Taking a day off in Prince George. This is my 13th day on the road already. It seems like only yesterday I was in Vancouver fretting about what lay ahead. I’ve now done 1,175 km through some pretty hilly terrain and survived! Apart from the aforementioned mosquito problems, I’ve had no other real issues. I am fit and healthy. The bike and gear are performing well, as I expected. I’m yet to enjoy my camping properly, but maybe that will come too, in time!
I’ve spent some time chatting with Tom, the cyclist also staying in the motel with me. He’s an interesting chap who’s done a fair amount of wilderness based activities. He’s not done any bike touring for a while, though, and we’ve been going through his luggage and streamlining it a bit, as he felt (and I agreed) he was carrying a bit too much. We’ve been taking meals together as well. It’s been good to talk to someone as normally my meal-times are a solitary affair.
We checked out a great local bike shop – Cycle Logic on 3rd Avenue. Chatted with Sullivan who’d just had a good result, despite a mechanical, at the Test of Metal MMX race in Squamish over the weekend. Nice one!
I’ve been trying out several of the coffee shops near to the motel. I read the rather good local paper – the Prince George Citizen in one, the aptly named “Daily Grind”. I liked the cartoon below. (I hope they don’t mind me photographing it off the funnies page…).
I've got a few additional food supplies and added some more remedies to my insect repellent arsenal. I'm about to head out along the Yellowhead Highway to Jasper. It's about 375km of quite remote wilderness riding with only two small service towns (McBride and Tete Jaune Cache) along the way. After Tete Jaune, I’ll climb the Yellowhead Pass and cross the Continental Divide of the Canadian Rockies and enter Alberta. I’ll see Mt. Robson up close around this point, too. After Jasper, I start down the world famous Icefields Parkway to Banff (about 290 km). It should be an interesting week…
3 comments:
Good luck! The Icefields Parkway is gorgeous. From Edmonton, it all gets pretty flat but there are some amazing statues of the "world's biggest" things to keep you amused. Look for the giant sausage, perogie, mallard duck... happy cycling!
I bet it was good to get out of the saddle for a well earned pitstop! Glad to hear all going well, albeit becoming mosquito food! Chloes Canadian teacher wonders whether you have the edible soap for bear country and whether you will be doing the customary 'drinking of the washing up water' to take away your scent! Take care and enjoying the blog. Beth and the Martins
..............doesn't count!
Mx
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