Dwagenheim

Today was tough on the legs as the road gave us many inclines. This is where Thomas shines and no matter how far back he is at the start of a long incline, he always seems to catch me and pass me. Luckily, strong tailwinds provided aid through much of today's cycling. RVers were coming a bit too close to the white line for comfort, twice prompting Thomas to shake his fist or finger in the air in front of me. It's unfortunate that a couple bad apples can spoil the bunch as I've heard complaints from other cyclists about RVers. I really hadn't had a problem until now. We took a short break at the top of a hill and Thomas noticed some raspberry bushes down on the roadside. I picked a handful and put them into one of my peanut butter, granola and nutella sandwiches. We pushed on and eventually hit signs of civilization, mile markers, and advertisements. We passed the junction where the Cassiar meets the Alaska Highway and then faced some more long uphills into Watson Lake. I rode through town, took a photo of the famous Sign Post Forest where there are over 45,000 signs from all over the world and then hit the library for email. After about an hour at the library, we scouted out a spot around town to pitch our tents at night. We found a few spots but decided to pitch the tents before we were ready to sleep later in the evening so not to encourage any vandalism or theft. I suggested we go for pizza and we didn't have to go far to get to the right restaurant. We both had a beer and split a large deluxe. It didn't have a chance. After dinner we had plans to split a six pack of beer but unfortunately the liquor store was closed. They don't sell beer in grocery stores and gas stations like in the U.S. So we headed to the grocery store to get some food to restock our supplies. I browsed the isles and picked up some basics and saved the rest of the shopping for tomorrow. I am looking forward to reorganizing my trailer pack a little bit. Right now it's a mess. Thomas and I went back to the library for about 45 minutes to kill some time then we headed to a playground near our proposed camp spot to sit and drink our milk. When we were pushing off, a couple men at the house across the street struck up a conversation with us about our trip and where we were from. Then the owner, Pat, offered us his back yard to set up camp. Sweet! We pitched our tents and I went back into town for a milkshake and some juice before bed. Tomorrow we plan to get laundry, showering, and shopping done then cycle 10-15 miles towards the junction in the evening. (66 miles)

Peace

Dave

Dwagenheim

Pic: Looking back on a tough but scenic uphill to Watson Lake.

Dwagenheim

Pic: Sign Post Forest in Watson Lake.