Slept well. Shoulder a bit sore. Nothing desperate, but I know I’ve done some damage. It’s tempting to say ‘what if’. What if I hadn’t stepped in that hole, what if I’d parked half a metre further away, what if …….. What if the bloody bike had fallen on me! Pretty lucky really.
They’re the same the world over. It doesn’t matter if you’re trying to cross from Cambodia to Laos or from Canada to America – border crossings are always trouble. I was simply waved though Canadian Customs with a cheery smile (thanks for having me guy’s – it was a blast) and pulled up a hundred meters later at the US check point. A nice old bloke took my passport and when I said I’d need an entry document for the bike, he said to park up in the shade and come inside to the counter where it would be sorted.
I had a nice evening at the Bear – it was good to sleep in a bed. They provided a continental breakfast as well, which was far better than I expected – muffins, banana bread, juice, coffee, toast, yoghurt and apples. Good gear for a hungry traveller.
The weather report from last night hadn’t quite come to bear, but it was still pretty cold at 8 degrees, with a nasty wind howling through the mountains. I layered up with an undershirt, long sleeved shirt and jacket (all merino) under my riding gear. I’d purposely bought these as I could wear any number of layers depending on just how cold it got. I thought they should have been able to handle just about anything – was going to test them today. Added to that were the pair of newly bought long-johns. Again, to think I sent some home a week ago – stupid, stupid, stupid!
The temperature today dropped from 36 degrees to 8 with snow predicted in Jasper. Rain last night too and it’s overcast and drizzly. After a week of flawless weather, I can’t complain – I think I chose a good day to be off the bike though.
Without local knowledge I would definitely have had to turn back from Seymour Arm. It proved to me, once again, the benefit in asking people for directions and using local knowledge, even if you don’t think you need it. Dave Ramsey is one of the best I’ve ever met at doing this. As a result, he makes lots of friends and goes to some interesting places.
It was time to catch up on a few emails and the blog. It is a bit of a job, but one that I enjoy. It’s nice to see the output and I know from past experience that having something to look back on and a physical record of a trip is worthwhile. I wrote up my last ride into the Flinders Ranges and the printed eBook that I did from my journey to Oman is something I’m really glad to have. Reckon I’ll do the same with this adventure.
I was up early as I wanted to be packed up before the forestry people started arriving for work. I was sure it wouldn’t have have been a problem, but I was literally camped on their office doorstep and I hadn’t been able to ask anyone’s permission!
Chuck the publican was great last night – very helpful with directions although he’s never been off the bitumen. The roads north of here are pretty remote and not at all well marked, either on maps or the GPS. I was going to try and find the Big Bar ferry on the way to Williams Lake and, because I couldn’t plot a route, was going to be winging it.
Adventure USA 