Day 2 - Share the road and the exchange rate

STATS	DAY	MILES	CLIMBING	CALORIES
DAY	2	75.38	3904	4877
TOTALS		75.38	3904	4877

After crawling into bed in broad daylight and falling right to sleep, I was toasty warm in my sleeping bag and was sawing logs.  When morning came, the birds started singing and first light of the day started to illuminate the tent.  When I decided it was time to get up, I looked at the clock:  3:30AM oh good, 4 hours til coffee.  As I lay there looking at the roof of my tent, I decided to get up and go for a walk, when it began to rain.  There is nothing more soothing than the sound of rain on a tent.  I rolled over and went back to sleep.  Next light, 4AM.

Fast forward at extreme slow motion to 5AM and I hear Mike stirring.  "Want to go find coffee?", "Ya".

So at 5AM, Mike and I are walking into town looking for coffee.  We find it about a half mile away, buy a cup, walk back, OK it's 5:30, only 2 hours until camp coffee is ready.  So we stand around chit chatting for a couple of hours waiting for Tom to emerge from his fortress and start the day.

It's Alive!!!  Tom starts the day

Amazingly, Joe emerges from his tent at the same time.  Tom sets up for breakfast, We pack up our camp, eat, and pose for the first official picture of the ride:

 We're off!

First stop, Mile 0:

We' Made it!

Next stop is the Kiskatinaw Bridge, part of the original highway and the first curved wooden bridge ever built.  Quite impressive.

Good thing the road didn't need to go left.

Right after the bridge, we begun what could be best described as the march of the damned.  It started to rain. Not bad in itself, but there was a constant headwind.  Combine that with an endless caravan of semi tractor trailers moving at 75 miles an hour passing you with about 3 feet of clearance and you get to the lunch stop and your bike looks like this:

 When this started, I need to put on my toe covers, helmet cap and scull cap to keep dry and warm.  I pulled one of the toe covers off and I saw I was still wearing shoes.

Shoe stick with black or go with brown?

Today's shout out goes to Judy McCormick, who I believe I have never met, who sent me the covers, skull cap and helmet cover for the ride and I used them on day 1.  Thanks Judy, everything Mike says about you is true.

We arrive in Fort St.. John,  cold, wet, dirty, and I am going to stop at the local bike store to get some shorts.  We find it, they have them, they fit, I buy them, I choke.  One would think that cycling shorts of moderate quality should cost around $75-$100, right?  Wrong, In fort St John, taking into account the US exchange rate, they only cost... Are you ready??  $100 per leg!  I am glad I didn't forget my jerseys, as I would have lost an arm and a leg!

 My new cycling kits and tool to help me through

Once we got north of Fort St. John, and after another downpour that drove us into a McDonalds for hot coffee, we started climbing towards Charlie Lake.  Once we got past Charlie lake, The traffice subsided considerably and keep a steady pace.  Then In the middle of nowhere, we found the holy grail of Day 2, the Holy Axman:

I hope he doesn't pass gas!

When I say nowhere, I mean nowhere.  There was nothing for miles each way except for this huge iron axeman WITHOUT an ax!  Somebody must have got a pretty good deal on this guy because the sign next to it says :Smile, you're on surveillance camera".

Only about 15 miles to go.  We finally arrive at our first stop, set up camp, and Tom cooks us the tastiest dinner of Smoked Salmon Alfredo, fresh asperagrass with butter, and a fresh tossed salid.  Deliscious!


We are camping at Shepards Inn tonight and they are known up and down the highway for their home baked goods.  A short trip after' dinner 'and I score a little dessert:

Hot homemade apple pie alamode!

I am pretty tired today so this will be it for this edition.


Tee shirt contest:  Good guesses everyone, but no one has guessed it yet. Only 1 more day Keep trying**.

** Be sure and join my facebook group "Brad's Alcan Adventure" if you are not already a member.  For details click this: Facebook group instructions

Tale of the Tape



Tomorrow - Day 3.....