July 11, 2010
Day 37: Rengleng River to Midway Lake
The mosquitoes were vicious this morning. I didn't want to wear my bug jacket while cycling, so I tried to make a dash for the road without it. To get to the road, there was a steep grade that is not ride-able on a loaded touring bike. So, I had to walk up it. I found out that if I get too many bites that it stops itching and it becomes more of a burning sensation. Feel free to experiment with this yourselves (inquiring minds need to know).
There was a bit of light rain during the day, but the roads were good with the following exceptions:
- 2 or 3 km either side of the Peel River ferry crossing
- the last 3 or 4 km (due to construction)
In both cases, the road was soft and a lot of debris splashed up onto the bike and it slowed me down.
I encountered some familiar faces today. Ray and Brenda passed me. They stopped to see that I was well looked after and they gave me some water. As well, my neighbours from the campground in Inuvik stopped to say hello.
There was a construction site just before Midway Lake. The flagman who gave me water on the way north was there again. He recognized me and told me that he had no water for me today. That was no problem as I was almost done cycling for the day. The construction site was pretty sloppy and took a while to get through.
I stopped at Midway Lake for the night. It is just a shanty town. I found someone and asked if I could stay there. The lady said simply 'Yes'. I asked if there was an area that I should stay in, she smiled and said 'Anywhere'. It was very nice of her to make me feel welcome. I decided to stay beside the music festival stage.
I am now well set up to avoid the mosquito campground. If the weather and roads are good, I should be able to make it all the way to Eagle Plains.
End point:
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=67.22649,-135.43239&ll=67.22649,-135.43239&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1
Today's ride: 135 km (84 miles)
Total: 3,798 km (2,359 miles)
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