \/>Map created by SpotAdventures:<a href=\"http:\/\/www.spotadventures.com\">GPS Geotagging<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>British Columbia<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/picasaweb.google.com\/tlausserPicasa\/CanadaRideBC?feat=directlink\">Canada ride, British Columbia – Photo Album<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.spotadventures.com\/trip\/view?trip_id=174385\">Canada Ride, Southern British Columbia at SpotAdventures<\/a><br \/><iframe src=\"http:\/\/www.spotadventures.com\/trip\/iframe2?trip_id=174385&width=415&height=300\" marginheight=0 marginwidth=0 frameborder=0 scrolling=no width=415 height=300><\/iframe><br \/>Map created by SpotAdventures:<a href=\"http:\/\/www.spotadventures.com\">GPS Geotagging<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Daily Trip Log Notes<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Yukon<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Monday, July 13<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Beaver Creek to (40km before) Burwash Landing<\/p>\n<p>140km \/ 1535km; 7.7h \/ 88h;<\/p>\n<p>Late start at 12:30pm due to Blog update in Beaver Creek. Slow and hot<br \/>\nride with dusty gravel sections. Many former rest stops are closed and<br \/>\nabandoned. Once I jump into a clear creek with shoes and bike jersey<br \/>\nand all to cool off while riding on! In evening at 10:00p I get to<br \/>\nanother abandoned “ghost town” and see a sign “Burwash Landing 39km”;<br \/>\nso I stay there for the night (wild camping).<\/p>\n<p><strong>Tuesday, July 14<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Burwash Landing to Haines Junction<\/p>\n<p>170km \/ 1705km; 9h \/ 97h;<\/p>\n<p>First 40km to Burwash Landing is hard work. There I have coffee and<br \/>\nsend email \/ Blog updates (same place we stopped during bus ride<br \/>\nWhitehorse to Anchorage).<br \/>\nThen I see my first Grizzly bear cross the road in front of me!<br \/>\nMore food and coke at Destruction Bay. Then beautiful ride along<br \/>\nKluane Lake. Stop at Cottonwood RV park and again email connection.<br \/>\nThen stop at airstrip and reunion with Lance and Donjek (pilot to<br \/>\nLogan basecamp) – very nice to see them again!<br \/>\n3 hour Evening ride to Haines Junction, long 400m downhill at the end.<br \/>\nCamping and shower at Haines Junction.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Wednesday, July 15<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Haines Junction to Whitehorse<\/p>\n<p>160km \/ 1870km; 7h \/ 104h;<\/p>\n<p>Walk over for early breakfast at Village Bakery around 7:30am. There I<br \/>\nmeet David Cartier, the Alaska Direct bus driver with another group of<br \/>\npassengers. Then I start around 9am. Ride with slight tailwind, good<br \/>\naverage speed initially. After 3+ hours I get very hungry. So I stop<br \/>\nat an abandoned roadside house and cook some freeze-dried dinner.<br \/>\nLater there is some light rain and I need to put on my GoreTex. About<br \/>\n2hrs of riding in rain and somewhat messy roads and passing trucks<br \/>\nspraying water.<br \/>\nThen I stop at a B&B (cabin rental) which looks very nicely maintained<br \/>\nfrom the outside. It is owned and run by Heidi Hofmann from Bamberg<br \/>\nwho emigrated to Yukon 10 years ago – a very cozy place!<br \/>\nI keep going for another 40km and reach the center of Whitehorse by<br \/>\n7:45p, good time for dinner at Klondike Bar & Grill. Meet other folks<br \/>\nfrom hostel (incl. Brett). Hostel is fully booked, so I proceed to the<br \/>\nRobert Service Campground in the late evening.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Thursday, July 16<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Rest Day in Whitehorse<\/p>\n<p>Bike Tune-up at Philippe’s bike store: <\/p>\n<li>Clean chain and replace half-broken element;<\/li>\n<li>Replace 2 broken spokes in back wheel and true wheel;<\/li>\n<li>Adjust rear wheel and disk brake;<\/li>\n<li>Tighten suspension bolt;<\/li>\n<li>Adjust chain tensioner using spacers;<\/li>\n<p><strong>Friday, July 16<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Whitehorse to Teslin<\/p>\n<p>182 km (196km actually pedaled) \/ 2077km; 9.4h (10.2h actual) \/ 115h<\/p>\n<p>False direction start through town! Cost me 45min and 12km unnecessary riding :-((<\/p>\n<p>Met German rider who flew in day before (Frankfurt – Whitehorse nonstop with Condor) and rode a few km together. He turned South to Skagway, AK.<br \/>\nHad second breakfast at RV park – nicely maintained by Swiss couple –<br \/>\nat 30km. Then along Marsh Lake – with two disappointing detours toward<br \/>\nlake in search of restaurants – and to Jake’s Corner at 80km. Met Adam<br \/>\nand Steve from Edmonton on their way North. Huge cinnamon bun and<br \/>\nblueberry scone plus coffee around 3:00p. Smelled the fresh<br \/>\nstrawberries alongside the road!<br \/>\nThen 50km to Johnsons Crossing, Hwy bridge across the Teslin river at<br \/>\nNorth end of Teslin lake. Stop at RV park, Gatorade and rhubarb<br \/>\nbakery; thankfully free wireless Internet, 25min Skype with Jill \ud83d\ude42<br \/>\nLast 52km to Teslin along lake up and down small hills. Initially rain<br \/>\nunder a small cloud with sun from the side! Then beautiful evening<br \/>\nlight with pictures and video (helmet mount and tripod). Felt really<br \/>\nstrong despite headwind and 10+hr day.<br \/>\nArrived in Teslin just around sunset at 10:45p – thankfully motel \/ RV<br \/>\npark office was still open until 11:00p. Quick email, then well-<br \/>\ndeserved (and badly needed) hot shower and into tent by 11:45p.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Saturday, July 18<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Teslin to Swift River<\/p>\n<p>109km \/ 2187km; 6h \/ 121h;<\/p>\n<p>Doing email and updating Blog; continental breakfast (disappointing);<br \/>\nvisit to Northern Wildlife Museum (great); Skype with Jill; burger for<br \/>\nlunch.<br \/>\nLate start at 1:30p up an 160m hill for starters! Despite some drops<br \/>\nwhen starting I’m dodging the rainclouds most of the day. More hills<br \/>\nthan I thought – for a total of 1600m vertical for the day! At Morley<br \/>\nRiver I pause to eat some more and cool off by swimming in the clear<br \/>\nstream. Also filtering 2l water to drink.<br \/>\nMet John and Eddy from Cleveland on tandem since June 1st.<br \/>\n(AnchorageForOrphans.com)<br \/>\nThen rain the last 15km to Swift River and very cold :-((<br \/>\nLuckily they take me in at the gas station – Thanks to Jerry, Big<br \/>\nLarry, Ken, Nick and Mike!<\/p>\n<p><strong>Sunday, July 19<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Swift River to Watson Lake (-20km)<\/p>\n<p>138km \/ 2325km, 6.5h \/ 128h<\/p>\n<p>After a hearty breakfast I leave around 8:30am. Lots of hills make for<br \/>\na rather slow start. Then there is the Continental Divide and<br \/>\ngas station \/ restaurant (20km). Rhubarb and coffee. Internet doesn’t<br \/>\nwork here. I continue with tailwind following a river downstream much<br \/>\nfaster now to Rancheria (40km). Here Internet works and I update Blog<br \/>\nand Skype with Jill as well as have a Special Omelette. Continue at<br \/>\n1:45pm downwind and sometimes downhill. At 57km I have a rear tire<br \/>\ntear and tube puncture. Fixing and only soft tire pump pressure. Meet<br \/>\nLaura at 80km; she is a teacher from Oregon on her way up to Alaska,<br \/>\nSkagway, Dawson City and time permitting the Dempster Hwy. She has a<br \/>\ntough time into this headwind! With her pump I can get decent tire<br \/>\npressure again.<br \/>\nContinue through scenic, but very hilly stretch. Stop at 37 junction<br \/>\nabout 20km short of Watson Lake after 140km and 1500m vertical for the<br \/>\nday. Excellent food (double-dinner with bumbleberry pie a la mode and<br \/>\nmilk), shower and simple campsite.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Monday, July 20<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Watson Lake to Contact Creek<\/p>\n<p>98km \/ 2422km; 5.2 hrs \/ 133hrs.<\/p>\n<p>After small breakfast (Apple Turnover and coffee) I start early 7:45<br \/>\nto get to Watson Lake. Unfortunately I have a flat tire (front) and<br \/>\nthen realize that my new tubes shrader valve doesn’t fit into my rims!<br \/>\n(Never had this happen in 40 years of riding!) I lose a lot of time<br \/>\nfiddling with it and there is also 200m worth of hills to climb. Pump<br \/>\nup the tires at Watson Lake Motor Ltd. No bike store in town \ud83d\ude41<br \/>\nThen breakfast and buying groceries.<br \/>\nMeet Scott Mullin from Pompano who is on the road since 5 months!<br \/>\nVisit to the Sign-post forest.<br \/>\nSkype chat with Jill from her office.<br \/>\nLeaving town at 1:50pm.<br \/>\nFlat rear tire again after 8km – tire needs to be replaced! I tie the<br \/>\nbike to a telephone line pole and hitch back to town with my panniers and back<br \/>\nwheel. I meet Scott again and it is my lucky day: He has a 26″ spare<br \/>\ntire! So I put on the new tire and again inflate at the garage. I<br \/>\nhitch a ride back, put the bike back together and resume my ride (at<br \/>\n38km).<br \/>\nAfter 2 hrs or so (73km) I stop at the Hyland River to look at the<br \/>\nmap. There I have another flat tire on the front!! I replace the tube<br \/>\nwith the new one from Scott (with Presto valve) and pump it up again<br \/>\nto resume riding.<br \/>\nFinally after many more hills I reach Contact Creek at 8:30pm. I buy<br \/>\nsome milk and pastries. Owner Dennie also offers me hot water, which I<br \/>\nuse to make soup. Finally I tent on the grass behind the building.<\/p>\n<p><strong>British Columbia<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Tuesday, July 21<\/strong><\/p>\n<p> Contact Creek to Liard River (Hotsprings)<\/p>\n<p> 146km \/ 2569km; 7.25hr \/ 140hr<\/p>\n<p> Some rain overnight, so I pack a wet tent. After breakfast and email<br \/>\n check from the convenience store it’s Goodbye from Yukon and Hello BC!<br \/>\n I start early (8:30) and know from Scott’s website how many hills to<br \/>\n expect. The first part is tough, as there are 4 substantial hills for<br \/>\n a total of 1000m to climb. Scenery is gorgeous, weather is cloudy, but<br \/>\n generally clearing after rains. I see some Bison on and next to the<br \/>\n road. I finally get to Coal River after 86km at 1:30p after a long<br \/>\n steep and fast descent (73km\/h).<br \/>\n A restaurant and Internet access, so biker life is good! After a big<br \/>\n Western omelette I check email and update my Blog with the flat tire<br \/>\n episode…<br \/>\n The afternoon leg will be much easier, as the road follows the Liard<br \/>\n river downstream without major hills and there is a bit of a W<br \/>\n tailwind :-))<br \/>\n I get to the Liard hot springs at 146km around 7pm, one of my earliest<br \/>\n arrival times yet! That’s great, as the sun can still dry my tent and<br \/>\n the restaurant closes at 8pm. After dinner and tent setup I walk back<br \/>\n the 700m wooden boardwalk to the hot springs. The hot water feels very<br \/>\n soothing. Under a mini waterfall I get the closest thing to a back and<br \/>\n leg massage. I also get even more tired, so I quickly crawl into the<br \/>\n tent and sleep for 9.5hrs!<\/p>\n<p><strong>Wednesday, July 22<\/strong><\/p>\n<p> Liard River to Toad River;<\/p>\n<p> 120km \/ 2690km; 7.5h \/ 148h; 1530m \/ 29100m<\/p>\n<p> After crossing the Liard river long uphill into a side valley; some stretches too steep for me to pedal. Entered Muncho Lake Provincial Park. Saw a black bear sow with two cubs -very nice. Once at the higher plateau of the valley nice views of valley, but also lots of annoying short steep hills – like a rollercoaster!<br \/>\n Finally arrive at the lake and ride alongside. Stopped at the Northern Rockies lodge, which I remember from 10 years ago. It is run by some Swiss folks who also offer scenic flights, kayak tours and fly in fishing excursions as well as remote cabins.<br \/>\n I have “Zuericher Geschnetzeltes” for lunch. (If I could have afforded it, I would have had another one right away.)<br \/>\n More scenic riding along the lake; then hard climb into the S headwind up some 400m! Seemed to never end – one of the hardest parts since the Dalton Hwy! Then 4100m descent at 7% at up to 60km\/h, then turn and follow the Toad river downstream. Now the sun comes out and it is downhill and downwind \ud83d\ude42 Life is good! Great scenery, canyon walls to the right, river to the left. I stop to drink and snack; see a beaver in the river and two caribou on the road (until they get bitten by some horse fly and take off running).<br \/>\n Some gravel patches on the road lead to a lot of dust from passing vehicles. Finally after 120km I reach the Toad River lodge, where I have two of their Ribeye steak specials and camp for the night. Also free wireless Internet \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n<p><strong>Thursday, July 23<\/strong><\/p>\n<p> Toad River to Tetsa River campground;<br \/>\n 98km \/ 2788km; 6hr \/ 154hr; 1200m<\/p>\n<p> Breakfast at the restaurant. Steep hill to start, then some gravel and<br \/>\n pretty dusty. Then long climb up to Summit Lake at Stone Mountain, at<br \/>\n 1260m highest point of the Alcan. Beautiful scenery coming up to the<br \/>\n pass. Getting water at “Bubble Canyon” where a camper truck lies in<br \/>\n the ditch!<br \/>\n Stop at Summit Lake where I meet Gary and Lynn, who travel with bikes<br \/>\n and a small camper, relay-style: One rides the bike, the other one<br \/>\n drives the camper; then they take turns. A great way to travel and<br \/>\n stay together!<br \/>\n Long descent and one more gravel stretch (with pilot cars). Stop at<br \/>\n Tetsa River Lodge (86km) for the “Cinnamon Bun Center of the Galactic<br \/>\n Cluster” (road sign ad), then some WiFi and at 7pm steak night special.<br \/>\n After dinner I continue on to Tetsa River campground another 14km or<br \/>\n so. 2.5km off the Hwy down to the river.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Friday, July 24<\/strong><\/p>\n<p> Tetsa River to Fort Nelson<\/p>\n<p> 100km \/ 2895km; 6h \/ 160h; 1250m \/ 32000m<\/p>\n<p>Aweful mosquitoes the first 30m gravel hill up through the woods<br \/>\npushing the bike. 5min later I have maybe 50 bites :-((<br \/>\nOn Hwy the day begins with a steep 100m hill, followed by some<br \/>\nrelatively flat and well engineered section. After a few km the road<br \/>\nstarts to climb up, eventually some 500m to 1135m. From there super<br \/>\nlong descent to the East. Then another 60km or so of relatively<br \/>\nmonotonous riding through the forest.<br \/>\nNearing Fort Nelson the Alcan follows some ridge which offers sweeping<br \/>\nviews to the West. More homes and some farmland. Eventually I reach<br \/>\nFort Nelson and stop the library for cold water and Internet. Then<br \/>\nvisitor center for info, a grocery store for lots of fresh food<br \/>\n(including the blueberries, mill and cereal for next day’s breakfast.<br \/>\nDoing laundry and Skype with Jill. Lastly dinner at Boston’s Pizza –<br \/>\nlarge Greek Salad, followed by Italian Penne and some fruit pie a la<br \/>\nmode – yummy!<\/p>\n<p><strong>Saturday, July 25<\/strong><\/p>\n<p> Fort Nelson to Buckinghorse River<\/p>\n<p> 184km \/ 3083km; 10.5h \/ 171h; 1900m \/ 33900m.<\/p>\n<p> Early start at 8:30 after big breakfast (1lb cereal, 1lb blueberries,<br \/>\n 1l milk, 1 yoghurt) due to grocery shopping last evening. Long hill<br \/>\n down and up from Muskwa River. Long straight roads through endless<br \/>\n forest, one 11km straight stretch with odometer test km markers. Hot<br \/>\n on uphills and around noon, hard to find shade… At noon I have 60km.<br \/>\n Finally at 95km I arrive at Prophet River, but there is nothing there!<br \/>\n A little further is a B&B and a wedding is going on, so plenty of cars<br \/>\n and people. No water (unless I wait until after wedding ceremony), but<br \/>\n I’m told there is a creek in 6km. Unfortunately the water is fairly<br \/>\n muddy, so I need to work hard on the water filter – I take 2l filtered<br \/>\n water. Getting up to the plateau from the river is another 100m hill –<br \/>\n hard work!<br \/>\n Buckinghorse River will be very far, but there is nothing in<br \/>\n between… I am told there are no hills – not true: The road climbs<br \/>\n slowly but unrelenting; eventually I reach 1130m, some 800m higher<br \/>\n than in the morning down at the river! Total elevation gain 1900m for<br \/>\n the day – more than the last two days! I calculate that it will be<br \/>\n tight to get to the restaurant before 9pm; so I push myself hard, and<br \/>\n I get very tired.<br \/>\n Last hour on ridge in beautiful light and great views to the West.<br \/>\n Also see 1 big black bear and a moose with calf. Arrive at B.R.<br \/>\n exactly at 9pm after pushing hard up those last hills… Great food<br \/>\n (restaurant open until 10pm) for dinner, then walk over to Provincial<br \/>\n Park campground and tent setup at 10pm.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Sunday, July 26<\/strong><\/p>\n<p> Buckinghorse River to Wonowon<\/p>\n<p> 120km \/ 3204km; 7h \/ 171h; 1500m \/ 35400m<\/p>\n<p> Early breakfast, then easy 23km to Sikanni River; stop and nice chat<br \/>\n with owner lady. Bought Alberta map. Then 350m hill back up to the<br \/>\n ridge – two long push sections and 45 min later I’m up there again…<br \/>\n Then another short section to a motel \/ restaurant just prior to Pink<br \/>\n Mountain which I reach at noon (49km). Here I have a clubhouse<br \/>\n sandwich and coke. Then I sleep in the shade of the building for 1h<br \/>\n while sun & wind blow-dry my wet tent \ud83d\ude42 Then Skype with Jill and<br \/>\n more email & Blog reading. Finally after the heat of the day subsides<br \/>\n I hit the road again near 5pm. There is another 150m hill up to Pink<br \/>\n Mountain, which then offers a rewarding view. From here it’s another<br \/>\n 60km along a ridge with some gas field exploration sites. Plenty more<br \/>\n hills, unfortunately, but nice evening light again. Arrive in Wonowon<br \/>\n at 9:15pm – luckily the gas station \/ convenience store is still open<br \/>\n until 10:30pm and has wireless Internet \ud83d\ude42 I drink two milk mixes and<br \/>\n check some email. I set up my tent on a public rodeo field \/<br \/>\n playground around the corner. Sleep at 11pm.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Monday, July 27<\/strong><\/p>\n<p> Wonowon to Hudson’s Hope<br \/>\n 155km \/ 3360km; 8h \/ 186h; 1400m \/ 36800m<br \/>\n Early departure after coffee at the gas station. Rolling hills through<br \/>\n the forest, not quite as strenuous as yesterday around Pink Mountain,<br \/>\n with a bit more downhill than uphill. Some farmland as I get closer to<br \/>\n Fort St. John. On the last 20km of the Alcan I meet Danny Chew and his<br \/>\n nephew Steve who ride up North. Danny is a multiple RAAM winner and<br \/>\n knows Wolfgang Fasching quite well – small world! They travel on a<br \/>\n small budget ($10\/day) and do 100miles\/day! Hats off to them!<br \/>\n At Charlie Lake I drink and rest at gas station. Here the road turns<br \/>\n West to Hudson’s Hope in the Peace River valley. Crazy hills here,<br \/>\n lots of steep up&down. Very scenic, great views of the river; smells<br \/>\n remind me of the “Waldviertel” in Austria and our summer vacations<br \/>\n there on the farm as a young boy. Arrive at Hudson’s Hope 80km after<br \/>\n Charlie Lake late around 8pm. Dinner at Sportsman Grill, plus email,<br \/>\n then roll another 2km to campground near town limit. Pitch my tent,<br \/>\n good shower and then chat with Helen and Hans from Denmark who worked<br \/>\n here as engineer on the dam some 40 years ago and now comes back to<br \/>\n visit as tourist. Sleep at 11pm.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Tuesday, July 28<\/strong><\/p>\n<p> Hudson’s Hope to Chetwynd (semi rest day)<\/p>\n<p>70km \/ 3438km; 4.5h \/ 191h; 700m \/ 37500m<\/p>\n<p> Today is a semi rest day for several reasons: The next town after<br \/>\n Chetwynd is too far to reach from H. H. There is the interesting<br \/>\n Bennett Dam here on the Peace River to visit. I have gone for more<br \/>\n than one week now without rest day and it’s very hot.<\/p>\n<p> After breaking down the tent I roll back to town at 7:00am for<br \/>\n breakfast and email. At 8:30 I continue to the Visitor Center. There I<br \/>\n leave my bike and try to hitch a ride up to the dam. 1\/2h wait, no<br \/>\n luck! I walk across the street into the restaurant there to have some<br \/>\n coke (as it’s already pretty hot). I mention the German flag outside<br \/>\n and there is chef Freddie from Germany. We chat a little bit and I<br \/>\n mention my plans to go up to the damn. Without hesitation Freddie asks<br \/>\n whether I have a drivers license. Before I really understand what’s<br \/>\n happening he already holds his car keys in front of me and offers me<br \/>\n his car – amazing!<br \/>\n I accept and go up the 20km by car – an unusual mode of transportation<br \/>\n for me after 1 month of just riding…<br \/>\n The dam is quite interesting and very large. Back in the sixties it<br \/>\n was the largest hydroelectric plant in the world. Total capacity<br \/>\n 2700MW, together with the smaller sister dam at Dinosaur Lake<br \/>\n downstream those two create 1\/3 of all of BC’s electricity need!<br \/>\n After I return I have lunch at Freddie’s and leave a good tip<br \/>\n including some gas money at least…<br \/>\n Then back at the Visitor Center more email and Twitter as well as<br \/>\n chatting with Kathy, the friendly agent. I buy some delicious apricots<br \/>\n and cheese bread at the farmer’s market across the street and also<br \/>\n check out the Hudson’s Hope Museum. Great views of the Peace river.<br \/>\n Then at 3:30p I finally start my ride. Quick stop at the smaller dam,<br \/>\n but they close at 4p. Then long, hot climb 300m above the river! Ride<br \/>\n leads past two lakes which invite for a swim in this heat. At the<br \/>\n second (Morley Lake) I use a technique to keep bikers cool on very hot<br \/>\n days: I jump off the bridge into the lake (local attraction for<br \/>\n teenagers).<br \/>\n Then one more 250m climb, followed by a 300m descent at 70km\/h down to<br \/>\n Chetwynd by 8p. I shop for groceries, proceed to dinner at<br \/>\n “Buckroads” (great country style cooking and Internet), and finally<br \/>\n roll down the street another 2km to the local RV park, where I pitch<br \/>\n my tent at 10p in the dusk.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Wednesday, July 29<\/strong><\/p>\n<p> Chetwynd to Mackenzie Junction<\/p>\n<p> 158km \/ 3597km; 8h \/ 199h; 1280m \/ 38800m;<\/p>\n<p> First 50km uneventful ride into valley with three huge high-voltage<br \/>\n lines. Stop at Silver Sands Cafe (73km). Meet with Florence from Lyon<br \/>\n over lunch who will stay here for the day. I continue on to the Pine<br \/>\n Pass – beautiful scenery along the Pine River. Unfortunately road has<br \/>\n no more shoulder, so I need to monitor traffic and pay close attention<br \/>\n at times.<br \/>\n Climb up to pass is not very high (990m) but very hot. At Lake<br \/>\n Azouzetta lodge I stop for a refreshing swim in crystal-clear lake<br \/>\n water with nice mountain scenery all around. And a chat over coffee<br \/>\n with owner Curtis, who has an interesting MTB.<br \/>\n Then fast descent to Bijoux Falls for a quick stop. Remaining 30km or<br \/>\n so are rather boring through forest. Arrive at MacKenzie Junction and<br \/>\n after bridge and short, steep hill at Windy Point lodge run by the<br \/>\n Dutch van Boois family. Very nice place here, free wireless – actually<br \/>\n phone-line based and fast DSL – free camping, nice chat with parents<br \/>\n and kids love playing with my iPhone. Email with Jill, sleep at 11pm.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Thursday, July 30<\/strong><\/p>\n<p> MacKenzie Junction to Prince George<\/p>\n<p> 151km \/ 3749km; 6.75h \/ 206h; 940m \/ 39700m<\/p>\n<p> Relatively flat and easy stage. Get up at 6, breakfast at restaurant<br \/>\n at 7, depart at 8. During breakfast I see lightning and black clouds<br \/>\n to the North. I hurry to get going and only get a few raindrops and<br \/>\n some spray from passing trucks as the road is wet the first 25km. Then<br \/>\n I get slightly ahead of the cloud line and it gets sunny and warm. At<br \/>\n noon I already have 80km and pause at Bear Lake gas station \/<br \/>\n convenience store. They have cool soda and wireless Internet. I write<br \/>\n two Blog posts, check email and so pass the time until 4pm! On the<br \/>\n road again by 4:30pm. Very fast ride the next 50km with flat good road<br \/>\n (some RR crossings, though) and slight tailwind. Then pause at Salmon<br \/>\n River and some snacks right next to the water in the shade under the<br \/>\n bridge. Hard climb up from the river valley some 120m and construction<br \/>\n zone with no shoulder… Finally reaching outskirts of Prince George<br \/>\n and stopping for food shopping. Lots of friendly and curious people<br \/>\n there. Luckily I hear about a campground just a few km down the road<br \/>\n and it’s just rolling downhill. I get to the Roblyn motel & CG by 8:40<br \/>\n or so. Free camping, shower and wireless Internet \ud83d\ude42 Very tired.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Friday, July 31<\/strong><\/p>\n<p> Prince George to Quesnel<\/p>\n<p> 130km \/ 3880km; 6.5h \/ 212h; 1300m \/ 41000m<\/p>\n<p> On the road at 8:20am after big cereal \/ blueberry breakfast at Robley<br \/>\n CG. Already hot at 9am. 120m climb out of P.G. in construction zone<br \/>\n and narrow sidewalk crossing of Fraser River. Stop near airport<br \/>\n turnoff for coffee to finish my 2 remaining Danish butterhorns –<br \/>\n yummi! Not very scenic ride today, and more little hills than I<br \/>\n expected! It always seems to come out to 100m vertical per 10km<br \/>\n distance. Brief stop at Stone Creek Lodge – nicely maintained and with<br \/>\n German flag (but owners were not at office). Lunch stop at Hixon. Some<br \/>\n coke, but no big meal. Continue at 1:30p in full midday heat. Another<br \/>\n stop at a roadside “Cinema Cafe”. Huge cherry pie a la mode – yummi<br \/>\n again! Then continue to Quesnel. On last long downhill into town<br \/>\n something feels weird with the bike. I’m cruising down at 65km\/h and<br \/>\n an impatient truck driver trying to pass right behind me. When I roll<br \/>\n out at the bottom of the hill there is a campground. I inspect my<br \/>\n tires and get a sickening feeling: My backtire has a 1 inch long nail<br \/>\n in it which slowly leaks air! I patch the tube and have it fully<br \/>\n reinflated at a nearby tire shop. Decide to stay at the CG and take a<br \/>\n shower and pitch the tent. Skype with Jill and roll down to town<br \/>\n center for dinner.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Saturday, August 1<\/strong><\/p>\n<p> Quesnel to Williams Lake<br \/>\n 139km \/ 4027km; 7h \/ 220h; 1300m \/ 42300m<\/p>\n<p> Roll down to center of Quesnel, breakfast at Granville Coffee and<br \/>\n email \/ Skype with Jill. Start riding at 9am. First 20min out of town<br \/>\n are terrible: 120m uphill, construction, traffic, heat… But after<br \/>\n that it’s a good ride, slight tailwind, often 100m above Fraser River<br \/>\n with beautiful views. When I stop for some fudge and icecold coke I<br \/>\n realize how hot it is when stepping out of the A\/C cool building – 1pm<br \/>\n and 32C. And no shade on the road… Actually, on the next long hill<br \/>\n up to lake Leese there is a thundercloud forming with lightning and<br \/>\n thunder, which provides much appreciated relief from the sun like a<br \/>\n giant umbrella! At Lake Leese I stop for a snack and drinks. Seems to<br \/>\n be the weekend getaway for the local folks, as the lake and resorts<br \/>\n here are quite busy and crowded. I meet Diana and Peter, who are on a<br \/>\n shopping trip up to Quesnel; they live in Williams Lake and give me<br \/>\n lots of useful information; we set a tentative dinner date for<br \/>\n Williams Lake.<br \/>\n After another 2.5h (45km) and a long climb to almost 1000m I roll down<br \/>\n at high speeds to W.L. I stop at Boston Pizza for a salad and emails.<br \/>\n Then at 7:30 I am at the next restaurant and meet up with Diana and<br \/>\n Peter. Turns out that restaurant is closed so we just switch plans to<br \/>\n another one 1km down the road. We have dinner and I tell them about my<br \/>\n trip.<br \/>\n At dusk another 5km ride along lake shore to Will Yum Campground.<br \/>\n Setup tent under clear sky and moon. After brushing teeth I walk back<br \/>\n to tent and notice bright object tracking across night sky – perhaps<br \/>\n the Space Station?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Sunday, August 2<\/strong><\/p>\n<p> Williams Lake to Green Lake<\/p>\n<p> 125km \/ 4155km; 7.5h \/ 228h; 1600m \/ 43900m<\/p>\n<p> I get up early at 6:30 and hit the road at 7am. Per Peter’s tip I<br \/>\n detour slightly at the beginning of the next hill and take a small<br \/>\n backcountry road around the hill. Windy road, many cattle guards. At<br \/>\n one I stop and take a picture when I suddenly see Peter come out of a<br \/>\n driveway; he just wanted to ride back towards the campground to meet<br \/>\n me! Had I been 2min earlier we would have missed each other! So he<br \/>\n invites me into his house for breakfast – fresh coffee and toast with<br \/>\n fresh raspberry jam. After we talk for a while he joins me for the<br \/>\n first part of the ride back to Hwy 97. There it’s Goodbye to Peter and<br \/>\n I continue South. I pass the scene of a fatal head-on collision the<br \/>\n day before on the Hwy – a grim reminder of the fragility of life. Then<br \/>\n at 30km I have a flat back tire. I walk 200m to a litter barrel area<br \/>\n and unload all bags to find the leak and patch the tube. A car stops.<br \/>\n It’s Dustin and Jennifer, asking whether I need any tools. I ask<br \/>\n whether they have an air pump. To my surprise he has an electrical pump<br \/>\n and so I’m back up to 50psi tire pressure right away \ud83d\ude42<br \/>\n I continue to Lake La Hache at 55km. There I buy 1.5lb of fresh<br \/>\n apricots at a fruit stand and chat with Lionel (from South Africa) in<br \/>\n German! He also offers a delicious peach and Greek cheese for free.<br \/>\n Then I proceed to the Austrian Edelweiss restaurant across the street<br \/>\n and have Homemade “Spaetzle” for lunch – oh my, is this good! Checking<br \/>\n email and then going for a swim in the lake. Resume ride at 3:15p.<br \/>\n Again many hills until I arrive at 100 Mile House at 85km. Visitor<br \/>\n center with Swiss folks, plenty of info and free wireless – hence<br \/>\n Skype with Jill. Planning overnight stay, decide to detour to Green<br \/>\n Lake East of Hwy. Call ahead to “Little Horse Lodge” with German<br \/>\n restaurant sounds promising. Not too many hills, I ask. Not to worry,<br \/>\n no problem… Well guess what: Big problem; there are probably another<br \/>\n 500m vertical in those 35km, so it takes me more than 2h and I arrive<br \/>\n very tired a little after 9pm when it’s about to get dark. Beautiful<br \/>\n sunset, bright moon (near full) and red colored thunderhead in the SW<br \/>\n distance. Here at lodge big disappointment: Restaurant already closed<br \/>\n at 8pm, only opens at 9am for breakfast, Internet not working … I go<br \/>\n to sleep hungry. Then my tent pole snaps near the top – going to be<br \/>\n hard to fix. Tonight is not my night, so go to sleep early. Tomorrow<br \/>\n is another day.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Monday, August 3<\/strong><\/p>\n<p> Green Lake to Clinton<\/p>\n<p> 58km \/ 4213km; 2.75h \/ 231h; 420m \/ 44320m<\/p>\n<p> I get up, take a shower and cook some noodles as I’m really hungry.<br \/>\n Then I pack my gear and write a few emails. Finally at 9am the<br \/>\n restaurant opens up for breakfast. Over breakfast some more emails and<br \/>\n eventually I start my ride at 10:45!<br \/>\n Rolling hills along Green Lake, little traffic and some cattle guards.<br \/>\n Then at 30km I get to 70 Mile House. Coke and email break. I received<br \/>\n two donations within 24hrs of $350 total \ud83d\ude42<br \/>\n The next 30km to Clinton are the worst of the entire trip: Nonstop<br \/>\n traffic both ways, bad shoulder almost unrideable (gravel, debris,<br \/>\n washboard), construction, heat, smoke – after a few near misses I have<br \/>\n enough of this and stop in Clinton. Unfortunately the roads via<br \/>\n Lillooet are closed due to forest fires; so it looks like I will have<br \/>\n to take the Fraser canyon route via Hope!<br \/>\n I decide to stay put for the day and let the insane traffic (from the<br \/>\n long BC holiday weekend) subside. All-you-can-eat BBQ buffet with ribs<br \/>\n help compensate for last night’s calories deficit \ud83d\ude42<br \/>\n Two Blog posts and email. Also a walk up&down Clinton mainstreet (I.e.<br \/>\n Hwy 97) and visit to Clinton museum. Sleep at 10p – fixed up tent pole<br \/>\n using duct tape for now.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Tuesday, August 4<\/strong><\/p>\n<p> Clinton to Hope<\/p>\n<p> 241km \/ 4455km; 11h \/ 241h ; 2400m \/ 46700m<\/p>\n<p> Rarely have I seen more difference in riding conditions within 12h:<br \/>\n this morning the air was at least 10C cooler, smoke-free, there was<br \/>\n much less traffic – well I started at 6:20am and the long holiday<br \/>\n weekend is over – and the first 40km were aided by a 450m drop and<br \/>\n tailwind :-)) At 8am I already had 40km. (I remember a day in the<br \/>\n Yukon where I had 40km only at 5pm!) At 11a I stopped for a quick soda<br \/>\n at 90km and at noon the 100km mark rolled around. At a fruit stand I<br \/>\n buy some apricots to eat a little later at Spences Bridge with coffee<br \/>\n and a cinnamon bun (1:30p, 135km).<br \/>\n Before Lytton my good luck with the tailwind runs out and it changes<br \/>\n into headwind \ud83d\ude41 This also brings smoke-filled air from a nearby<br \/>\n forest fire :-((<br \/>\n Of course the initial downhill is long past, and there is a lot of<br \/>\n up&down now in the canyon. While this provides often great views and<br \/>\n some relief \/ fun on the downhill, it takes a lot of sweat to grind up<br \/>\n those hills in the afternoon heat. Eventually the smoke clears and at<br \/>\n last I can breathe easily again.<br \/>\n At a hill called “Jackass Mountain” (no kidding!) I stop at an<br \/>\n overlook with a 250m drop to the river. A German couple also stops<br \/>\n there and we chat briefly and take mutual pictures. (They got my last<br \/>\n business card.)<br \/>\n At Boston Bar (175km) I drink another liter of Coke and wonder whether<br \/>\n I can still go all the way to Hope with this wind and only about 3h of<br \/>\n daylight left. Usually the wind does down in the evening, but not<br \/>\n before I have to fight some more jet-like blasts through the half-<br \/>\n dozen tunnels. Traffic is moderate, but a few trucks pass pretty close<br \/>\n where there is little shoulder. Last bottle of Pepsi in Yale, then<br \/>\n 24km to Hope. Towards the end it starts to get dark, and there is one<br \/>\n more 90m hill after 10.5h on the bike -yikes. Then rolling down and<br \/>\n over Fraser river bridge into town. I eat at Subway, as no restaurant<br \/>\n in sight is open at 8:45pm. The campground is right next to the river<br \/>\n and I pitch my tent under some huge Redwood trees. I’m tired but also<br \/>\n very satisfied. Great shower, then some email and fall into a deep<br \/>\n sleep.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Wednesday, August 5<\/strong><\/p>\n<p> Hope to Lynden, WA<\/p>\n<p> 121km \/ 4576km; 6h \/ 248h; 650m \/ 47250m<\/p>\n<p>After the long ride yesterday I take it easy in the morning. Yet, I wake up at 6:30 and go looking for some breakfast place that’s open in town. There I feast on some “Logger’s Special”, followed by a cinnamon bun, while I update my Blog and do email. I continue with the latter from my tent, as I’m trying to coordinate a meeting with Rich, our Logan mountain guide.<br \/>\nI leave around noon and expect a semi rest day, i.e. somewhat shorter distance. After 1km or so the road merges onto the Trans Canada Highway 1, a four lane divided hwy – one of only two choices in this valley. It feels like riding on the Interstate or German Autobahn. Trucks and cars are passing at 100km\/h while I’m riding along on the shoulder. It’s relatively safe due to the wide shoulder and also cyclist warning signs – and it’s definitely legal, too – but what bothers me most is the noise. I can hardly hear anything but the wind and engine noise – it’s deafening. At one point bicycles are rerouted to a parallel route, which is infinitely nicer through residential neighborhoods and some rural areas. Lots of farmland and fruit growing up here. Once coming out of the mountains it’s completely flat. Yes, there is some headwind, but no more hills.<br \/>\nI stop at Chiliwack (60km) for some food at a Best Western after inquiring at the Visitor Center about roads and restaurants. Due to my rather leisurely pace it’s already 5:30pm when I start rolling again. I underestimate the distance to the border: It’s another 40km zig-zagging down towards the SW through beautiful and quiet farmland. What a contrast to the noisy hwy earlier. Here I only need to stop for the occasional dog “attack”. At one point I am close to pulling out my bear spray due to a somewhat aggressive Rottweiler out on the public road – that’s one thing I don’t like about free running dogs…<br \/>\nAt 8pm I get to the border at Sumas. The usual questions about where I live, what I do for a living, who pays for the trip etc. But it takes only 10 min and I’m riding South again, now in Washington State. The sun goes down as a perfect red ball over the cornfields. To the West I briefly see Mt. Baker with its glaciers, triggering memories of my ascent 10 years ago at the end of August 1999…<br \/>\nI continue on West to Lynden, which has a KOA campground, about 10km (which I have to come back tomorrow) in the dusk. I’m happy to get there by 9pm, when they just close the office. They send me to a plaza some 3km away, and there I find a Pizzeria Bar still open. I eat two pizzas and have a glass of red wine in celebration of the event. Also I receive a phone call from my parents, who realized from my Tweets that I am back in the US and my phone probably is working! Rolling back to the CG around midnight. I don’t even bother with my tent and just roll out the sleeping bag – which is a bit warm (it’s 15C, some 40C warmer than most nights on the glacier), but there are no mosquitoes and no rain (bright full moon).<\/p>\n<p>(end of British Columbia section)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Yukon Canada ride, Yukon – Photo Album Ride in the Yukon at SpotAdventuresMap created by SpotAdventures:GPS Geotagging British Columbia Canada ride, British Columbia – Photo Album Canada Ride, Southern British Columbia at SpotAdventuresMap created by SpotAdventures:GPS Geotagging Daily Trip Log Notes Yukon Monday, July 13 Beaver Creek to (40km before) Burwash Landing 140km \/ 1535km; […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/tlausser.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/99"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/tlausser.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/tlausser.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/tlausser.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/tlausser.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=99"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/tlausser.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/99\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/tlausser.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=99"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/tlausser.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=99"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/tlausser.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=99"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
Canada ride, Yukon – Photo Album<\/a><\/p>\nRide in the Yukon at SpotAdventures<\/a><\/iframe><br \/>Map created by SpotAdventures:<a href=\"http:\/\/www.spotadventures.com\">GPS Geotagging<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>British Columbia<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/picasaweb.google.com\/tlausserPicasa\/CanadaRideBC?feat=directlink\">Canada ride, British Columbia – Photo Album<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.spotadventures.com\/trip\/view?trip_id=174385\">Canada Ride, Southern British Columbia at SpotAdventures<\/a><br \/><iframe src=\"http:\/\/www.spotadventures.com\/trip\/iframe2?trip_id=174385&width=415&height=300\" marginheight=0 marginwidth=0 frameborder=0 scrolling=no width=415 height=300><\/iframe><br \/>Map created by SpotAdventures:<a href=\"http:\/\/www.spotadventures.com\">GPS Geotagging<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Daily Trip Log Notes<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Yukon<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Monday, July 13<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Beaver Creek to (40km before) Burwash Landing<\/p>\n<p>140km \/ 1535km; 7.7h \/ 88h;<\/p>\n<p>Late start at 12:30pm due to Blog update in Beaver Creek. Slow and hot<br \/>\nride with dusty gravel sections. Many former rest stops are closed and<br \/>\nabandoned. Once I jump into a clear creek with shoes and bike jersey<br \/>\nand all to cool off while riding on! In evening at 10:00p I get to<br \/>\nanother abandoned “ghost town” and see a sign “Burwash Landing 39km”;<br \/>\nso I stay there for the night (wild camping).<\/p>\n<p><strong>Tuesday, July 14<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Burwash Landing to Haines Junction<\/p>\n<p>170km \/ 1705km; 9h \/ 97h;<\/p>\n<p>First 40km to Burwash Landing is hard work. There I have coffee and<br \/>\nsend email \/ Blog updates (same place we stopped during bus ride<br \/>\nWhitehorse to Anchorage).<br \/>\nThen I see my first Grizzly bear cross the road in front of me!<br \/>\nMore food and coke at Destruction Bay. Then beautiful ride along<br \/>\nKluane Lake. Stop at Cottonwood RV park and again email connection.<br \/>\nThen stop at airstrip and reunion with Lance and Donjek (pilot to<br \/>\nLogan basecamp) – very nice to see them again!<br \/>\n3 hour Evening ride to Haines Junction, long 400m downhill at the end.<br \/>\nCamping and shower at Haines Junction.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Wednesday, July 15<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Haines Junction to Whitehorse<\/p>\n<p>160km \/ 1870km; 7h \/ 104h;<\/p>\n<p>Walk over for early breakfast at Village Bakery around 7:30am. There I<br \/>\nmeet David Cartier, the Alaska Direct bus driver with another group of<br \/>\npassengers. Then I start around 9am. Ride with slight tailwind, good<br \/>\naverage speed initially. After 3+ hours I get very hungry. So I stop<br \/>\nat an abandoned roadside house and cook some freeze-dried dinner.<br \/>\nLater there is some light rain and I need to put on my GoreTex. About<br \/>\n2hrs of riding in rain and somewhat messy roads and passing trucks<br \/>\nspraying water.<br \/>\nThen I stop at a B&B (cabin rental) which looks very nicely maintained<br \/>\nfrom the outside. It is owned and run by Heidi Hofmann from Bamberg<br \/>\nwho emigrated to Yukon 10 years ago – a very cozy place!<br \/>\nI keep going for another 40km and reach the center of Whitehorse by<br \/>\n7:45p, good time for dinner at Klondike Bar & Grill. Meet other folks<br \/>\nfrom hostel (incl. Brett). Hostel is fully booked, so I proceed to the<br \/>\nRobert Service Campground in the late evening.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Thursday, July 16<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Rest Day in Whitehorse<\/p>\n<p>Bike Tune-up at Philippe’s bike store: <\/p>\n<li>Clean chain and replace half-broken element;<\/li>\n<li>Replace 2 broken spokes in back wheel and true wheel;<\/li>\n<li>Adjust rear wheel and disk brake;<\/li>\n<li>Tighten suspension bolt;<\/li>\n<li>Adjust chain tensioner using spacers;<\/li>\n<p><strong>Friday, July 16<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Whitehorse to Teslin<\/p>\n<p>182 km (196km actually pedaled) \/ 2077km; 9.4h (10.2h actual) \/ 115h<\/p>\n<p>False direction start through town! Cost me 45min and 12km unnecessary riding :-((<\/p>\n<p>Met German rider who flew in day before (Frankfurt – Whitehorse nonstop with Condor) and rode a few km together. He turned South to Skagway, AK.<br \/>\nHad second breakfast at RV park – nicely maintained by Swiss couple –<br \/>\nat 30km. Then along Marsh Lake – with two disappointing detours toward<br \/>\nlake in search of restaurants – and to Jake’s Corner at 80km. Met Adam<br \/>\nand Steve from Edmonton on their way North. Huge cinnamon bun and<br \/>\nblueberry scone plus coffee around 3:00p. Smelled the fresh<br \/>\nstrawberries alongside the road!<br \/>\nThen 50km to Johnsons Crossing, Hwy bridge across the Teslin river at<br \/>\nNorth end of Teslin lake. Stop at RV park, Gatorade and rhubarb<br \/>\nbakery; thankfully free wireless Internet, 25min Skype with Jill \ud83d\ude42<br \/>\nLast 52km to Teslin along lake up and down small hills. Initially rain<br \/>\nunder a small cloud with sun from the side! Then beautiful evening<br \/>\nlight with pictures and video (helmet mount and tripod). Felt really<br \/>\nstrong despite headwind and 10+hr day.<br \/>\nArrived in Teslin just around sunset at 10:45p – thankfully motel \/ RV<br \/>\npark office was still open until 11:00p. Quick email, then well-<br \/>\ndeserved (and badly needed) hot shower and into tent by 11:45p.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Saturday, July 18<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Teslin to Swift River<\/p>\n<p>109km \/ 2187km; 6h \/ 121h;<\/p>\n<p>Doing email and updating Blog; continental breakfast (disappointing);<br \/>\nvisit to Northern Wildlife Museum (great); Skype with Jill; burger for<br \/>\nlunch.<br \/>\nLate start at 1:30p up an 160m hill for starters! Despite some drops<br \/>\nwhen starting I’m dodging the rainclouds most of the day. More hills<br \/>\nthan I thought – for a total of 1600m vertical for the day! At Morley<br \/>\nRiver I pause to eat some more and cool off by swimming in the clear<br \/>\nstream. Also filtering 2l water to drink.<br \/>\nMet John and Eddy from Cleveland on tandem since June 1st.<br \/>\n(AnchorageForOrphans.com)<br \/>\nThen rain the last 15km to Swift River and very cold :-((<br \/>\nLuckily they take me in at the gas station – Thanks to Jerry, Big<br \/>\nLarry, Ken, Nick and Mike!<\/p>\n<p><strong>Sunday, July 19<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Swift River to Watson Lake (-20km)<\/p>\n<p>138km \/ 2325km, 6.5h \/ 128h<\/p>\n<p>After a hearty breakfast I leave around 8:30am. Lots of hills make for<br \/>\na rather slow start. Then there is the Continental Divide and<br \/>\ngas station \/ restaurant (20km). Rhubarb and coffee. Internet doesn’t<br \/>\nwork here. I continue with tailwind following a river downstream much<br \/>\nfaster now to Rancheria (40km). Here Internet works and I update Blog<br \/>\nand Skype with Jill as well as have a Special Omelette. Continue at<br \/>\n1:45pm downwind and sometimes downhill. At 57km I have a rear tire<br \/>\ntear and tube puncture. Fixing and only soft tire pump pressure. Meet<br \/>\nLaura at 80km; she is a teacher from Oregon on her way up to Alaska,<br \/>\nSkagway, Dawson City and time permitting the Dempster Hwy. She has a<br \/>\ntough time into this headwind! With her pump I can get decent tire<br \/>\npressure again.<br \/>\nContinue through scenic, but very hilly stretch. Stop at 37 junction<br \/>\nabout 20km short of Watson Lake after 140km and 1500m vertical for the<br \/>\nday. Excellent food (double-dinner with bumbleberry pie a la mode and<br \/>\nmilk), shower and simple campsite.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Monday, July 20<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Watson Lake to Contact Creek<\/p>\n<p>98km \/ 2422km; 5.2 hrs \/ 133hrs.<\/p>\n<p>After small breakfast (Apple Turnover and coffee) I start early 7:45<br \/>\nto get to Watson Lake. Unfortunately I have a flat tire (front) and<br \/>\nthen realize that my new tubes shrader valve doesn’t fit into my rims!<br \/>\n(Never had this happen in 40 years of riding!) I lose a lot of time<br \/>\nfiddling with it and there is also 200m worth of hills to climb. Pump<br \/>\nup the tires at Watson Lake Motor Ltd. No bike store in town \ud83d\ude41<br \/>\nThen breakfast and buying groceries.<br \/>\nMeet Scott Mullin from Pompano who is on the road since 5 months!<br \/>\nVisit to the Sign-post forest.<br \/>\nSkype chat with Jill from her office.<br \/>\nLeaving town at 1:50pm.<br \/>\nFlat rear tire again after 8km – tire needs to be replaced! I tie the<br \/>\nbike to a telephone line pole and hitch back to town with my panniers and back<br \/>\nwheel. I meet Scott again and it is my lucky day: He has a 26″ spare<br \/>\ntire! So I put on the new tire and again inflate at the garage. I<br \/>\nhitch a ride back, put the bike back together and resume my ride (at<br \/>\n38km).<br \/>\nAfter 2 hrs or so (73km) I stop at the Hyland River to look at the<br \/>\nmap. There I have another flat tire on the front!! I replace the tube<br \/>\nwith the new one from Scott (with Presto valve) and pump it up again<br \/>\nto resume riding.<br \/>\nFinally after many more hills I reach Contact Creek at 8:30pm. I buy<br \/>\nsome milk and pastries. Owner Dennie also offers me hot water, which I<br \/>\nuse to make soup. Finally I tent on the grass behind the building.<\/p>\n<p><strong>British Columbia<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Tuesday, July 21<\/strong><\/p>\n<p> Contact Creek to Liard River (Hotsprings)<\/p>\n<p> 146km \/ 2569km; 7.25hr \/ 140hr<\/p>\n<p> Some rain overnight, so I pack a wet tent. After breakfast and email<br \/>\n check from the convenience store it’s Goodbye from Yukon and Hello BC!<br \/>\n I start early (8:30) and know from Scott’s website how many hills to<br \/>\n expect. The first part is tough, as there are 4 substantial hills for<br \/>\n a total of 1000m to climb. Scenery is gorgeous, weather is cloudy, but<br \/>\n generally clearing after rains. I see some Bison on and next to the<br \/>\n road. I finally get to Coal River after 86km at 1:30p after a long<br \/>\n steep and fast descent (73km\/h).<br \/>\n A restaurant and Internet access, so biker life is good! After a big<br \/>\n Western omelette I check email and update my Blog with the flat tire<br \/>\n episode…<br \/>\n The afternoon leg will be much easier, as the road follows the Liard<br \/>\n river downstream without major hills and there is a bit of a W<br \/>\n tailwind :-))<br \/>\n I get to the Liard hot springs at 146km around 7pm, one of my earliest<br \/>\n arrival times yet! That’s great, as the sun can still dry my tent and<br \/>\n the restaurant closes at 8pm. After dinner and tent setup I walk back<br \/>\n the 700m wooden boardwalk to the hot springs. The hot water feels very<br \/>\n soothing. Under a mini waterfall I get the closest thing to a back and<br \/>\n leg massage. I also get even more tired, so I quickly crawl into the<br \/>\n tent and sleep for 9.5hrs!<\/p>\n<p><strong>Wednesday, July 22<\/strong><\/p>\n<p> Liard River to Toad River;<\/p>\n<p> 120km \/ 2690km; 7.5h \/ 148h; 1530m \/ 29100m<\/p>\n<p> After crossing the Liard river long uphill into a side valley; some stretches too steep for me to pedal. Entered Muncho Lake Provincial Park. Saw a black bear sow with two cubs -very nice. Once at the higher plateau of the valley nice views of valley, but also lots of annoying short steep hills – like a rollercoaster!<br \/>\n Finally arrive at the lake and ride alongside. Stopped at the Northern Rockies lodge, which I remember from 10 years ago. It is run by some Swiss folks who also offer scenic flights, kayak tours and fly in fishing excursions as well as remote cabins.<br \/>\n I have “Zuericher Geschnetzeltes” for lunch. (If I could have afforded it, I would have had another one right away.)<br \/>\n More scenic riding along the lake; then hard climb into the S headwind up some 400m! Seemed to never end – one of the hardest parts since the Dalton Hwy! Then 4100m descent at 7% at up to 60km\/h, then turn and follow the Toad river downstream. Now the sun comes out and it is downhill and downwind \ud83d\ude42 Life is good! Great scenery, canyon walls to the right, river to the left. I stop to drink and snack; see a beaver in the river and two caribou on the road (until they get bitten by some horse fly and take off running).<br \/>\n Some gravel patches on the road lead to a lot of dust from passing vehicles. Finally after 120km I reach the Toad River lodge, where I have two of their Ribeye steak specials and camp for the night. Also free wireless Internet \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n<p><strong>Thursday, July 23<\/strong><\/p>\n<p> Toad River to Tetsa River campground;<br \/>\n 98km \/ 2788km; 6hr \/ 154hr; 1200m<\/p>\n<p> Breakfast at the restaurant. Steep hill to start, then some gravel and<br \/>\n pretty dusty. Then long climb up to Summit Lake at Stone Mountain, at<br \/>\n 1260m highest point of the Alcan. Beautiful scenery coming up to the<br \/>\n pass. Getting water at “Bubble Canyon” where a camper truck lies in<br \/>\n the ditch!<br \/>\n Stop at Summit Lake where I meet Gary and Lynn, who travel with bikes<br \/>\n and a small camper, relay-style: One rides the bike, the other one<br \/>\n drives the camper; then they take turns. A great way to travel and<br \/>\n stay together!<br \/>\n Long descent and one more gravel stretch (with pilot cars). Stop at<br \/>\n Tetsa River Lodge (86km) for the “Cinnamon Bun Center of the Galactic<br \/>\n Cluster” (road sign ad), then some WiFi and at 7pm steak night special.<br \/>\n After dinner I continue on to Tetsa River campground another 14km or<br \/>\n so. 2.5km off the Hwy down to the river.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Friday, July 24<\/strong><\/p>\n<p> Tetsa River to Fort Nelson<\/p>\n<p> 100km \/ 2895km; 6h \/ 160h; 1250m \/ 32000m<\/p>\n<p>Aweful mosquitoes the first 30m gravel hill up through the woods<br \/>\npushing the bike. 5min later I have maybe 50 bites :-((<br \/>\nOn Hwy the day begins with a steep 100m hill, followed by some<br \/>\nrelatively flat and well engineered section. After a few km the road<br \/>\nstarts to climb up, eventually some 500m to 1135m. From there super<br \/>\nlong descent to the East. Then another 60km or so of relatively<br \/>\nmonotonous riding through the forest.<br \/>\nNearing Fort Nelson the Alcan follows some ridge which offers sweeping<br \/>\nviews to the West. More homes and some farmland. Eventually I reach<br \/>\nFort Nelson and stop the library for cold water and Internet. Then<br \/>\nvisitor center for info, a grocery store for lots of fresh food<br \/>\n(including the blueberries, mill and cereal for next day’s breakfast.<br \/>\nDoing laundry and Skype with Jill. Lastly dinner at Boston’s Pizza –<br \/>\nlarge Greek Salad, followed by Italian Penne and some fruit pie a la<br \/>\nmode – yummy!<\/p>\n<p><strong>Saturday, July 25<\/strong><\/p>\n<p> Fort Nelson to Buckinghorse River<\/p>\n<p> 184km \/ 3083km; 10.5h \/ 171h; 1900m \/ 33900m.<\/p>\n<p> Early start at 8:30 after big breakfast (1lb cereal, 1lb blueberries,<br \/>\n 1l milk, 1 yoghurt) due to grocery shopping last evening. Long hill<br \/>\n down and up from Muskwa River. Long straight roads through endless<br \/>\n forest, one 11km straight stretch with odometer test km markers. Hot<br \/>\n on uphills and around noon, hard to find shade… At noon I have 60km.<br \/>\n Finally at 95km I arrive at Prophet River, but there is nothing there!<br \/>\n A little further is a B&B and a wedding is going on, so plenty of cars<br \/>\n and people. No water (unless I wait until after wedding ceremony), but<br \/>\n I’m told there is a creek in 6km. Unfortunately the water is fairly<br \/>\n muddy, so I need to work hard on the water filter – I take 2l filtered<br \/>\n water. Getting up to the plateau from the river is another 100m hill –<br \/>\n hard work!<br \/>\n Buckinghorse River will be very far, but there is nothing in<br \/>\n between… I am told there are no hills – not true: The road climbs<br \/>\n slowly but unrelenting; eventually I reach 1130m, some 800m higher<br \/>\n than in the morning down at the river! Total elevation gain 1900m for<br \/>\n the day – more than the last two days! I calculate that it will be<br \/>\n tight to get to the restaurant before 9pm; so I push myself hard, and<br \/>\n I get very tired.<br \/>\n Last hour on ridge in beautiful light and great views to the West.<br \/>\n Also see 1 big black bear and a moose with calf. Arrive at B.R.<br \/>\n exactly at 9pm after pushing hard up those last hills… Great food<br \/>\n (restaurant open until 10pm) for dinner, then walk over to Provincial<br \/>\n Park campground and tent setup at 10pm.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Sunday, July 26<\/strong><\/p>\n<p> Buckinghorse River to Wonowon<\/p>\n<p> 120km \/ 3204km; 7h \/ 171h; 1500m \/ 35400m<\/p>\n<p> Early breakfast, then easy 23km to Sikanni River; stop and nice chat<br \/>\n with owner lady. Bought Alberta map. Then 350m hill back up to the<br \/>\n ridge – two long push sections and 45 min later I’m up there again…<br \/>\n Then another short section to a motel \/ restaurant just prior to Pink<br \/>\n Mountain which I reach at noon (49km). Here I have a clubhouse<br \/>\n sandwich and coke. Then I sleep in the shade of the building for 1h<br \/>\n while sun & wind blow-dry my wet tent \ud83d\ude42 Then Skype with Jill and<br \/>\n more email & Blog reading. Finally after the heat of the day subsides<br \/>\n I hit the road again near 5pm. There is another 150m hill up to Pink<br \/>\n Mountain, which then offers a rewarding view. From here it’s another<br \/>\n 60km along a ridge with some gas field exploration sites. Plenty more<br \/>\n hills, unfortunately, but nice evening light again. Arrive in Wonowon<br \/>\n at 9:15pm – luckily the gas station \/ convenience store is still open<br \/>\n until 10:30pm and has wireless Internet \ud83d\ude42 I drink two milk mixes and<br \/>\n check some email. I set up my tent on a public rodeo field \/<br \/>\n playground around the corner. Sleep at 11pm.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Monday, July 27<\/strong><\/p>\n<p> Wonowon to Hudson’s Hope<br \/>\n 155km \/ 3360km; 8h \/ 186h; 1400m \/ 36800m<br \/>\n Early departure after coffee at the gas station. Rolling hills through<br \/>\n the forest, not quite as strenuous as yesterday around Pink Mountain,<br \/>\n with a bit more downhill than uphill. Some farmland as I get closer to<br \/>\n Fort St. John. On the last 20km of the Alcan I meet Danny Chew and his<br \/>\n nephew Steve who ride up North. Danny is a multiple RAAM winner and<br \/>\n knows Wolfgang Fasching quite well – small world! They travel on a<br \/>\n small budget ($10\/day) and do 100miles\/day! Hats off to them!<br \/>\n At Charlie Lake I drink and rest at gas station. Here the road turns<br \/>\n West to Hudson’s Hope in the Peace River valley. Crazy hills here,<br \/>\n lots of steep up&down. Very scenic, great views of the river; smells<br \/>\n remind me of the “Waldviertel” in Austria and our summer vacations<br \/>\n there on the farm as a young boy. Arrive at Hudson’s Hope 80km after<br \/>\n Charlie Lake late around 8pm. Dinner at Sportsman Grill, plus email,<br \/>\n then roll another 2km to campground near town limit. Pitch my tent,<br \/>\n good shower and then chat with Helen and Hans from Denmark who worked<br \/>\n here as engineer on the dam some 40 years ago and now comes back to<br \/>\n visit as tourist. Sleep at 11pm.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Tuesday, July 28<\/strong><\/p>\n<p> Hudson’s Hope to Chetwynd (semi rest day)<\/p>\n<p>70km \/ 3438km; 4.5h \/ 191h; 700m \/ 37500m<\/p>\n<p> Today is a semi rest day for several reasons: The next town after<br \/>\n Chetwynd is too far to reach from H. H. There is the interesting<br \/>\n Bennett Dam here on the Peace River to visit. I have gone for more<br \/>\n than one week now without rest day and it’s very hot.<\/p>\n<p> After breaking down the tent I roll back to town at 7:00am for<br \/>\n breakfast and email. At 8:30 I continue to the Visitor Center. There I<br \/>\n leave my bike and try to hitch a ride up to the dam. 1\/2h wait, no<br \/>\n luck! I walk across the street into the restaurant there to have some<br \/>\n coke (as it’s already pretty hot). I mention the German flag outside<br \/>\n and there is chef Freddie from Germany. We chat a little bit and I<br \/>\n mention my plans to go up to the damn. Without hesitation Freddie asks<br \/>\n whether I have a drivers license. Before I really understand what’s<br \/>\n happening he already holds his car keys in front of me and offers me<br \/>\n his car – amazing!<br \/>\n I accept and go up the 20km by car – an unusual mode of transportation<br \/>\n for me after 1 month of just riding…<br \/>\n The dam is quite interesting and very large. Back in the sixties it<br \/>\n was the largest hydroelectric plant in the world. Total capacity<br \/>\n 2700MW, together with the smaller sister dam at Dinosaur Lake<br \/>\n downstream those two create 1\/3 of all of BC’s electricity need!<br \/>\n After I return I have lunch at Freddie’s and leave a good tip<br \/>\n including some gas money at least…<br \/>\n Then back at the Visitor Center more email and Twitter as well as<br \/>\n chatting with Kathy, the friendly agent. I buy some delicious apricots<br \/>\n and cheese bread at the farmer’s market across the street and also<br \/>\n check out the Hudson’s Hope Museum. Great views of the Peace river.<br \/>\n Then at 3:30p I finally start my ride. Quick stop at the smaller dam,<br \/>\n but they close at 4p. Then long, hot climb 300m above the river! Ride<br \/>\n leads past two lakes which invite for a swim in this heat. At the<br \/>\n second (Morley Lake) I use a technique to keep bikers cool on very hot<br \/>\n days: I jump off the bridge into the lake (local attraction for<br \/>\n teenagers).<br \/>\n Then one more 250m climb, followed by a 300m descent at 70km\/h down to<br \/>\n Chetwynd by 8p. I shop for groceries, proceed to dinner at<br \/>\n “Buckroads” (great country style cooking and Internet), and finally<br \/>\n roll down the street another 2km to the local RV park, where I pitch<br \/>\n my tent at 10p in the dusk.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Wednesday, July 29<\/strong><\/p>\n<p> Chetwynd to Mackenzie Junction<\/p>\n<p> 158km \/ 3597km; 8h \/ 199h; 1280m \/ 38800m;<\/p>\n<p> First 50km uneventful ride into valley with three huge high-voltage<br \/>\n lines. Stop at Silver Sands Cafe (73km). Meet with Florence from Lyon<br \/>\n over lunch who will stay here for the day. I continue on to the Pine<br \/>\n Pass – beautiful scenery along the Pine River. Unfortunately road has<br \/>\n no more shoulder, so I need to monitor traffic and pay close attention<br \/>\n at times.<br \/>\n Climb up to pass is not very high (990m) but very hot. At Lake<br \/>\n Azouzetta lodge I stop for a refreshing swim in crystal-clear lake<br \/>\n water with nice mountain scenery all around. And a chat over coffee<br \/>\n with owner Curtis, who has an interesting MTB.<br \/>\n Then fast descent to Bijoux Falls for a quick stop. Remaining 30km or<br \/>\n so are rather boring through forest. Arrive at MacKenzie Junction and<br \/>\n after bridge and short, steep hill at Windy Point lodge run by the<br \/>\n Dutch van Boois family. Very nice place here, free wireless – actually<br \/>\n phone-line based and fast DSL – free camping, nice chat with parents<br \/>\n and kids love playing with my iPhone. Email with Jill, sleep at 11pm.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Thursday, July 30<\/strong><\/p>\n<p> MacKenzie Junction to Prince George<\/p>\n<p> 151km \/ 3749km; 6.75h \/ 206h; 940m \/ 39700m<\/p>\n<p> Relatively flat and easy stage. Get up at 6, breakfast at restaurant<br \/>\n at 7, depart at 8. During breakfast I see lightning and black clouds<br \/>\n to the North. I hurry to get going and only get a few raindrops and<br \/>\n some spray from passing trucks as the road is wet the first 25km. Then<br \/>\n I get slightly ahead of the cloud line and it gets sunny and warm. At<br \/>\n noon I already have 80km and pause at Bear Lake gas station \/<br \/>\n convenience store. They have cool soda and wireless Internet. I write<br \/>\n two Blog posts, check email and so pass the time until 4pm! On the<br \/>\n road again by 4:30pm. Very fast ride the next 50km with flat good road<br \/>\n (some RR crossings, though) and slight tailwind. Then pause at Salmon<br \/>\n River and some snacks right next to the water in the shade under the<br \/>\n bridge. Hard climb up from the river valley some 120m and construction<br \/>\n zone with no shoulder… Finally reaching outskirts of Prince George<br \/>\n and stopping for food shopping. Lots of friendly and curious people<br \/>\n there. Luckily I hear about a campground just a few km down the road<br \/>\n and it’s just rolling downhill. I get to the Roblyn motel & CG by 8:40<br \/>\n or so. Free camping, shower and wireless Internet \ud83d\ude42 Very tired.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Friday, July 31<\/strong><\/p>\n<p> Prince George to Quesnel<\/p>\n<p> 130km \/ 3880km; 6.5h \/ 212h; 1300m \/ 41000m<\/p>\n<p> On the road at 8:20am after big cereal \/ blueberry breakfast at Robley<br \/>\n CG. Already hot at 9am. 120m climb out of P.G. in construction zone<br \/>\n and narrow sidewalk crossing of Fraser River. Stop near airport<br \/>\n turnoff for coffee to finish my 2 remaining Danish butterhorns –<br \/>\n yummi! Not very scenic ride today, and more little hills than I<br \/>\n expected! It always seems to come out to 100m vertical per 10km<br \/>\n distance. Brief stop at Stone Creek Lodge – nicely maintained and with<br \/>\n German flag (but owners were not at office). Lunch stop at Hixon. Some<br \/>\n coke, but no big meal. Continue at 1:30p in full midday heat. Another<br \/>\n stop at a roadside “Cinema Cafe”. Huge cherry pie a la mode – yummi<br \/>\n again! Then continue to Quesnel. On last long downhill into town<br \/>\n something feels weird with the bike. I’m cruising down at 65km\/h and<br \/>\n an impatient truck driver trying to pass right behind me. When I roll<br \/>\n out at the bottom of the hill there is a campground. I inspect my<br \/>\n tires and get a sickening feeling: My backtire has a 1 inch long nail<br \/>\n in it which slowly leaks air! I patch the tube and have it fully<br \/>\n reinflated at a nearby tire shop. Decide to stay at the CG and take a<br \/>\n shower and pitch the tent. Skype with Jill and roll down to town<br \/>\n center for dinner.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Saturday, August 1<\/strong><\/p>\n<p> Quesnel to Williams Lake<br \/>\n 139km \/ 4027km; 7h \/ 220h; 1300m \/ 42300m<\/p>\n<p> Roll down to center of Quesnel, breakfast at Granville Coffee and<br \/>\n email \/ Skype with Jill. Start riding at 9am. First 20min out of town<br \/>\n are terrible: 120m uphill, construction, traffic, heat… But after<br \/>\n that it’s a good ride, slight tailwind, often 100m above Fraser River<br \/>\n with beautiful views. When I stop for some fudge and icecold coke I<br \/>\n realize how hot it is when stepping out of the A\/C cool building – 1pm<br \/>\n and 32C. And no shade on the road… Actually, on the next long hill<br \/>\n up to lake Leese there is a thundercloud forming with lightning and<br \/>\n thunder, which provides much appreciated relief from the sun like a<br \/>\n giant umbrella! At Lake Leese I stop for a snack and drinks. Seems to<br \/>\n be the weekend getaway for the local folks, as the lake and resorts<br \/>\n here are quite busy and crowded. I meet Diana and Peter, who are on a<br \/>\n shopping trip up to Quesnel; they live in Williams Lake and give me<br \/>\n lots of useful information; we set a tentative dinner date for<br \/>\n Williams Lake.<br \/>\n After another 2.5h (45km) and a long climb to almost 1000m I roll down<br \/>\n at high speeds to W.L. I stop at Boston Pizza for a salad and emails.<br \/>\n Then at 7:30 I am at the next restaurant and meet up with Diana and<br \/>\n Peter. Turns out that restaurant is closed so we just switch plans to<br \/>\n another one 1km down the road. We have dinner and I tell them about my<br \/>\n trip.<br \/>\n At dusk another 5km ride along lake shore to Will Yum Campground.<br \/>\n Setup tent under clear sky and moon. After brushing teeth I walk back<br \/>\n to tent and notice bright object tracking across night sky – perhaps<br \/>\n the Space Station?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Sunday, August 2<\/strong><\/p>\n<p> Williams Lake to Green Lake<\/p>\n<p> 125km \/ 4155km; 7.5h \/ 228h; 1600m \/ 43900m<\/p>\n<p> I get up early at 6:30 and hit the road at 7am. Per Peter’s tip I<br \/>\n detour slightly at the beginning of the next hill and take a small<br \/>\n backcountry road around the hill. Windy road, many cattle guards. At<br \/>\n one I stop and take a picture when I suddenly see Peter come out of a<br \/>\n driveway; he just wanted to ride back towards the campground to meet<br \/>\n me! Had I been 2min earlier we would have missed each other! So he<br \/>\n invites me into his house for breakfast – fresh coffee and toast with<br \/>\n fresh raspberry jam. After we talk for a while he joins me for the<br \/>\n first part of the ride back to Hwy 97. There it’s Goodbye to Peter and<br \/>\n I continue South. I pass the scene of a fatal head-on collision the<br \/>\n day before on the Hwy – a grim reminder of the fragility of life. Then<br \/>\n at 30km I have a flat back tire. I walk 200m to a litter barrel area<br \/>\n and unload all bags to find the leak and patch the tube. A car stops.<br \/>\n It’s Dustin and Jennifer, asking whether I need any tools. I ask<br \/>\n whether they have an air pump. To my surprise he has an electrical pump<br \/>\n and so I’m back up to 50psi tire pressure right away \ud83d\ude42<br \/>\n I continue to Lake La Hache at 55km. There I buy 1.5lb of fresh<br \/>\n apricots at a fruit stand and chat with Lionel (from South Africa) in<br \/>\n German! He also offers a delicious peach and Greek cheese for free.<br \/>\n Then I proceed to the Austrian Edelweiss restaurant across the street<br \/>\n and have Homemade “Spaetzle” for lunch – oh my, is this good! Checking<br \/>\n email and then going for a swim in the lake. Resume ride at 3:15p.<br \/>\n Again many hills until I arrive at 100 Mile House at 85km. Visitor<br \/>\n center with Swiss folks, plenty of info and free wireless – hence<br \/>\n Skype with Jill. Planning overnight stay, decide to detour to Green<br \/>\n Lake East of Hwy. Call ahead to “Little Horse Lodge” with German<br \/>\n restaurant sounds promising. Not too many hills, I ask. Not to worry,<br \/>\n no problem… Well guess what: Big problem; there are probably another<br \/>\n 500m vertical in those 35km, so it takes me more than 2h and I arrive<br \/>\n very tired a little after 9pm when it’s about to get dark. Beautiful<br \/>\n sunset, bright moon (near full) and red colored thunderhead in the SW<br \/>\n distance. Here at lodge big disappointment: Restaurant already closed<br \/>\n at 8pm, only opens at 9am for breakfast, Internet not working … I go<br \/>\n to sleep hungry. Then my tent pole snaps near the top – going to be<br \/>\n hard to fix. Tonight is not my night, so go to sleep early. Tomorrow<br \/>\n is another day.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Monday, August 3<\/strong><\/p>\n<p> Green Lake to Clinton<\/p>\n<p> 58km \/ 4213km; 2.75h \/ 231h; 420m \/ 44320m<\/p>\n<p> I get up, take a shower and cook some noodles as I’m really hungry.<br \/>\n Then I pack my gear and write a few emails. Finally at 9am the<br \/>\n restaurant opens up for breakfast. Over breakfast some more emails and<br \/>\n eventually I start my ride at 10:45!<br \/>\n Rolling hills along Green Lake, little traffic and some cattle guards.<br \/>\n Then at 30km I get to 70 Mile House. Coke and email break. I received<br \/>\n two donations within 24hrs of $350 total \ud83d\ude42<br \/>\n The next 30km to Clinton are the worst of the entire trip: Nonstop<br \/>\n traffic both ways, bad shoulder almost unrideable (gravel, debris,<br \/>\n washboard), construction, heat, smoke – after a few near misses I have<br \/>\n enough of this and stop in Clinton. Unfortunately the roads via<br \/>\n Lillooet are closed due to forest fires; so it looks like I will have<br \/>\n to take the Fraser canyon route via Hope!<br \/>\n I decide to stay put for the day and let the insane traffic (from the<br \/>\n long BC holiday weekend) subside. All-you-can-eat BBQ buffet with ribs<br \/>\n help compensate for last night’s calories deficit \ud83d\ude42<br \/>\n Two Blog posts and email. Also a walk up&down Clinton mainstreet (I.e.<br \/>\n Hwy 97) and visit to Clinton museum. Sleep at 10p – fixed up tent pole<br \/>\n using duct tape for now.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Tuesday, August 4<\/strong><\/p>\n<p> Clinton to Hope<\/p>\n<p> 241km \/ 4455km; 11h \/ 241h ; 2400m \/ 46700m<\/p>\n<p> Rarely have I seen more difference in riding conditions within 12h:<br \/>\n this morning the air was at least 10C cooler, smoke-free, there was<br \/>\n much less traffic – well I started at 6:20am and the long holiday<br \/>\n weekend is over – and the first 40km were aided by a 450m drop and<br \/>\n tailwind :-)) At 8am I already had 40km. (I remember a day in the<br \/>\n Yukon where I had 40km only at 5pm!) At 11a I stopped for a quick soda<br \/>\n at 90km and at noon the 100km mark rolled around. At a fruit stand I<br \/>\n buy some apricots to eat a little later at Spences Bridge with coffee<br \/>\n and a cinnamon bun (1:30p, 135km).<br \/>\n Before Lytton my good luck with the tailwind runs out and it changes<br \/>\n into headwind \ud83d\ude41 This also brings smoke-filled air from a nearby<br \/>\n forest fire :-((<br \/>\n Of course the initial downhill is long past, and there is a lot of<br \/>\n up&down now in the canyon. While this provides often great views and<br \/>\n some relief \/ fun on the downhill, it takes a lot of sweat to grind up<br \/>\n those hills in the afternoon heat. Eventually the smoke clears and at<br \/>\n last I can breathe easily again.<br \/>\n At a hill called “Jackass Mountain” (no kidding!) I stop at an<br \/>\n overlook with a 250m drop to the river. A German couple also stops<br \/>\n there and we chat briefly and take mutual pictures. (They got my last<br \/>\n business card.)<br \/>\n At Boston Bar (175km) I drink another liter of Coke and wonder whether<br \/>\n I can still go all the way to Hope with this wind and only about 3h of<br \/>\n daylight left. Usually the wind does down in the evening, but not<br \/>\n before I have to fight some more jet-like blasts through the half-<br \/>\n dozen tunnels. Traffic is moderate, but a few trucks pass pretty close<br \/>\n where there is little shoulder. Last bottle of Pepsi in Yale, then<br \/>\n 24km to Hope. Towards the end it starts to get dark, and there is one<br \/>\n more 90m hill after 10.5h on the bike -yikes. Then rolling down and<br \/>\n over Fraser river bridge into town. I eat at Subway, as no restaurant<br \/>\n in sight is open at 8:45pm. The campground is right next to the river<br \/>\n and I pitch my tent under some huge Redwood trees. I’m tired but also<br \/>\n very satisfied. Great shower, then some email and fall into a deep<br \/>\n sleep.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Wednesday, August 5<\/strong><\/p>\n<p> Hope to Lynden, WA<\/p>\n<p> 121km \/ 4576km; 6h \/ 248h; 650m \/ 47250m<\/p>\n<p>After the long ride yesterday I take it easy in the morning. Yet, I wake up at 6:30 and go looking for some breakfast place that’s open in town. There I feast on some “Logger’s Special”, followed by a cinnamon bun, while I update my Blog and do email. I continue with the latter from my tent, as I’m trying to coordinate a meeting with Rich, our Logan mountain guide.<br \/>\nI leave around noon and expect a semi rest day, i.e. somewhat shorter distance. After 1km or so the road merges onto the Trans Canada Highway 1, a four lane divided hwy – one of only two choices in this valley. It feels like riding on the Interstate or German Autobahn. Trucks and cars are passing at 100km\/h while I’m riding along on the shoulder. It’s relatively safe due to the wide shoulder and also cyclist warning signs – and it’s definitely legal, too – but what bothers me most is the noise. I can hardly hear anything but the wind and engine noise – it’s deafening. At one point bicycles are rerouted to a parallel route, which is infinitely nicer through residential neighborhoods and some rural areas. Lots of farmland and fruit growing up here. Once coming out of the mountains it’s completely flat. Yes, there is some headwind, but no more hills.<br \/>\nI stop at Chiliwack (60km) for some food at a Best Western after inquiring at the Visitor Center about roads and restaurants. Due to my rather leisurely pace it’s already 5:30pm when I start rolling again. I underestimate the distance to the border: It’s another 40km zig-zagging down towards the SW through beautiful and quiet farmland. What a contrast to the noisy hwy earlier. Here I only need to stop for the occasional dog “attack”. At one point I am close to pulling out my bear spray due to a somewhat aggressive Rottweiler out on the public road – that’s one thing I don’t like about free running dogs…<br \/>\nAt 8pm I get to the border at Sumas. The usual questions about where I live, what I do for a living, who pays for the trip etc. But it takes only 10 min and I’m riding South again, now in Washington State. The sun goes down as a perfect red ball over the cornfields. To the West I briefly see Mt. Baker with its glaciers, triggering memories of my ascent 10 years ago at the end of August 1999…<br \/>\nI continue on West to Lynden, which has a KOA campground, about 10km (which I have to come back tomorrow) in the dusk. I’m happy to get there by 9pm, when they just close the office. They send me to a plaza some 3km away, and there I find a Pizzeria Bar still open. I eat two pizzas and have a glass of red wine in celebration of the event. Also I receive a phone call from my parents, who realized from my Tweets that I am back in the US and my phone probably is working! Rolling back to the CG around midnight. I don’t even bother with my tent and just roll out the sleeping bag – which is a bit warm (it’s 15C, some 40C warmer than most nights on the glacier), but there are no mosquitoes and no rain (bright full moon).<\/p>\n<p>(end of British Columbia section)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Yukon Canada ride, Yukon – Photo Album Ride in the Yukon at SpotAdventuresMap created by SpotAdventures:GPS Geotagging British Columbia Canada ride, British Columbia – Photo Album Canada Ride, Southern British Columbia at SpotAdventuresMap created by SpotAdventures:GPS Geotagging Daily Trip Log Notes Yukon Monday, July 13 Beaver Creek to (40km before) Burwash Landing 140km \/ 1535km; […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/tlausser.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/99"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/tlausser.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/tlausser.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/tlausser.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/tlausser.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=99"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/tlausser.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/99\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/tlausser.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=99"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/tlausser.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=99"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/tlausser.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=99"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
Ride in the Yukon at SpotAdventures<\/a><\/iframe><br \/>Map created by SpotAdventures:<a href=\"http:\/\/www.spotadventures.com\">GPS Geotagging<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>British Columbia<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/picasaweb.google.com\/tlausserPicasa\/CanadaRideBC?feat=directlink\">Canada ride, British Columbia – Photo Album<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.spotadventures.com\/trip\/view?trip_id=174385\">Canada Ride, Southern British Columbia at SpotAdventures<\/a><br \/><iframe src=\"http:\/\/www.spotadventures.com\/trip\/iframe2?trip_id=174385&width=415&height=300\" marginheight=0 marginwidth=0 frameborder=0 scrolling=no width=415 height=300><\/iframe><br \/>Map created by SpotAdventures:<a href=\"http:\/\/www.spotadventures.com\">GPS Geotagging<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Daily Trip Log Notes<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Yukon<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Monday, July 13<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Beaver Creek to (40km before) Burwash Landing<\/p>\n<p>140km \/ 1535km; 7.7h \/ 88h;<\/p>\n<p>Late start at 12:30pm due to Blog update in Beaver Creek. Slow and hot<br \/>\nride with dusty gravel sections. Many former rest stops are closed and<br \/>\nabandoned. Once I jump into a clear creek with shoes and bike jersey<br \/>\nand all to cool off while riding on! In evening at 10:00p I get to<br \/>\nanother abandoned “ghost town” and see a sign “Burwash Landing 39km”;<br \/>\nso I stay there for the night (wild camping).<\/p>\n<p><strong>Tuesday, July 14<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Burwash Landing to Haines Junction<\/p>\n<p>170km \/ 1705km; 9h \/ 97h;<\/p>\n<p>First 40km to Burwash Landing is hard work. There I have coffee and<br \/>\nsend email \/ Blog updates (same place we stopped during bus ride<br \/>\nWhitehorse to Anchorage).<br \/>\nThen I see my first Grizzly bear cross the road in front of me!<br \/>\nMore food and coke at Destruction Bay. Then beautiful ride along<br \/>\nKluane Lake. Stop at Cottonwood RV park and again email connection.<br \/>\nThen stop at airstrip and reunion with Lance and Donjek (pilot to<br \/>\nLogan basecamp) – very nice to see them again!<br \/>\n3 hour Evening ride to Haines Junction, long 400m downhill at the end.<br \/>\nCamping and shower at Haines Junction.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Wednesday, July 15<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Haines Junction to Whitehorse<\/p>\n<p>160km \/ 1870km; 7h \/ 104h;<\/p>\n<p>Walk over for early breakfast at Village Bakery around 7:30am. There I<br \/>\nmeet David Cartier, the Alaska Direct bus driver with another group of<br \/>\npassengers. Then I start around 9am. Ride with slight tailwind, good<br \/>\naverage speed initially. After 3+ hours I get very hungry. So I stop<br \/>\nat an abandoned roadside house and cook some freeze-dried dinner.<br \/>\nLater there is some light rain and I need to put on my GoreTex. About<br \/>\n2hrs of riding in rain and somewhat messy roads and passing trucks<br \/>\nspraying water.<br \/>\nThen I stop at a B&B (cabin rental) which looks very nicely maintained<br \/>\nfrom the outside. It is owned and run by Heidi Hofmann from Bamberg<br \/>\nwho emigrated to Yukon 10 years ago – a very cozy place!<br \/>\nI keep going for another 40km and reach the center of Whitehorse by<br \/>\n7:45p, good time for dinner at Klondike Bar & Grill. Meet other folks<br \/>\nfrom hostel (incl. Brett). Hostel is fully booked, so I proceed to the<br \/>\nRobert Service Campground in the late evening.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Thursday, July 16<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Rest Day in Whitehorse<\/p>\n<p>Bike Tune-up at Philippe’s bike store: <\/p>\n<li>Clean chain and replace half-broken element;<\/li>\n<li>Replace 2 broken spokes in back wheel and true wheel;<\/li>\n<li>Adjust rear wheel and disk brake;<\/li>\n<li>Tighten suspension bolt;<\/li>\n<li>Adjust chain tensioner using spacers;<\/li>\n<p><strong>Friday, July 16<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Whitehorse to Teslin<\/p>\n<p>182 km (196km actually pedaled) \/ 2077km; 9.4h (10.2h actual) \/ 115h<\/p>\n<p>False direction start through town! Cost me 45min and 12km unnecessary riding :-((<\/p>\n<p>Met German rider who flew in day before (Frankfurt – Whitehorse nonstop with Condor) and rode a few km together. He turned South to Skagway, AK.<br \/>\nHad second breakfast at RV park – nicely maintained by Swiss couple –<br \/>\nat 30km. Then along Marsh Lake – with two disappointing detours toward<br \/>\nlake in search of restaurants – and to Jake’s Corner at 80km. Met Adam<br \/>\nand Steve from Edmonton on their way North. Huge cinnamon bun and<br \/>\nblueberry scone plus coffee around 3:00p. Smelled the fresh<br \/>\nstrawberries alongside the road!<br \/>\nThen 50km to Johnsons Crossing, Hwy bridge across the Teslin river at<br \/>\nNorth end of Teslin lake. Stop at RV park, Gatorade and rhubarb<br \/>\nbakery; thankfully free wireless Internet, 25min Skype with Jill \ud83d\ude42<br \/>\nLast 52km to Teslin along lake up and down small hills. Initially rain<br \/>\nunder a small cloud with sun from the side! Then beautiful evening<br \/>\nlight with pictures and video (helmet mount and tripod). Felt really<br \/>\nstrong despite headwind and 10+hr day.<br \/>\nArrived in Teslin just around sunset at 10:45p – thankfully motel \/ RV<br \/>\npark office was still open until 11:00p. Quick email, then well-<br \/>\ndeserved (and badly needed) hot shower and into tent by 11:45p.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Saturday, July 18<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Teslin to Swift River<\/p>\n<p>109km \/ 2187km; 6h \/ 121h;<\/p>\n<p>Doing email and updating Blog; continental breakfast (disappointing);<br \/>\nvisit to Northern Wildlife Museum (great); Skype with Jill; burger for<br \/>\nlunch.<br \/>\nLate start at 1:30p up an 160m hill for starters! Despite some drops<br \/>\nwhen starting I’m dodging the rainclouds most of the day. More hills<br \/>\nthan I thought – for a total of 1600m vertical for the day! At Morley<br \/>\nRiver I pause to eat some more and cool off by swimming in the clear<br \/>\nstream. Also filtering 2l water to drink.<br \/>\nMet John and Eddy from Cleveland on tandem since June 1st.<br \/>\n(AnchorageForOrphans.com)<br \/>\nThen rain the last 15km to Swift River and very cold :-((<br \/>\nLuckily they take me in at the gas station – Thanks to Jerry, Big<br \/>\nLarry, Ken, Nick and Mike!<\/p>\n<p><strong>Sunday, July 19<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Swift River to Watson Lake (-20km)<\/p>\n<p>138km \/ 2325km, 6.5h \/ 128h<\/p>\n<p>After a hearty breakfast I leave around 8:30am. Lots of hills make for<br \/>\na rather slow start. Then there is the Continental Divide and<br \/>\ngas station \/ restaurant (20km). Rhubarb and coffee. Internet doesn’t<br \/>\nwork here. I continue with tailwind following a river downstream much<br \/>\nfaster now to Rancheria (40km). Here Internet works and I update Blog<br \/>\nand Skype with Jill as well as have a Special Omelette. Continue at<br \/>\n1:45pm downwind and sometimes downhill. At 57km I have a rear tire<br \/>\ntear and tube puncture. Fixing and only soft tire pump pressure. Meet<br \/>\nLaura at 80km; she is a teacher from Oregon on her way up to Alaska,<br \/>\nSkagway, Dawson City and time permitting the Dempster Hwy. She has a<br \/>\ntough time into this headwind! With her pump I can get decent tire<br \/>\npressure again.<br \/>\nContinue through scenic, but very hilly stretch. Stop at 37 junction<br \/>\nabout 20km short of Watson Lake after 140km and 1500m vertical for the<br \/>\nday. Excellent food (double-dinner with bumbleberry pie a la mode and<br \/>\nmilk), shower and simple campsite.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Monday, July 20<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Watson Lake to Contact Creek<\/p>\n<p>98km \/ 2422km; 5.2 hrs \/ 133hrs.<\/p>\n<p>After small breakfast (Apple Turnover and coffee) I start early 7:45<br \/>\nto get to Watson Lake. Unfortunately I have a flat tire (front) and<br \/>\nthen realize that my new tubes shrader valve doesn’t fit into my rims!<br \/>\n(Never had this happen in 40 years of riding!) I lose a lot of time<br \/>\nfiddling with it and there is also 200m worth of hills to climb. Pump<br \/>\nup the tires at Watson Lake Motor Ltd. No bike store in town \ud83d\ude41<br \/>\nThen breakfast and buying groceries.<br \/>\nMeet Scott Mullin from Pompano who is on the road since 5 months!<br \/>\nVisit to the Sign-post forest.<br \/>\nSkype chat with Jill from her office.<br \/>\nLeaving town at 1:50pm.<br \/>\nFlat rear tire again after 8km – tire needs to be replaced! I tie the<br \/>\nbike to a telephone line pole and hitch back to town with my panniers and back<br \/>\nwheel. I meet Scott again and it is my lucky day: He has a 26″ spare<br \/>\ntire! So I put on the new tire and again inflate at the garage. I<br \/>\nhitch a ride back, put the bike back together and resume my ride (at<br \/>\n38km).<br \/>\nAfter 2 hrs or so (73km) I stop at the Hyland River to look at the<br \/>\nmap. There I have another flat tire on the front!! I replace the tube<br \/>\nwith the new one from Scott (with Presto valve) and pump it up again<br \/>\nto resume riding.<br \/>\nFinally after many more hills I reach Contact Creek at 8:30pm. I buy<br \/>\nsome milk and pastries. Owner Dennie also offers me hot water, which I<br \/>\nuse to make soup. Finally I tent on the grass behind the building.<\/p>\n<p><strong>British Columbia<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Tuesday, July 21<\/strong><\/p>\n<p> Contact Creek to Liard River (Hotsprings)<\/p>\n<p> 146km \/ 2569km; 7.25hr \/ 140hr<\/p>\n<p> Some rain overnight, so I pack a wet tent. After breakfast and email<br \/>\n check from the convenience store it’s Goodbye from Yukon and Hello BC!<br \/>\n I start early (8:30) and know from Scott’s website how many hills to<br \/>\n expect. The first part is tough, as there are 4 substantial hills for<br \/>\n a total of 1000m to climb. Scenery is gorgeous, weather is cloudy, but<br \/>\n generally clearing after rains. I see some Bison on and next to the<br \/>\n road. I finally get to Coal River after 86km at 1:30p after a long<br \/>\n steep and fast descent (73km\/h).<br \/>\n A restaurant and Internet access, so biker life is good! After a big<br \/>\n Western omelette I check email and update my Blog with the flat tire<br \/>\n episode…<br \/>\n The afternoon leg will be much easier, as the road follows the Liard<br \/>\n river downstream without major hills and there is a bit of a W<br \/>\n tailwind :-))<br \/>\n I get to the Liard hot springs at 146km around 7pm, one of my earliest<br \/>\n arrival times yet! That’s great, as the sun can still dry my tent and<br \/>\n the restaurant closes at 8pm. After dinner and tent setup I walk back<br \/>\n the 700m wooden boardwalk to the hot springs. The hot water feels very<br \/>\n soothing. Under a mini waterfall I get the closest thing to a back and<br \/>\n leg massage. I also get even more tired, so I quickly crawl into the<br \/>\n tent and sleep for 9.5hrs!<\/p>\n<p><strong>Wednesday, July 22<\/strong><\/p>\n<p> Liard River to Toad River;<\/p>\n<p> 120km \/ 2690km; 7.5h \/ 148h; 1530m \/ 29100m<\/p>\n<p> After crossing the Liard river long uphill into a side valley; some stretches too steep for me to pedal. Entered Muncho Lake Provincial Park. Saw a black bear sow with two cubs -very nice. Once at the higher plateau of the valley nice views of valley, but also lots of annoying short steep hills – like a rollercoaster!<br \/>\n Finally arrive at the lake and ride alongside. Stopped at the Northern Rockies lodge, which I remember from 10 years ago. It is run by some Swiss folks who also offer scenic flights, kayak tours and fly in fishing excursions as well as remote cabins.<br \/>\n I have “Zuericher Geschnetzeltes” for lunch. (If I could have afforded it, I would have had another one right away.)<br \/>\n More scenic riding along the lake; then hard climb into the S headwind up some 400m! Seemed to never end – one of the hardest parts since the Dalton Hwy! Then 4100m descent at 7% at up to 60km\/h, then turn and follow the Toad river downstream. Now the sun comes out and it is downhill and downwind \ud83d\ude42 Life is good! Great scenery, canyon walls to the right, river to the left. I stop to drink and snack; see a beaver in the river and two caribou on the road (until they get bitten by some horse fly and take off running).<br \/>\n Some gravel patches on the road lead to a lot of dust from passing vehicles. Finally after 120km I reach the Toad River lodge, where I have two of their Ribeye steak specials and camp for the night. Also free wireless Internet \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n<p><strong>Thursday, July 23<\/strong><\/p>\n<p> Toad River to Tetsa River campground;<br \/>\n 98km \/ 2788km; 6hr \/ 154hr; 1200m<\/p>\n<p> Breakfast at the restaurant. Steep hill to start, then some gravel and<br \/>\n pretty dusty. Then long climb up to Summit Lake at Stone Mountain, at<br \/>\n 1260m highest point of the Alcan. Beautiful scenery coming up to the<br \/>\n pass. Getting water at “Bubble Canyon” where a camper truck lies in<br \/>\n the ditch!<br \/>\n Stop at Summit Lake where I meet Gary and Lynn, who travel with bikes<br \/>\n and a small camper, relay-style: One rides the bike, the other one<br \/>\n drives the camper; then they take turns. A great way to travel and<br \/>\n stay together!<br \/>\n Long descent and one more gravel stretch (with pilot cars). Stop at<br \/>\n Tetsa River Lodge (86km) for the “Cinnamon Bun Center of the Galactic<br \/>\n Cluster” (road sign ad), then some WiFi and at 7pm steak night special.<br \/>\n After dinner I continue on to Tetsa River campground another 14km or<br \/>\n so. 2.5km off the Hwy down to the river.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Friday, July 24<\/strong><\/p>\n<p> Tetsa River to Fort Nelson<\/p>\n<p> 100km \/ 2895km; 6h \/ 160h; 1250m \/ 32000m<\/p>\n<p>Aweful mosquitoes the first 30m gravel hill up through the woods<br \/>\npushing the bike. 5min later I have maybe 50 bites :-((<br \/>\nOn Hwy the day begins with a steep 100m hill, followed by some<br \/>\nrelatively flat and well engineered section. After a few km the road<br \/>\nstarts to climb up, eventually some 500m to 1135m. From there super<br \/>\nlong descent to the East. Then another 60km or so of relatively<br \/>\nmonotonous riding through the forest.<br \/>\nNearing Fort Nelson the Alcan follows some ridge which offers sweeping<br \/>\nviews to the West. More homes and some farmland. Eventually I reach<br \/>\nFort Nelson and stop the library for cold water and Internet. Then<br \/>\nvisitor center for info, a grocery store for lots of fresh food<br \/>\n(including the blueberries, mill and cereal for next day’s breakfast.<br \/>\nDoing laundry and Skype with Jill. Lastly dinner at Boston’s Pizza –<br \/>\nlarge Greek Salad, followed by Italian Penne and some fruit pie a la<br \/>\nmode – yummy!<\/p>\n<p><strong>Saturday, July 25<\/strong><\/p>\n<p> Fort Nelson to Buckinghorse River<\/p>\n<p> 184km \/ 3083km; 10.5h \/ 171h; 1900m \/ 33900m.<\/p>\n<p> Early start at 8:30 after big breakfast (1lb cereal, 1lb blueberries,<br \/>\n 1l milk, 1 yoghurt) due to grocery shopping last evening. Long hill<br \/>\n down and up from Muskwa River. Long straight roads through endless<br \/>\n forest, one 11km straight stretch with odometer test km markers. Hot<br \/>\n on uphills and around noon, hard to find shade… At noon I have 60km.<br \/>\n Finally at 95km I arrive at Prophet River, but there is nothing there!<br \/>\n A little further is a B&B and a wedding is going on, so plenty of cars<br \/>\n and people. No water (unless I wait until after wedding ceremony), but<br \/>\n I’m told there is a creek in 6km. Unfortunately the water is fairly<br \/>\n muddy, so I need to work hard on the water filter – I take 2l filtered<br \/>\n water. Getting up to the plateau from the river is another 100m hill –<br \/>\n hard work!<br \/>\n Buckinghorse River will be very far, but there is nothing in<br \/>\n between… I am told there are no hills – not true: The road climbs<br \/>\n slowly but unrelenting; eventually I reach 1130m, some 800m higher<br \/>\n than in the morning down at the river! Total elevation gain 1900m for<br \/>\n the day – more than the last two days! I calculate that it will be<br \/>\n tight to get to the restaurant before 9pm; so I push myself hard, and<br \/>\n I get very tired.<br \/>\n Last hour on ridge in beautiful light and great views to the West.<br \/>\n Also see 1 big black bear and a moose with calf. Arrive at B.R.<br \/>\n exactly at 9pm after pushing hard up those last hills… Great food<br \/>\n (restaurant open until 10pm) for dinner, then walk over to Provincial<br \/>\n Park campground and tent setup at 10pm.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Sunday, July 26<\/strong><\/p>\n<p> Buckinghorse River to Wonowon<\/p>\n<p> 120km \/ 3204km; 7h \/ 171h; 1500m \/ 35400m<\/p>\n<p> Early breakfast, then easy 23km to Sikanni River; stop and nice chat<br \/>\n with owner lady. Bought Alberta map. Then 350m hill back up to the<br \/>\n ridge – two long push sections and 45 min later I’m up there again…<br \/>\n Then another short section to a motel \/ restaurant just prior to Pink<br \/>\n Mountain which I reach at noon (49km). Here I have a clubhouse<br \/>\n sandwich and coke. Then I sleep in the shade of the building for 1h<br \/>\n while sun & wind blow-dry my wet tent \ud83d\ude42 Then Skype with Jill and<br \/>\n more email & Blog reading. Finally after the heat of the day subsides<br \/>\n I hit the road again near 5pm. There is another 150m hill up to Pink<br \/>\n Mountain, which then offers a rewarding view. From here it’s another<br \/>\n 60km along a ridge with some gas field exploration sites. Plenty more<br \/>\n hills, unfortunately, but nice evening light again. Arrive in Wonowon<br \/>\n at 9:15pm – luckily the gas station \/ convenience store is still open<br \/>\n until 10:30pm and has wireless Internet \ud83d\ude42 I drink two milk mixes and<br \/>\n check some email. I set up my tent on a public rodeo field \/<br \/>\n playground around the corner. Sleep at 11pm.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Monday, July 27<\/strong><\/p>\n<p> Wonowon to Hudson’s Hope<br \/>\n 155km \/ 3360km; 8h \/ 186h; 1400m \/ 36800m<br \/>\n Early departure after coffee at the gas station. Rolling hills through<br \/>\n the forest, not quite as strenuous as yesterday around Pink Mountain,<br \/>\n with a bit more downhill than uphill. Some farmland as I get closer to<br \/>\n Fort St. John. On the last 20km of the Alcan I meet Danny Chew and his<br \/>\n nephew Steve who ride up North. Danny is a multiple RAAM winner and<br \/>\n knows Wolfgang Fasching quite well – small world! They travel on a<br \/>\n small budget ($10\/day) and do 100miles\/day! Hats off to them!<br \/>\n At Charlie Lake I drink and rest at gas station. Here the road turns<br \/>\n West to Hudson’s Hope in the Peace River valley. Crazy hills here,<br \/>\n lots of steep up&down. Very scenic, great views of the river; smells<br \/>\n remind me of the “Waldviertel” in Austria and our summer vacations<br \/>\n there on the farm as a young boy. Arrive at Hudson’s Hope 80km after<br \/>\n Charlie Lake late around 8pm. Dinner at Sportsman Grill, plus email,<br \/>\n then roll another 2km to campground near town limit. Pitch my tent,<br \/>\n good shower and then chat with Helen and Hans from Denmark who worked<br \/>\n here as engineer on the dam some 40 years ago and now comes back to<br \/>\n visit as tourist. Sleep at 11pm.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Tuesday, July 28<\/strong><\/p>\n<p> Hudson’s Hope to Chetwynd (semi rest day)<\/p>\n<p>70km \/ 3438km; 4.5h \/ 191h; 700m \/ 37500m<\/p>\n<p> Today is a semi rest day for several reasons: The next town after<br \/>\n Chetwynd is too far to reach from H. H. There is the interesting<br \/>\n Bennett Dam here on the Peace River to visit. I have gone for more<br \/>\n than one week now without rest day and it’s very hot.<\/p>\n<p> After breaking down the tent I roll back to town at 7:00am for<br \/>\n breakfast and email. At 8:30 I continue to the Visitor Center. There I<br \/>\n leave my bike and try to hitch a ride up to the dam. 1\/2h wait, no<br \/>\n luck! I walk across the street into the restaurant there to have some<br \/>\n coke (as it’s already pretty hot). I mention the German flag outside<br \/>\n and there is chef Freddie from Germany. We chat a little bit and I<br \/>\n mention my plans to go up to the damn. Without hesitation Freddie asks<br \/>\n whether I have a drivers license. Before I really understand what’s<br \/>\n happening he already holds his car keys in front of me and offers me<br \/>\n his car – amazing!<br \/>\n I accept and go up the 20km by car – an unusual mode of transportation<br \/>\n for me after 1 month of just riding…<br \/>\n The dam is quite interesting and very large. Back in the sixties it<br \/>\n was the largest hydroelectric plant in the world. Total capacity<br \/>\n 2700MW, together with the smaller sister dam at Dinosaur Lake<br \/>\n downstream those two create 1\/3 of all of BC’s electricity need!<br \/>\n After I return I have lunch at Freddie’s and leave a good tip<br \/>\n including some gas money at least…<br \/>\n Then back at the Visitor Center more email and Twitter as well as<br \/>\n chatting with Kathy, the friendly agent. I buy some delicious apricots<br \/>\n and cheese bread at the farmer’s market across the street and also<br \/>\n check out the Hudson’s Hope Museum. Great views of the Peace river.<br \/>\n Then at 3:30p I finally start my ride. Quick stop at the smaller dam,<br \/>\n but they close at 4p. Then long, hot climb 300m above the river! Ride<br \/>\n leads past two lakes which invite for a swim in this heat. At the<br \/>\n second (Morley Lake) I use a technique to keep bikers cool on very hot<br \/>\n days: I jump off the bridge into the lake (local attraction for<br \/>\n teenagers).<br \/>\n Then one more 250m climb, followed by a 300m descent at 70km\/h down to<br \/>\n Chetwynd by 8p. I shop for groceries, proceed to dinner at<br \/>\n “Buckroads” (great country style cooking and Internet), and finally<br \/>\n roll down the street another 2km to the local RV park, where I pitch<br \/>\n my tent at 10p in the dusk.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Wednesday, July 29<\/strong><\/p>\n<p> Chetwynd to Mackenzie Junction<\/p>\n<p> 158km \/ 3597km; 8h \/ 199h; 1280m \/ 38800m;<\/p>\n<p> First 50km uneventful ride into valley with three huge high-voltage<br \/>\n lines. Stop at Silver Sands Cafe (73km). Meet with Florence from Lyon<br \/>\n over lunch who will stay here for the day. I continue on to the Pine<br \/>\n Pass – beautiful scenery along the Pine River. Unfortunately road has<br \/>\n no more shoulder, so I need to monitor traffic and pay close attention<br \/>\n at times.<br \/>\n Climb up to pass is not very high (990m) but very hot. At Lake<br \/>\n Azouzetta lodge I stop for a refreshing swim in crystal-clear lake<br \/>\n water with nice mountain scenery all around. And a chat over coffee<br \/>\n with owner Curtis, who has an interesting MTB.<br \/>\n Then fast descent to Bijoux Falls for a quick stop. Remaining 30km or<br \/>\n so are rather boring through forest. Arrive at MacKenzie Junction and<br \/>\n after bridge and short, steep hill at Windy Point lodge run by the<br \/>\n Dutch van Boois family. Very nice place here, free wireless – actually<br \/>\n phone-line based and fast DSL – free camping, nice chat with parents<br \/>\n and kids love playing with my iPhone. Email with Jill, sleep at 11pm.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Thursday, July 30<\/strong><\/p>\n<p> MacKenzie Junction to Prince George<\/p>\n<p> 151km \/ 3749km; 6.75h \/ 206h; 940m \/ 39700m<\/p>\n<p> Relatively flat and easy stage. Get up at 6, breakfast at restaurant<br \/>\n at 7, depart at 8. During breakfast I see lightning and black clouds<br \/>\n to the North. I hurry to get going and only get a few raindrops and<br \/>\n some spray from passing trucks as the road is wet the first 25km. Then<br \/>\n I get slightly ahead of the cloud line and it gets sunny and warm. At<br \/>\n noon I already have 80km and pause at Bear Lake gas station \/<br \/>\n convenience store. They have cool soda and wireless Internet. I write<br \/>\n two Blog posts, check email and so pass the time until 4pm! On the<br \/>\n road again by 4:30pm. Very fast ride the next 50km with flat good road<br \/>\n (some RR crossings, though) and slight tailwind. Then pause at Salmon<br \/>\n River and some snacks right next to the water in the shade under the<br \/>\n bridge. Hard climb up from the river valley some 120m and construction<br \/>\n zone with no shoulder… Finally reaching outskirts of Prince George<br \/>\n and stopping for food shopping. Lots of friendly and curious people<br \/>\n there. Luckily I hear about a campground just a few km down the road<br \/>\n and it’s just rolling downhill. I get to the Roblyn motel & CG by 8:40<br \/>\n or so. Free camping, shower and wireless Internet \ud83d\ude42 Very tired.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Friday, July 31<\/strong><\/p>\n<p> Prince George to Quesnel<\/p>\n<p> 130km \/ 3880km; 6.5h \/ 212h; 1300m \/ 41000m<\/p>\n<p> On the road at 8:20am after big cereal \/ blueberry breakfast at Robley<br \/>\n CG. Already hot at 9am. 120m climb out of P.G. in construction zone<br \/>\n and narrow sidewalk crossing of Fraser River. Stop near airport<br \/>\n turnoff for coffee to finish my 2 remaining Danish butterhorns –<br \/>\n yummi! Not very scenic ride today, and more little hills than I<br \/>\n expected! It always seems to come out to 100m vertical per 10km<br \/>\n distance. Brief stop at Stone Creek Lodge – nicely maintained and with<br \/>\n German flag (but owners were not at office). Lunch stop at Hixon. Some<br \/>\n coke, but no big meal. Continue at 1:30p in full midday heat. Another<br \/>\n stop at a roadside “Cinema Cafe”. Huge cherry pie a la mode – yummi<br \/>\n again! Then continue to Quesnel. On last long downhill into town<br \/>\n something feels weird with the bike. I’m cruising down at 65km\/h and<br \/>\n an impatient truck driver trying to pass right behind me. When I roll<br \/>\n out at the bottom of the hill there is a campground. I inspect my<br \/>\n tires and get a sickening feeling: My backtire has a 1 inch long nail<br \/>\n in it which slowly leaks air! I patch the tube and have it fully<br \/>\n reinflated at a nearby tire shop. Decide to stay at the CG and take a<br \/>\n shower and pitch the tent. Skype with Jill and roll down to town<br \/>\n center for dinner.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Saturday, August 1<\/strong><\/p>\n<p> Quesnel to Williams Lake<br \/>\n 139km \/ 4027km; 7h \/ 220h; 1300m \/ 42300m<\/p>\n<p> Roll down to center of Quesnel, breakfast at Granville Coffee and<br \/>\n email \/ Skype with Jill. Start riding at 9am. First 20min out of town<br \/>\n are terrible: 120m uphill, construction, traffic, heat… But after<br \/>\n that it’s a good ride, slight tailwind, often 100m above Fraser River<br \/>\n with beautiful views. When I stop for some fudge and icecold coke I<br \/>\n realize how hot it is when stepping out of the A\/C cool building – 1pm<br \/>\n and 32C. And no shade on the road… Actually, on the next long hill<br \/>\n up to lake Leese there is a thundercloud forming with lightning and<br \/>\n thunder, which provides much appreciated relief from the sun like a<br \/>\n giant umbrella! At Lake Leese I stop for a snack and drinks. Seems to<br \/>\n be the weekend getaway for the local folks, as the lake and resorts<br \/>\n here are quite busy and crowded. I meet Diana and Peter, who are on a<br \/>\n shopping trip up to Quesnel; they live in Williams Lake and give me<br \/>\n lots of useful information; we set a tentative dinner date for<br \/>\n Williams Lake.<br \/>\n After another 2.5h (45km) and a long climb to almost 1000m I roll down<br \/>\n at high speeds to W.L. I stop at Boston Pizza for a salad and emails.<br \/>\n Then at 7:30 I am at the next restaurant and meet up with Diana and<br \/>\n Peter. Turns out that restaurant is closed so we just switch plans to<br \/>\n another one 1km down the road. We have dinner and I tell them about my<br \/>\n trip.<br \/>\n At dusk another 5km ride along lake shore to Will Yum Campground.<br \/>\n Setup tent under clear sky and moon. After brushing teeth I walk back<br \/>\n to tent and notice bright object tracking across night sky – perhaps<br \/>\n the Space Station?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Sunday, August 2<\/strong><\/p>\n<p> Williams Lake to Green Lake<\/p>\n<p> 125km \/ 4155km; 7.5h \/ 228h; 1600m \/ 43900m<\/p>\n<p> I get up early at 6:30 and hit the road at 7am. Per Peter’s tip I<br \/>\n detour slightly at the beginning of the next hill and take a small<br \/>\n backcountry road around the hill. Windy road, many cattle guards. At<br \/>\n one I stop and take a picture when I suddenly see Peter come out of a<br \/>\n driveway; he just wanted to ride back towards the campground to meet<br \/>\n me! Had I been 2min earlier we would have missed each other! So he<br \/>\n invites me into his house for breakfast – fresh coffee and toast with<br \/>\n fresh raspberry jam. After we talk for a while he joins me for the<br \/>\n first part of the ride back to Hwy 97. There it’s Goodbye to Peter and<br \/>\n I continue South. I pass the scene of a fatal head-on collision the<br \/>\n day before on the Hwy – a grim reminder of the fragility of life. Then<br \/>\n at 30km I have a flat back tire. I walk 200m to a litter barrel area<br \/>\n and unload all bags to find the leak and patch the tube. A car stops.<br \/>\n It’s Dustin and Jennifer, asking whether I need any tools. I ask<br \/>\n whether they have an air pump. To my surprise he has an electrical pump<br \/>\n and so I’m back up to 50psi tire pressure right away \ud83d\ude42<br \/>\n I continue to Lake La Hache at 55km. There I buy 1.5lb of fresh<br \/>\n apricots at a fruit stand and chat with Lionel (from South Africa) in<br \/>\n German! He also offers a delicious peach and Greek cheese for free.<br \/>\n Then I proceed to the Austrian Edelweiss restaurant across the street<br \/>\n and have Homemade “Spaetzle” for lunch – oh my, is this good! Checking<br \/>\n email and then going for a swim in the lake. Resume ride at 3:15p.<br \/>\n Again many hills until I arrive at 100 Mile House at 85km. Visitor<br \/>\n center with Swiss folks, plenty of info and free wireless – hence<br \/>\n Skype with Jill. Planning overnight stay, decide to detour to Green<br \/>\n Lake East of Hwy. Call ahead to “Little Horse Lodge” with German<br \/>\n restaurant sounds promising. Not too many hills, I ask. Not to worry,<br \/>\n no problem… Well guess what: Big problem; there are probably another<br \/>\n 500m vertical in those 35km, so it takes me more than 2h and I arrive<br \/>\n very tired a little after 9pm when it’s about to get dark. Beautiful<br \/>\n sunset, bright moon (near full) and red colored thunderhead in the SW<br \/>\n distance. Here at lodge big disappointment: Restaurant already closed<br \/>\n at 8pm, only opens at 9am for breakfast, Internet not working … I go<br \/>\n to sleep hungry. Then my tent pole snaps near the top – going to be<br \/>\n hard to fix. Tonight is not my night, so go to sleep early. Tomorrow<br \/>\n is another day.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Monday, August 3<\/strong><\/p>\n<p> Green Lake to Clinton<\/p>\n<p> 58km \/ 4213km; 2.75h \/ 231h; 420m \/ 44320m<\/p>\n<p> I get up, take a shower and cook some noodles as I’m really hungry.<br \/>\n Then I pack my gear and write a few emails. Finally at 9am the<br \/>\n restaurant opens up for breakfast. Over breakfast some more emails and<br \/>\n eventually I start my ride at 10:45!<br \/>\n Rolling hills along Green Lake, little traffic and some cattle guards.<br \/>\n Then at 30km I get to 70 Mile House. Coke and email break. I received<br \/>\n two donations within 24hrs of $350 total \ud83d\ude42<br \/>\n The next 30km to Clinton are the worst of the entire trip: Nonstop<br \/>\n traffic both ways, bad shoulder almost unrideable (gravel, debris,<br \/>\n washboard), construction, heat, smoke – after a few near misses I have<br \/>\n enough of this and stop in Clinton. Unfortunately the roads via<br \/>\n Lillooet are closed due to forest fires; so it looks like I will have<br \/>\n to take the Fraser canyon route via Hope!<br \/>\n I decide to stay put for the day and let the insane traffic (from the<br \/>\n long BC holiday weekend) subside. All-you-can-eat BBQ buffet with ribs<br \/>\n help compensate for last night’s calories deficit \ud83d\ude42<br \/>\n Two Blog posts and email. Also a walk up&down Clinton mainstreet (I.e.<br \/>\n Hwy 97) and visit to Clinton museum. Sleep at 10p – fixed up tent pole<br \/>\n using duct tape for now.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Tuesday, August 4<\/strong><\/p>\n<p> Clinton to Hope<\/p>\n<p> 241km \/ 4455km; 11h \/ 241h ; 2400m \/ 46700m<\/p>\n<p> Rarely have I seen more difference in riding conditions within 12h:<br \/>\n this morning the air was at least 10C cooler, smoke-free, there was<br \/>\n much less traffic – well I started at 6:20am and the long holiday<br \/>\n weekend is over – and the first 40km were aided by a 450m drop and<br \/>\n tailwind :-)) At 8am I already had 40km. (I remember a day in the<br \/>\n Yukon where I had 40km only at 5pm!) At 11a I stopped for a quick soda<br \/>\n at 90km and at noon the 100km mark rolled around. At a fruit stand I<br \/>\n buy some apricots to eat a little later at Spences Bridge with coffee<br \/>\n and a cinnamon bun (1:30p, 135km).<br \/>\n Before Lytton my good luck with the tailwind runs out and it changes<br \/>\n into headwind \ud83d\ude41 This also brings smoke-filled air from a nearby<br \/>\n forest fire :-((<br \/>\n Of course the initial downhill is long past, and there is a lot of<br \/>\n up&down now in the canyon. While this provides often great views and<br \/>\n some relief \/ fun on the downhill, it takes a lot of sweat to grind up<br \/>\n those hills in the afternoon heat. Eventually the smoke clears and at<br \/>\n last I can breathe easily again.<br \/>\n At a hill called “Jackass Mountain” (no kidding!) I stop at an<br \/>\n overlook with a 250m drop to the river. A German couple also stops<br \/>\n there and we chat briefly and take mutual pictures. (They got my last<br \/>\n business card.)<br \/>\n At Boston Bar (175km) I drink another liter of Coke and wonder whether<br \/>\n I can still go all the way to Hope with this wind and only about 3h of<br \/>\n daylight left. Usually the wind does down in the evening, but not<br \/>\n before I have to fight some more jet-like blasts through the half-<br \/>\n dozen tunnels. Traffic is moderate, but a few trucks pass pretty close<br \/>\n where there is little shoulder. Last bottle of Pepsi in Yale, then<br \/>\n 24km to Hope. Towards the end it starts to get dark, and there is one<br \/>\n more 90m hill after 10.5h on the bike -yikes. Then rolling down and<br \/>\n over Fraser river bridge into town. I eat at Subway, as no restaurant<br \/>\n in sight is open at 8:45pm. The campground is right next to the river<br \/>\n and I pitch my tent under some huge Redwood trees. I’m tired but also<br \/>\n very satisfied. Great shower, then some email and fall into a deep<br \/>\n sleep.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Wednesday, August 5<\/strong><\/p>\n<p> Hope to Lynden, WA<\/p>\n<p> 121km \/ 4576km; 6h \/ 248h; 650m \/ 47250m<\/p>\n<p>After the long ride yesterday I take it easy in the morning. Yet, I wake up at 6:30 and go looking for some breakfast place that’s open in town. There I feast on some “Logger’s Special”, followed by a cinnamon bun, while I update my Blog and do email. I continue with the latter from my tent, as I’m trying to coordinate a meeting with Rich, our Logan mountain guide.<br \/>\nI leave around noon and expect a semi rest day, i.e. somewhat shorter distance. After 1km or so the road merges onto the Trans Canada Highway 1, a four lane divided hwy – one of only two choices in this valley. It feels like riding on the Interstate or German Autobahn. Trucks and cars are passing at 100km\/h while I’m riding along on the shoulder. It’s relatively safe due to the wide shoulder and also cyclist warning signs – and it’s definitely legal, too – but what bothers me most is the noise. I can hardly hear anything but the wind and engine noise – it’s deafening. At one point bicycles are rerouted to a parallel route, which is infinitely nicer through residential neighborhoods and some rural areas. Lots of farmland and fruit growing up here. Once coming out of the mountains it’s completely flat. Yes, there is some headwind, but no more hills.<br \/>\nI stop at Chiliwack (60km) for some food at a Best Western after inquiring at the Visitor Center about roads and restaurants. Due to my rather leisurely pace it’s already 5:30pm when I start rolling again. I underestimate the distance to the border: It’s another 40km zig-zagging down towards the SW through beautiful and quiet farmland. What a contrast to the noisy hwy earlier. Here I only need to stop for the occasional dog “attack”. At one point I am close to pulling out my bear spray due to a somewhat aggressive Rottweiler out on the public road – that’s one thing I don’t like about free running dogs…<br \/>\nAt 8pm I get to the border at Sumas. The usual questions about where I live, what I do for a living, who pays for the trip etc. But it takes only 10 min and I’m riding South again, now in Washington State. The sun goes down as a perfect red ball over the cornfields. To the West I briefly see Mt. Baker with its glaciers, triggering memories of my ascent 10 years ago at the end of August 1999…<br \/>\nI continue on West to Lynden, which has a KOA campground, about 10km (which I have to come back tomorrow) in the dusk. I’m happy to get there by 9pm, when they just close the office. They send me to a plaza some 3km away, and there I find a Pizzeria Bar still open. I eat two pizzas and have a glass of red wine in celebration of the event. Also I receive a phone call from my parents, who realized from my Tweets that I am back in the US and my phone probably is working! Rolling back to the CG around midnight. I don’t even bother with my tent and just roll out the sleeping bag – which is a bit warm (it’s 15C, some 40C warmer than most nights on the glacier), but there are no mosquitoes and no rain (bright full moon).<\/p>\n<p>(end of British Columbia section)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Yukon Canada ride, Yukon – Photo Album Ride in the Yukon at SpotAdventuresMap created by SpotAdventures:GPS Geotagging British Columbia Canada ride, British Columbia – Photo Album Canada Ride, Southern British Columbia at SpotAdventuresMap created by SpotAdventures:GPS Geotagging Daily Trip Log Notes Yukon Monday, July 13 Beaver Creek to (40km before) Burwash Landing 140km \/ 1535km; […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/tlausser.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/99"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/tlausser.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/tlausser.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/tlausser.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/tlausser.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=99"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/tlausser.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/99\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/tlausser.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=99"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/tlausser.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=99"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/tlausser.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=99"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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