End of Chapter one.........

Wow! It's been a while since I did my blog. After the shock shenanigans in Fairbanks our plan was to ride as quickly as we could back though Canada and into the US. This was in part due to the Visa restrictions. We only have 90days to visit the US and the clock started ticking when we went into Alaska (visiting Canada or Mexico does not reset the clock). Well, riding through Canada quickly is an impossibility. Firstly the country is massive and no matter how long you stay in it, being a Brit you still can't get your head around the distance you need to travel.

Anyway, from Tok we headed towards Watson Lake, a strip of Motels and restaurants on the Alaskan highway. It was Saturday evening so a meal and a beer or two made it a pleasant stay. We met up with the Blue Knights, a group of ex cops from Nevada who, all but one, rode BMW GS Motorcycles and boasted international law enforcement on there business cards. A really nice bunch of people who left aforementioned calling card on our bike inviting us to stay should we be passing.

Sandra, quiet rightly, decided that Sunday would be a slow start and we would visit the sign forest in Watson lake. Back when the Alaskan Highway was being built by both US and Canadian troops in 1947 I think it was, one US soldier decided to erect a sign post showing where he and his colleagues' home towns where and the number of miles away that town was. This single post soon multiplied as more and more troops got involved with the highway construction. After the work was done, civilians added to the posts until today it has reached over 65,000 signs. So we added one more.

Well, as we entered the forest we met a lone cyclist and said the usual hellos and started to chat. Turns out we had bumped into Mark Beaumount. Mark is the current round the world cycling world record holder competing the circum navigation in only 139 days and supremely fit and dedicated. It was nice to finally bump into someone as physically and mentally strong as myself. Unlike me , Mark's diet did not consist of beer and pies so I wondered how he managed to be so healthy. Anyway, look Mark up on the BBC website. On this trip Mark is making a one man documentary about his north to south adventure on a Bike whilst climbing the mountains (you can see how alike we are now). So Mark made his sign with ours and filmed the whole thing too so we might be on the telly again. It goes out in March next year.

From Watson Lake it was onto Lairds Hot Springs camping next to two pools of biblically hot water heated up by mother nature herself. Mother nature also provided an odd pong to go with this. We had to have a dip of course. I don't know about you but I find getting into really really hot water odd. I just get tired and want to sleep so the hot spring thing is never my cup of tea, but it was nice enough to see.

From there it was onto Fort Nelson and a night in the famous Fort Nelson Hotel. I am not sure why it is famous but it said it in big friendly letters so I guess it must be. We met a a couple of chaps who run the place and these guys where really helpful for our Mexico, South America leg of the trip.

We then went onto Prince George (Remember this from previous blogs, went to the same campground and even the same camp spot) The Gilroy family who had an RV next to us, took pity on us and gave us beer and food and treated us like one (or two) of the family. It was a real boost, particularly having spent days and days without a day off on the bike. The night in the tent was interrupted by a some very odd beastly type noises outside. Whilst I was not scared out of my skin, I felt I should stay in the tent just to reassure Sandra of course (read Sandra blog for details) I have no idea what the hell it was.

From Prince George it was onto Chache Creek then using back roads recommended by a guy on an old Suzuki we headed to Vancouver. This road turned out to be a wonderful road running through tiny remote villages, green and turquoise lakes and wonderful forests. It added lots of miles and time and as we approached the metropolis of Vancouver both Sandra and I could not help but feel a little sad. This was to be one of our last days in Canada, a country we both love now and I cannot begin to tell you of the endless beauty of this place.

Vancouver also represented the end of chapter one of the adventure - over 7,000 miles in just over a month and we are loving every moment of it (Prudhoe bay excluded of course)

The Shed is in need of some serious TLC. She has had her moments and from memory these are

Burnt out GPS cradle in Prince Rupert
Bent seat clips in the Yukon
Fuel leak in Chicken
Scratched tank due to falling over in Fairbanks
New shock needed in Fairbanks
Foot pegs shaken loose in Fairbanks
Headlight out in Dawson Creek
Completely squared off tires now in Vancouver

We had meet some chaps on our way to Prudhoe bay who offered to help and good to his word a chap called Roy will be helping me sort the shed out after we cross the border into the USA

So thats' chapter one out the way and we are going to miss Canada. We have loved it here but the USA beckons and more adventure lay ahead.