5:35 am. The alarm went off and we were packing. Due to a misunderstanding of our order, we were all served the “Trucker’s Special” for breakfast, and proceeded to be defeated by the portion sizes.
We set out in the rain at quarter to 8. Knowing the next available lodging wasn’t for another 150k, we had set that as our goal and planned accordingly. At 50 km we stopped for a nutrition break of premade tuna sandwiches. Another 50 (or so) km after that we had peanut butter banana wraps with dried berries. At both stops we enjoyed giant cookies from Coal River for dessert. There were a few other stops beyond our two longer food breaks. Side of the road restrooms called as needed, rain gear came all the way off (thankfully!) and snacks were consumed throughout the day.
Wildlife spotting was bison heavy today. Three of them crossed the road in front of Cheryl and Amelia, while Gerald, having passed the bison before they started moving, coasted down the hill before them. At another point, a car pulled to the side to warn Amelia that about 15 km ahead there was a construction zone on the right and a herd of about 8 bison on the left. “Good luck!” He said, as he drove off. It was less than 15 km and there were more than 8 bison. Amelia estimates there were more like 15 in the herd that included both mothers and calves. With little other choice, we faced forward and kept pedalling, all the while trying to ignore the bison that stared us down.
Two bears were also spotted today. Instead of making a big fuss about our presence, we just let them be and they didn’t take any notice of us. The second bear Gerald didn’t even see. It was located just over the height of our heads on a grassy hill right next to the road, snout to the tree line. From a distance, it very much resembled a large rock. Amelia was relieved to know that she wasn’t just becoming paranoid, and the black shape was in fact moving.
At a small store in Contact Creek, Gerald got a cold drink and a muffin while Cheryl and Amelia slurped up some baby food (surprisingly delicious!). A gentleman and his dog stopped Gerald to ask what he was doing. When he passed by the ladies, he practically bowed while saying, “You have my deepest admiration!” Those words provided additional fuel to keep us going!
When we asked an employee at Coal River Services about the terrain of the road to Watson Lake, he told us it was mostly flat. He clearly has never been to Manitoba! According to Gerald’s Garmin, we made a new ascend record AND distance record today The hills weren’t as long as other days, but their presence added to the challenge of the day.
Today, we entered the Yukon!
Gerald has now cycled in every province/territory in Canada (apart from Nunavut where there are no cycling roads). Being in such an isolated part of the country, there isn’t a lot of a signage, nor is there a lot of cell service. As we approached our destination, we gushed over the presence of hydro lines and cheered at the sight of city signs. We made it to the 60th parallel, took one final snack break and powered through the last 12 km of the day.
Since we didn’t have a reservation for night (we were originally only scheduled to arrive here on Thursday), we decided we would stop at the first place we saw to check if they had vacancy and work our way into the city centre from there.
We got lucky at the second stop we made. Cedar Lodge Motel had a suite with a full kitchenette and two queen size beds available for the night. The only problem, arriving here put us at just 147 km for the day, and Gerald was really hoping to break his previous record of 149. Determined to crush goals, Gerald and Amelia unloaded their bikes at the motel and then pedalled to the city centre in search of food and a new record. They found a celebratory ice cream bar, which they shared, and some dark chocolate for Cheryl.
Peeling through town with the fabulously freeing feel of unweighted bikes, the setting sun turning the sky pink in their mirrors, was the absolute best way to finish off the day. Our total distance was 152 km, and wow, are we looking forward to having two days off!
Adventures on a bicycle 