July 25, 2005
Day 69: Willow River to Vanderhoof
The tent was soaked again this morning, but from heavy dew, not rain. The sky was blue - - hooray! We took off early and were in Prince George by 9:00. At the visitors' centre we got a reservation for the hostel in Prince Rupert. Then we headed downtown where I got panhandled immediately. Alcohol, poverty, and native peoples are horribly interconnected in northern BC.
After a late breakfast, Jean Pierre wanted to head on to Vanderhoof, but I had lots to do in Prince George. I called Marja who I had met along the Berg Lake Trail. She invited me out to her house for a shower, laundry, and lunch. Her parents were visiting from Holland and we had a great afternoon; however, I stayed too long. I knew I would be getting into Vanderhoof late.
Highway 16 west of Prince George is tough - a steep climb and LOTS of double trailer trucks. The trucks were a fact of life all the way to Vanderhoof. The current BC government has decided to log off all the forests susceptible to pine beetle kill and the lumber mills are running overtime.
The quiet road that I remember is no more. The chocolate ice cream at Bednesti Lake Lodge helped, but 97 kms after 4:00 got me into Vanderhoof at sundown - - beat and exhausted.
Today's ride: 79 miles (127 km)
Total: 3,743 miles (6,024 km)
| Rate this entry's writing | Heart | 0 |
| Comment on this entry | Comment | 0 |