Day twelve. All is well. Still headed north.
My day started in Fort Nelson, British Columbia, and after a challenging day because of the "loose gravel" and road construction, I arrived safely and without incident at my destination, Watson Lake, Yukon Territory.
The scenery was spectacular, and there was some wildlife along the way (representative photos included - That is a Black Bear in photo #2.). It was cool, with temperatures in the mid-50's at higher elevations, but by the time I arrived at Watson lake it was 81 degrees.
Tonight I am in Watson Lake, Yukon Territory. The population of Watson Lake, according to Statistic Canada, is 802. The people who live in Watson Lake must work in the tourist service industry, because there are several places to stay and eat, and more than one place for gas. If you are interested in reading more about it you can find it in Wikipedia.
The area is remote.
Until tonight, for my overnight stays, I have not had any trouble connecting to one of Canada's cell systems, but tonight, although there is a cell tower nearby, it will not allow me to call out. Internet has been available at all overnight stops.
I have not seen that many bikers, and today the motor homes on the road were less. I met a few bikes headed south, and I spoke with a few at various rest stops, but there were not as many as I expected.
While traversing a 90 km (56 miles) stretch road with "loose gravel" and on-going construction I passed one biker who appeared to be riding with expectations of becoming one with the gravel at any second. I stopped at the next way station (literally) for the priciest BLT I ever had and as I was readying to leave a mid-30's woman came in and said she was "looking for the rider of the Goldwing parked out front". A chill ran through me and I immediately looked out the window, where I saw my bike where I left it, and not on its side. So quickly my first thoughts that she had run over it went away. After a brief discussion she told me that she was the rider I passed 45 minutes earlier. In our discussion she told me that she had been on the road, riding her motorcycle, since May, riding all over western USA and Canada. She said she was having problems riding on gravel. She wanted advice on how to ride on gravel. The only thing I could tell her was to ride at a speed she felt comfortable riding, and do not let someone else's speed influence how fast you go. Riding since May....wow....
After my not-so-helpful advice she got back on her bike and left ahead of me. Within a short distance I passed her again. I waved, but her hand never left the handlebars. Since May....can't get over that.
Another good day.
No comments:
Post a Comment