The sunlight creates a warm glow in the tents, indicating it’s time to get up. At 6 am we were rolling our sleeping mats and donning our padded bike shorts. Marion served us a delicious breakfast and made us egg salad sandwiches for lunch.
The morning was cool, but it soon warmed up. Even as we peeled off our wind breakers, we could see the snow spotting the mountain tops all around as. There were crystal blue skies and wispy clouds, but not nearly as many scenic views as yesterday.
The day started slow and, with the exception of a short period in the afternoon, continued that way. The headwind was so strong, we found ourselves having to pedal downhill! We also passed through four construction zones that each began with a warning of loose gravel and “extreme dust conditions.” Not something a cyclist ever wants to hear!
While there wasn’t much to see in regard to scenery or wildlife, we had some interesting encounters with other people.
At our campsite, Cheryl met Susan from Switzerland, a woman travelling across the country with a camper and a lot of sass. At a rest stop, where we ate our egg salad sandwiches, we met a trucker on his way to Calgary with an empty McDonalds truck and a broken transmission. He told us how he was waiting for a taxi to take him to Teslin (our destination for the day and the nearest town) but relaying on satellite service the taxi had passed right by him and somehow missed his huge red truck.
Towards the end of the day, Gerald heard a snap and discovered that one of his spokes had broken. He managed to finagle it back into place but was quite concerned about continuing to bike with it in this state. Prayers were uttered and we continued on our way, albeit, with caution. A few kilometres later, a vehicle stopped to ask if we would like some water. It turned out he was a filmmaker creating a documentary about a cyclist travelling from Prudhoe Bay to Victoria. He had a vehicle full of tools, and enough knowledge to “fix” Gerald’s spook. When Dominque, the cyclist being documented, showed up, he shared that he had travelled 450 km with three broken spooks and had no problems. His bike wasn’t weighted down with gear, but this still provides some reassurance! Conversation ensued (most of which was likely captured on film) and we took a group photo before heading our separate ways.
To arrive in Teslin we flew up to 51 km per hour downhill and then had to cross over the longest bridge on the Alaska highway. Upon arriving on the other side of the bay, we received a friendly wave from none other than the trucker we had met earlier in the day! His ride had arrived and he was staying at the motel while he waited for his truck to be fixed.
We were welcomed to the tenting area of the campsite by a very chatty motor-biker from Calgary. We set up our tents while he asked questions and told us about his own cycling adventure. We spent a total of 10 hours in the saddle today—just an hour and a half less than our longest day—and completed 125 km. We were ready for bed, but first made ourselves some “just add water” food in a bag for a bed-time snack and took a hike to the bathroom and back.
Here’s a riddle for you from one of our food packages:
Two ducks in front of two other ducks, two ducks behind two other ducks, and two ducks beside two other ducks. How many ducks are there?
(Put your answer in the comments and we’ll reveal it in a future post!)
I believe its 8 ducks. Enjoying your posts!
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