Lukewarm oatmeal began the day. And it was just up, and up from there…
Just half an hour after setting out, we found reception at the top of a hill and took an extended break that set us back a little bit.
The last 10 km of the Liard highway, before the Alaska highway, included some lovely downhills.
The Alaska highway is busier, with packed pavement (thankfully!) and trees set further back from the road. The rumble strips on the shoulder kept us in line and we rolled along nicely. Until, it started to rain. We pushed through, for a bit. When we found a pull out with garbage disposals, we stopped to let the rain pass and then took out our lunch stuff. After a dry picnic on a garbage bag, the rain began again. The garbage disposals were seen with new eyes as we got wetter. It turns out, they open from the back and Amelia discovered she could fit could nicely inside! Gerald’s legs stuck out, but he kept his hair dry while Cheryl kept watch over our bikes and humoured the two people that stopped to check in on her with the secret to our whereabouts.
The rain subsided, but didn’t entirely stop until a few hours after we had set out again.
By early afternoon, we were entirely out of drinking water. Towards the end of a 9km hill, Cheryl knocked on the back door of a camper trailer and a Good Samaritan filled our bottles. Her kindness extended to gift us a bottle with a water filter should we encounter a flowing stream. We were so grateful!!
With the hill over and our tongues wetted, we throughly enjoyed having our breath taken with the wind by the gorgeous views on the downhill.
Our night stop was supposed to be Stone Mountain Provincial Park, but Google Maps lied to us (we’re making a list of complaints) and we ended up at Tetsa River Lodge. Around 10 pm, while the mosquitoes threatened to eat us alive, we set up our tents and got enough water to from the campground taps to make a hot meal.
94 km were cycled today—10 more than anticipated and most of which was uphill—and our bodies are ready to rest!
Adventures on a bicycle 