Day 20

Where did I come from?

Oh, I forgot to mention yesterday that I found a campsite next to a babbling brook. Or rather, a raging river. Iether way I found myself singing "My Generation" by The Who all night and the stutters in the song matched when there was a bigger splash from the ripples hitting the bank. Strange you say? Well, all I know is I slept very well last night. I did wake up with the sun for a bit, but just long enough to look at my watch, declare quarter till six too early and soon I was singing to the river again, but I think my song sounded more like sawing logs.

When I arose from my slumber, it was about nine in the morning, a good time to get up and start the day. Not long after I put away all my tent supplies I remembered seeing showers in the lavatory and felt that since I was still covered in yesterday's (and the day before's) filth, that a shower was in order today.

Just before departing to the shower, with supplies in hand, some locals (I assume locals, they were speaking Canuck) stopped by while gathering wood and asked about my bike. One of them thought the rack was a fancy electric motor and wondered how it worked. I explained it was a bike rack after I figured out what he was asking and upon closer inspection the old timer agreed that it wouldn't make a very good motor after all. I think he had just seen one in a local store and his mind jumped back to that when he saw the orange mounts for my bike rack. We then had a good laugh about how skinny the seats on bikes were and I was off to my shower.

In the lavatory there were these curious boxes that stated "This box takes only one dollar coins." I figured I would see if the water worked without spending my dollar coin and reached for the handle. Sure enough, ice water poured out at a ferocious rate. As I'm not even to the Yukon yet, I decided that being so close to civilization, I'd spend my dollar coin in return for some warm water.

Now fully lathered, I started wondering how long the timer on the little box would last. This was the wrong thing to wonder as it must have been telepity and it clicked off and the ice water began again.

I had my uncivilized shower after all.

Feeling quite refreshed, and I emphasize the refreshed part, I took to the road. Shortly after three in the afternoon I arrived at Dawson Creek and after eating some lunch found the milepost marker and had my picture taken. I feel kinda silly for driving thirty miles out of the way to get a picture at a monument like that, but it looks like it was the place to be as I counted six large campers and about twice as many vehicles in the time frame I was at the monument.

About halfway through the day, I was planning on arriving in Fort Nelson and looking around a bit before camping on the other side of the city, but after nearly five hundred miles today, and being quite sore from my bikeride yesterday, I am now reclining in my tent less than fifty miles from Fort Nelson and I plan on seeing the city in the morning sunlight. I think this is the first time on the trip that I have arrived at a campsite before ten at night. It was eight when I drove into the campsite, and after eating supper and setting everything up, it's only nine-thirty and I'm tuckered. I think my body is still recovering from the bike ride yesterday.

Tomorrow should be another big day of driving, but I'm already starting to see a change in the landscape. The trees used to be quite tall and lush. Now the Black Elms (I think that's what they are... black somethings) are small and not nearly as lush. I expect much more change throughout the day tomorrow.

Day 20 Distance: 449, Elevation: 1358 -> 3799

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