No Lions or Tigers (6/7/23 Wed)

It was a cold kind of damp night. I left all the doors open and I think wind brought the dew into my tent and sleeping gear. It got cold by mid morning. Not sure how cold but I took time to make coffee and hang the tent fly out to dry. Even then the bike read 11C when I started out.

The first gas and coffee stop included a chain lube and tighten. It's wearing faster than I thought it would. Not sure I'll make the entire trip on this chain.

My next stop was for food at a tiny airport cafe. Very cool as helecopters operate just outside the window. Giant bus looking helos, sleek medical and water bag delivery choppers. All very cool to watch. A small plane hung inside the cafe and the food was good.

Shortly after this I started to see the Canadian Rockies. I was slightly worried about the fires burning to the East of me. Lots of fire damage along my path, but westerly winds put me in wake. As I got into the actual Rockies the views improved even more.

I snapped picktures with the cheap camera of fire damage and anything interesting. Once I saw something and turned on the camera anticipating something. Lucky plan as it was a bear laying the grass roadside. I snapped photos as I passed. The closest point to it revealed there was a stream passing under the road, in which was a second black bear. I suspect I will have some blurry photos to prove all this.

When choosing a refueling, I could stop at half a tank or go to my normal quarter of a tank left. The normal stop had two stations, the next gas was just out of my range.

So clearly the two fuel stops didn't exist and I sat in a closed post office without gas pumps looking at the delema. 63km to the next station, and 51km range. I know then put a buffer but 12km seemed like a stretch. My only option was to push on and do my best hypermiling. So the speed limit was 100km, and I had been doing 115km. On this strech of road I traveled at 76km, which is 3k rpm in 6th gear. I was able to change positions and affect the kpl. Highway pegs or rear pegs better my range. Consider that I'm now traveling throuugh the Rockies, this isn't flat traveling. It's also the most desolate area, with lots of signs warning of bears. I had gear to camp anyplace, but I suspected I wouldn't need to wait long for someone to stop with fuel. Since probably eight vehicles passed me in that 60+ km stretch while I traveled 3/4 the speed limit.

Finally my bikes range estimated went to ----, with 4km remaining. I pressed on and finally rolled into gasoline alley. But all three stations are "card lock" meaning you can't buy gas unless their is an attendant to unlock and cash register to take your money. At 1920 this place was a ghost town literally in an indian reservation. I walked up and down the stations and the only sole was at the one that only sold diesel and he was delivering fuel and knew nothing.

The next stations was 7km down the road and I was sure that was just too far. I had already managed to go -4km. I moved my bike to a pump and waited for a customer to come that might take my money and pump me gas. I settled in with my chair and looked for a place to hamoch for the night. Now with my feet up and browsing google maps for any other options, I located two more reservation gas stations. One closed at 8pm, which I might make, even if I had to jog half of the 4km to reach it. I quickly packed up and rode another 4km to the station. Certainly my new favorate station in all the world.

After my road and pacing gas station delays I had to figure out if my planned stopping point made any sense. And it really didn't because it would place me in camp near 2200, when I wanted to stop early and do laundry. But there are not a lot of options and the clerk at the gas station said my prior target of Toad River was really great.

As I left town, just outside of Fort Nelson I saw three black bears lounging on the tree and road edge. Very cool but unexpected so close to town. So I started watching closely, during my 2 hour planned ride. My bear count for the day reached 9, plus a carabou. I know I have a blurry bear pic, and probly an impresionist interpretation of a carabou on the roadside.

So when I started 2 hours of riding I certainly hoped I found someplace earlier. I went past the first one, with more than an hour left to ride, and later thought that was a bad idea. Luckily another option that was truely spactacular was less than 30 minutes further. The stop was a Provential Park with no services but cost $20/night. But it was at the highest point in the road through the northern Rockies. And contained the most stark solid rock mountain I've ever seen.

Having seen 9 bears, park warning signs, bear food storage lockers, and the warning of the indian woman at my gas stop; I made sure I didn't leave much out. That just left me in my tent for the bear to explore. Luckily I was in the middle of the park, but along the river. Clearly I lived to write this, so not eaten by a bear.