In the midst of a somewhat stressful month of trying to figure out how to build a house, the COVID pandemic began to hit its stride in March and I realized that I wasn't really ready to grow up yet.
So, with my usual summer work in Alaska no longer allowed, and my house building plans on hold indefinitely, I began to brainstorm alternative ideas for the future.
Above all, the idea of spending another winter sitting in front of a computer screen was not all that appealing. So, I formulated a plan to escape the winter in the Yukon, aided by the travel bubble we have with BC.
I spent the summer camping and sinking some money into my car while deliberating and planning but mostly contemplating various ways I could recapture the carefree touring life.
By the time autumn rolled around, I was dead set on escaping winter by whatever means available. After some last minute field work in the Beaver Creek region, I frantically packed up my car and bike and got my room as tidy as it has been for years. On Wednesday, September 16th, I took off south on indefinite vacation
The plan: spend a month bike touring BC until winter caught up with me, then spend the winter on Vancouver Island, exploring or working as my mood dictated.
Leaving Whitehorse on day one was quite warm and sunny. I tried unsuccessfully to settle into a relaxed vacation mood but spent most of the drive worrying about possible car issues and debating whether I was making the right choice in leaving. I am still young and feel I should take rhe chance to enjoy my youth but I'm also not getting any younger and eventually I should start thinking about setting up a more secure life and maybe starting a family.
Anyways, as I wrestled with my own doubts, I turned onto Highway 37 and crossed into BC, saying goodbye to the Yukon and shortly after passing two older bicycle tourists heading north on a late-season tour. They both smiled and waved. I took it as a good sign.
All the small native communities were closed to visitors due to the pandemic but luckily there was gas at Dease Lake. I eventually decided to call it a night after about 800 km and eventually settled in a pullout somewhere between Iskut and Meziadin. I had been testing various methods of sleeping in my car all summer and was quite comfortable, tucked away from the highway behind some willows.
An early sunrise woke me at 6:45 and I cooked some quick breakfast before wiping the copious condensation off my windows.
I had descended into coastal climates the night before and began to see more green plants, tall spruce, amd hanging lichens.
I made good time in the morning and arrived in Terrace by lunch time. I settled in at the municipal campground and set up the bike to go drop a 6 pack of Yukon beer off with Murray and Sherry, who had generously offered me a place to camp, a shower, and several meals on the cross Canada tour.
It was getting warm by that time and I tried to dress light but I was not prepared for +22°C after an unusually cold and rainy summer in the Yukon. The 6 pack acting as a boat anchor didn't help either and I was dripping sweat when I rolled into Murrays yard. Luckily he was around, working on the roof and we had a short chat and exchanged phone numbers before I headed back to the local brewery, a six pack lighter.
The next day, I purchased some donuts, tracked down some camping fuel with the advice of the local sporting goods store guy (apparently there is a shortage of camping fuel, as it is hard to ship it from the US right now) and headed east into the interior.
It was a good day for driving, just warm enough, and I actually enjoyed the drive and began to feel very road trippy.
I took a longer break in Smithers to get some snacks and visit the brewery, where I ran into a friend of my sisters, from the same high school I went to.
With a bike tour in my head in the Burns Lake area, I decided to stop there for the night and some parking lot research led me up a steep, gravel road to the Kager Lake rec site. Upon arrival, I quickly claimed a (free) site, as I noticed the area was popular with local mountain bikers, who were quickly arriving in droves for the weekend.
Feeling pretty spicy, I unloaded the bike and did a 'casual' ride, that ended up taking me on a max effort up to the radio towers on Boer Mountain. My pump at hammering out a strong effort soon faded when I realized the sun was going down and I had 500m of descending to do in twilight on a steep hill with rim brakes.
I survived the downhill though, getting back to my car just as it got dark. No time to cook so I scarfed some donuts and a 2 day old cheese bun before settling into the car for the night.
Smoky beers in Smithers.
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