Patagonia Pete

Finally! BEARS!! Well, one bear and he was quite far away. I was starting to think that I was some sort of supernatural bear repeller! I was whizzing (yes, whizzing!) down a hill when I saw the small brown or black bear below the embankment. I had just enough time to honk my horn at him as I sped past. He looked somewhat bemused. That or possibly indigestion. Either way he knew he’d been honked!, Oh yes, when I honk a bear, it knows it’s been honked! (They call him, The Bear Honker) Sadly, there was no time for a photo of a honked bear. Next time…

I’m now in Watson Lake bracing myself for the Cassiar Highway. There aren’t that many places to get food along it, so I’ve got to take enough with me to last a few days. I think several rounds of jam sandwiches and a fruit cake ought to do the trick. Possibly some Kendal Mint Cake in case of emergencies.

Generally, it’s all going pretty well. Too many hills, but hey, that’s Alaska/Yukon for you. Yesterday I did about 120km/75 miles with a good tailkwind and certainly felt it in my legs, but by this morning the aching has pretty much gone. That’s been the story of the trip so far; a bit achey by the end of the day, rest at night, then feel fine the following day. That’s all down to the special training I undertook before this trip. Cycling the ten miles through London to work and back is tough conditioning, especially with regular, beer training, and don’t let any of these fay, ultra athletes tell you otherwise!

I met a Spanish guy yesterday called Juan who had cycled from Ushuaia and so was near the end of his trip. It was interesting to compare our respective appearances. His beard was considerably bushier than mine, but well kept. He generally seemed to be in pretty good shape, apart from blisters on the backs of his hand. I don’t know how he got them, but it seemed a little rude to ask. His bike seemed to be pretty sound, but as you will read later there was a reason for that.

He’d started about 16 months ago and was on his third bike! Not that he’d broken them all. His first one was lost in a tsunami caused by the Chilean earthquake last year. He’d been camping on the beach and everything was lost. Poor bloke. The locals had given him a bike which apparently made it to San Diego where he bought a new one. He was very chipper and still loving his adventure. In fact, all the cyclists I’ve met have been upbeat and happy. I’m not sure if that’s a defining characteristic of adventure cyclists or if they’re all a bit simple! I’ll let you comment on that!

There isn’t any wifi in Watson Lake. They say there is, but apparently the wifi internet pipe has got a kink in it, or a varmint has nibbled it a bit, or some other half-arsed excuse. Either way, I’m in the local library on a steam driven PC and hence no photos this time. Next time there will be a photo of a moose crossing the street, a porcupine climbing a bank and maybe some amusing road signs. Contain yourselves, people.

Love

Pete

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Let me tell you about the hierarchy of traffic on the Alaska Highway.

At the top come cyclists. You weren’t expecting that were you? And you’d be right, that would be nonsense.

No, at the top come the enormous ‘rigs’, double-length, articulated monsters that ferry everything up and down the highway. They keep the place supplied with just about everything, from building materials to, and I swear I saw this today, missiles! Just on the back of a rig. All army green and official looking. Could’ve been stolen, but it was a fairly leisurely getaway if it was. The drivers of these things are professionals. Been doing it for a while and know how to use the road. We like these guys, they always give a cyclist room when they can and don’t pull in again for what seems like half a mile. Often they’ll honk a cheery honk and all is right with the world.

Next down the pecking order are the RV’s. Only slightly less enormous, they ferry nothing of use up the highway. That’s because the have crammed everything they could ever think they possibly might need for their two to three week vacation into every small crevice they can find in these over-muscled, beefcake caravans. And just in case they may have forgotten something and need to go for a quick trip to Sainsburys they tow the fecking car along behind. And not some small, economical runabout. No, a massive great 4 wheel drive truck in which they could have quite comfortably done the whole trip. These Hulk-avans are then driven by people, who, frankly, should be old enough to know better. They obviously swanned onto some RV lot and the salesman/shark thought kerching another retired sucker I can con into parting with their hard-earned for a completely inappropriate and possibly murderous civilian tank. Needless to say most of these ‘people’ are not the cyclists friend. Barely a twitch of the wheel to give a fella some room and if they do then they will have forgotten the extra vehicle (Emergency Life Car?) being dragged along for the ride and cut in too soon. Gits! (Oh, and at campsites the only request you’ll hear from these selfish, self-absorbed, semi self-reliant, driving couch potatoes is ‘Can we dump here?’, ie. Can we empty our sh*t tank into your cesspit). Although I did get a nice bit of steak and a glass of wine from Brock and Marie-Cloud and they had a small, towed RV. But they were young and had rented the thing, so I’m inclined to let them off with a warning. Let’s just pray they don’t become the people I’ve warned you about.

Cars come way down the order, but they get subdivided into two categories. Truck/UTE’s and the rest. Generally they’re both rubbish and shoot by without a glance. But with the trucks you can get a bit more room from them whereas the smaller cars are often driven by the more nervous cousins of the RV drivers (if that’s possible) and I imagine them either gripping the steering wheel in a vice like grip, barely glancing left or right or the complete opposite and generally in charge of the vehicle but more interested in the wildlife whizzing past the window. Either way they don’t really notice a small bedraggled cyclist hauling himself up a 7% hill. There is one exception to the ‘no deviation’ rule. If they spot a chance to overtake a rig or RV they jump at it like a sloth on Valium. I think there must be some sort of written permission they need before they overtake here.

Well that’s about it for that rant/blog. I’m just having a spot of chicken stew in The Continental Divide Lodge and RV park. Sounds grander than it is, but the cheap room is clean and this here chicken stew is fine! The restaurant isn’t actually open but the owner seemed to take pity on me and said I could eat as much as I like of his own chicken stew for $10. He may regret that offer! I’m on my third bowl already and could probably manage a fourth. It’s the tastiest and healthiest food I’ve had this whole trip. Apart from Ron and Barb’s delicious food.

Pip pip

Love

Pete

A bowl of chicken soup, yesterday…

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Not much continued to happen… Pedals turned, sweat poured and the wind continued to be right in my face! Damn that headwind! Still, not going to turn all ‘Scottish’ in this blog. The scenery is still stunning and apart from being with Bridget there’s nowhere else I’d rather be.

I stayed at Dawson’s Peak campground, which is a beautiful little place on the lake. Made slightly unbearable by the enormous amount of pesky mosquitos. Looks like you have a tiny window of opportunity to cycle this territory. Too early and it’s snow and ice, too late and it’s all mosquitos, then it’s back to snow and ice from September onwards.

Better get pedaling or I’m going to make no distance today.

Love

Pete

Ps Sorry for the dullness of this post. Something more amusing next time.

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Ok so just a quick one whilst I have some Internet action.

I’m in Johnson’s Crossing. And you know, old Anal Johnson’s right about old man Johnson being right. And no hornswaggling, backstabbing, frickenfracker is going to stop me from cycling all the way to Watson Lake, no way, no how!

And here’s the beard cam…

More later…

Love
Pete

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A hot day in in the saddle. Don’t know what the actual temperature was, but it was cloudless and hot and the wind was against me. Although that’s pretty much the first time this trip, so can’t really complain, but it certainly makes a difference to ones speed. I managed about 75 miles (120km in Canadian money – “This money’s no good, Bloodknock!”). Which was fairly exhausting, but I’m definitely getting fitter and the legs don’t really feel it so much now.

At the very pretty campsite I’m in (Squanga Lake), I met a young married couple from Montana (Marie-Cloud and Brock…), who invited me over for a bite to eat and a glass of wine. They were intelligent and charming. Both professional, they quit their jobs to travel around for a bit. What is the world coming to! More jobless bums roaming the Northern states. Is no one keeping the wheels of industry turning?

Hopefully it’ll be fairly easy riding to Watson Lake over the next thee or four days (stay tuned). The real test for me will be the Cassiar Highway. There are long sections with no food or lodging so it’s wild camping and carrying enough food for about three days at a time. I should be able to get enough liquid along the way by squeezing the juice from various plants, licking the underside of dew fresh leaves, and, of course, drinking my own urine. If all that fails then sticking my water bottle in any of the thousands of crystal clear glacier streams should do the trick. The quality of the road is also a bit suspect in a few areas, so could be both slow going and puncture-prone. Thankfully I have a spare tyre. Who said I didn’t plan this trip?

As ever keep the comments coming, they really help.

Love

Pete

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Well there’s no rush is there?

Not much to tell. Whitehorse is quite a nice town. Not pretty exactly, but small and friendly and the surrounding countryside is magnificent. It’s the biggest town in the area and as such has all the amenities you’d expect from the biggest town in the Yukon. Oh, you can look the rest up on that interweb!

The one thing the Internet won’t tell you about Whitehorse is that it seems to have a disproportionate amount of attractive women in it. They weren’t all tourists so something keeps them in Whitehorse. And it’s not the men. Whitehorse has a disproportionate amount of unattractive men in it. The only thing I can think of is this is the spiritual home of The Gold Digger. The attractive women are here waiting for another gold rush and then they can snag their man. They are obviously playing the long game, and I say good luck to them. They are having to put up with a lot. Ugly, poor men, bears, mooses, dark for half the year, light for the other half, the cold and don’t forget the mosquitos. They must go home each night after a hard day at the insurance broker or laundromat and say to themselves, “Soon, honey, soon,” and check the price of gold.

Bon chance, ladies!

Love
Pete

A photo of a varmint, yesterday…

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So I cheated, but this trip was always about the adventure and not just about the cycling. And there’s not much more adventure to be had than clinging onto the seat in front inside The Last Mini Bus from BEAVER CREEK!!! With driver Dave (ageing roadie for Jethro Tull), soft rock (I recognised Fleetwood Mac at one point), his co-driver Luna the Labrador (don’t mention squirrels when she’s at the wheel), and my fellow passengers, or ride-goers as we shall be referred to at the inquest.
After the first ‘air’ we all laughed nervously, after the second we buckled up, and by the time we lost count of the exciting opportunities to test our seat springs we all had our arms in the air whooping and hollering like a fair ground ride. I say ‘like a fair ground ride’. This being the Alaskan Highway and not a fairground ride meant that all this ‘Scream if you want to go faster’ stuff was happening along loose gravel roads, our steering largely a
matter of faith, and our visibility down to zero from the clouds of dust thrown up by the passing juggernauts and RV’s. Bears may have been flinging themselves at the fenders but we couldn’t see them and even if one had somehow managed to grab hold of the bus it couldn’t have held on even using all it’s claws and most of it’s teeth. And you lot think I took the soft option! I’m going for a beer!

I’m now in Whitehorse, which the observant of you will realize is quite a way from Beaver Creek. I’ve let you down, I’ve let the bike down, but most of all I’ve let myself down. Yeah, whatever! I do actually feel guilty. I promise to beat myself later with a whittled down moose antler. I’m in a lovely little campsite by the Yukon River, called Robert Service Campsite for those who wish to google. Tomorrow I’ll be having a look around Whitehorse and maybe trying to organize some sort of iphone communication. Ooh, the excitement!

Love

Pete

PS a photo of our co-driver…

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Well I’m exhausted. Tired of Beaver Creek tired of LIFE!!! It took me literally minutes to explore the highlights of BC. And I can tell you now, folks, it’s got it all. Roads, pavements (actually, no pavements), motels, a mini-mart, and a laundromatte. But the highlight is the dinner theatre in the hotel I stayed at. I didn’t see it, but I could tell by the excited coachloads of bussed-in American pensioners that it was a big hit. A show all about the building of the Alaskan Highway. With songs. Spread over three hours, including breaks for starter, main and dessert. They’ve been putting the same show on for at least three years… It was a shame I missed it. I missed it by deciding the bar maybe more entertaining. A close run thing in the end, I think. Still, Steve and Perry (a couple of middle aged bikers from Millwaukee) were good company.

They told me about the almost undrivable gravel road out of Beaver Creek for about 40 miles south. That and the photos of the enormous bears they had spotted on that stretch of road has forced me to use my first “get out of jail” card. I’m going to pop the bike on a bus tomorrow and get them to drop me off after the 40 miles of gravel road. I can hear your cries of “cheat” from here! Well, you come out here and push a bike 40 miles through bear infested country, then call me cheat. Hah! Thought so. I’m not that happy about it myself, but having negotiated some fairly awful ‘decent’ roads to get to here, the ‘bad’ roads must be truly awful. If it turns out that Steve and Perry were just rubbish riders then I’ll shout, “STOP” to the bus driver and demand to be let out. As long as the bears aren’t out there. But then, they’re always out there. Behind every tree. Watching and waiting.

More later after I’ve spent another exhilerating day in BC waiting for the 6pm bus.

Love

Pete

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What a day! 113miles!! That’s over one hundred miles!!! It seemed like a good idea at the time, but this morning I’m knackered. And there has been chaffing. I knew I should have bought the silk cycling shorts. It all started off well; overcast but with a strong tailwind. I was making good miles. Then the wind slowed, stopped and then the heavens opened. Alaska rain is heavy rain. And in a few seconds I was soaked despite the rain gear. The two things about waterproof shoes is that 1) they’re not, and 2)once they’ve filled up they don’t drain out. Mmm, nice and squelchy!

There’s not a lot between Tok and Beaver Creek ( yes, JP, I’m in the legendary BC. Not much beaver) apart from lots of hills. And I still haven’t seen a bear. Or beaver. Not that many creeks, to be honest either. I bumped into another cyclist coming the other way. He was coming up from Seattle to Fairbanks (fool, everyone knows it’s all up hill that way!). Nice bloke by the name of Jef. He’d got a bit of a bulge in his front tyre (Oo er, missus!) which he’d already put a ‘boot’ on (a sleeve on the inside made of plastic to stop the tyre blowing out) and he wanted to know if I had a spare tyre. If only he’d caught me the day before. I had posted to New Zealand my extra spare and it was even the same type as his. Doh! How we laughed! Nice chap with an upbeat outlook on life and it was nice to just stop and shoot the breeze for a bit.

It occurred to me whilst cycling through the tundra that this sort of terrain encircles most of the northern hemisphere. With no one living in it. I mean, I can see why. Who wants to live in freezing, snowbound conditions for most of the year then get bitten to death by mosquitoes and bears the remaining few months. Still, cheap real estate. And with global warming, this sort of country could be the boom of the century. Get on board now. this elevator’s going up!

I’m writing this in the lobby of the hotel I’m staying at – no wifi – hence no pictures. I’m going to have a rest day here and try and sort out some cash – the ATM’s don’t seem to like my cards. There’s nothing to do here, but I need to rest and let my chaffing recover!

Guys and Gals, thanks for all the comments. I read them all avidly, even if I don’t get the time to respond to them all. Please keep them coming.

Hope it’s all going well with you.

Love

Pete

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Ok, I know what you’re waiting for… Here it is! BEARD CAM!!!

Ok it’s more Stubble Cam at the moment, but isn’t it exciting just watching it grow!

Today was a day of ups and downs, highs and more highs. A lot of hills. But I’m getting used to them now and just grind them out. And then it’s weeeee all the way down the other side! But seriously, it really is weeeee all the down the other side! I’m in Tok now waiting for the rain to stop then head off to Fast Eddies for something to eat. I’ll let you know…

And here is one of the main reasons for coming up here. Moose!

This one just taking a dip. No one wants a stinky moose.

I had a bit of a moment today: I was pedaling along a dead straight bit of highway just enjoying the cycling and on comes Duelling Banjos on the iPod. At first I’m just smiling at the whole backwoodsy irony of the situation, but then I realize everything has come together in a perfect little moment and I’m nearly in tears about where I am, what I’m doing and how getting off your arse and fulfilling a dream is what this life is all about. Like I say, a perfect little moment. Go and get yours.

Love
Pete

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