Dwagenheim

I used my new tarp last night to cover my tent. No more taking chances with the rain fly. Wouldn't you know it was the first night of no rain since Whitehorse, figures. We got going pretty early and set off toward the junction for a hot breakfast. Outside of the cafe we ran into Ernest again. He tried to tell me about roads and towns in Chile but it is too far away for me to remember. We said goodbye and quickly entered the cafe for our hot meal. We downed a trucker's special breakfast and chatted with a nice truck driver next to us who filled us in a bit on the trucker lifestyle. At about 10:30am we hit the road feeling good. I was surprised how smooth the Cassiar was. We entered British Columbia right away and stopped to have our photo taken by the sign by a couple coming from the South. The day went nice and smooth. The road stayed nice and paved and there were no killer uphills. My eyes constantly scanned the forest for bears but I only say ptarmigans and a dead rabbit on the road. I could describe my first day on the Cassiar as peaceful, beautiful, and quiet. Most of the day was cool and overcast. We came up to a lady who was picking raspberries a few hundred meters away from her camper. We talked for a bit and she gave both Thomas and I a handful of berries, yum. We continued side by side most of the day and talked about various things. He told me about where he is from in Germany, Cologne, and why I should visit. We also started thinking about another detour off the Cassiar to Telegraph Creek. We might either get a ride out there with our bikes and cycle back or if we find someone going out there and back, maybe just leave our bikes at the junction and go for the day. We'll see. As we approached Goodhope Lake, a small community of about 100, I noticed my back tire was flat. I checked it out but couldn't find a hole in the tube, so I put it back and pumped it up. The tire went flat shortly after. I pumped up the tire a couple more times and rode into the small town. Unfortunately we missed the convenience store by a half-hour, they were closed. I changed tubes as Thomas rode on to find a camping spot by a creek or water source. The next 45 minutes or so was very frustrating. I've been having trouble taking off and putting on the tire on my new rear rim. I think its because it's wider. So flats on the rear can be a real pain. After changing the tube and pumping it full of air, I noticed there was a hole in that tube as well! Ugh! So I pumped up the original tube, found the hole, patched it, and put it in. I rode out of town to find Thomas. The scenery around this town is breathtaking. Tall mountains all around, a nice big lake and a peaceful setting in the country. I found Thomas a couple miles away cooking up dinner. I joined him and cooked up some chicken soup and had a tuna sandwich. We talked about my frustrating tire troubles and then I set up my tent and went to bed. (71 miles)

Peace and thanks for reading

Dave