I left Muncho Lake pretty early this morning because I wanted to make it all the way to the beginning of the Alcan. The road was going to take me back through Fort Nelson and I didn't see any reason to stay there again.
I departed in a light rain heading for the Continental Divide about 40 miles east of Muncho Lake. This part of the road is still mostly on the original roadbed and is the most beautiful section in my view. Unfortunately, my view was limited to the width of the road and about 50 feet in front of me as I motored east. I stopped at Rancheria to refuel and met up with a couple of guys heading on the same direction as I was. We didn't depart together but we would meet up at gas stops along the way throughout the day.
The trip over the divide was a little hairy as the raising terrain took me up into the clouds where more rain and some sleet were waiting for me. My visibility diminished even further as I was reduced to about 15 mph going over the crest. I kept hoping that the storms would be held up by the divide but that was not to be the case as I descended towards Fort Nelson in a steady downpour.
I took on more fuel in Fort Nelson and decided to push on towards Dawson Creek, a decision I would come to regret in a few hours. The rain kept coming down as I motored south but the temperature was holding pretty steady at about 48f so I felt comfortable continuing even though the intensity of the storms was increasing.
I was about 100 miles south of Fort Nelson, past Skianni, when the temperature dropped. I didn't notice it right away but soon the rain turned to sleet and then to snow and I was running low on fuel. From my trip north I knew that this stretch of road had the least fuel of the entire Alcan so I was keeping a close eye out for anywhere I might find relief. The snow continued and the temperature was now about 30f. I was cold, my fuel gage showed about 35 miles to empty and I didn't have much of a clue where I was. Most of the traffic south had stopped somewhere unseen and I was considering stopping and getting out my tent to wait out the snow. Coming over a crest in the road I saw a sign that announced a rest stop just 2km ahead and I headed for it. Once there I found no place to set up so I continued on a few more miles and found my haven in the form of a little diner/house run by a delightful Indian couple. They didn't have any fuel there but they had soup and that was what I needed most. After shedding my riding clothes I was so cold I couldn't even lift a mug of coffee without dumping it on the table so I just held it and waited for the shakes to stop. After a while, all was well in my little universe. I even helped earn my soup helping my new friends fix a computer problem they were having.
I ended up staying about 2 hours as I waited for the storm to abate. Finally, a local trucker came in for coffee and told me that the road was clear about 30km to the south and that the fuel stop was open 6km further. I left in a cold but light rain and just had enough fuel to drift into the station. By then the Skye's were clearing a little and the rain and snow had stopped. I fished out a pair of dry gloves and my little world improved immediately. Dawson Creek was about 140 miles down the road and the rest of the trip was uneventful.
Dawson Creek is what it is but I decided to stay for 2 nights to re-charge and prepare the bike for the trip home. I found a carwash and fed Canadian dollars into it until I could once again see the paint on the bike. I changed the oil and checked the other fluids and noticed that my new rear tire, just 2 1/2 weeks old, was near bald. The closest hope for a replacement was Edmonton, Alberta so I packed up the next morning and headed that way.
I departed in a light rain heading for the Continental Divide about 40 miles east of Muncho Lake. This part of the road is still mostly on the original roadbed and is the most beautiful section in my view. Unfortunately, my view was limited to the width of the road and about 50 feet in front of me as I motored east. I stopped at Rancheria to refuel and met up with a couple of guys heading on the same direction as I was. We didn't depart together but we would meet up at gas stops along the way throughout the day.
The trip over the divide was a little hairy as the raising terrain took me up into the clouds where more rain and some sleet were waiting for me. My visibility diminished even further as I was reduced to about 15 mph going over the crest. I kept hoping that the storms would be held up by the divide but that was not to be the case as I descended towards Fort Nelson in a steady downpour.
I took on more fuel in Fort Nelson and decided to push on towards Dawson Creek, a decision I would come to regret in a few hours. The rain kept coming down as I motored south but the temperature was holding pretty steady at about 48f so I felt comfortable continuing even though the intensity of the storms was increasing.
I was about 100 miles south of Fort Nelson, past Skianni, when the temperature dropped. I didn't notice it right away but soon the rain turned to sleet and then to snow and I was running low on fuel. From my trip north I knew that this stretch of road had the least fuel of the entire Alcan so I was keeping a close eye out for anywhere I might find relief. The snow continued and the temperature was now about 30f. I was cold, my fuel gage showed about 35 miles to empty and I didn't have much of a clue where I was. Most of the traffic south had stopped somewhere unseen and I was considering stopping and getting out my tent to wait out the snow. Coming over a crest in the road I saw a sign that announced a rest stop just 2km ahead and I headed for it. Once there I found no place to set up so I continued on a few more miles and found my haven in the form of a little diner/house run by a delightful Indian couple. They didn't have any fuel there but they had soup and that was what I needed most. After shedding my riding clothes I was so cold I couldn't even lift a mug of coffee without dumping it on the table so I just held it and waited for the shakes to stop. After a while, all was well in my little universe. I even helped earn my soup helping my new friends fix a computer problem they were having.
I ended up staying about 2 hours as I waited for the storm to abate. Finally, a local trucker came in for coffee and told me that the road was clear about 30km to the south and that the fuel stop was open 6km further. I left in a cold but light rain and just had enough fuel to drift into the station. By then the Skye's were clearing a little and the rain and snow had stopped. I fished out a pair of dry gloves and my little world improved immediately. Dawson Creek was about 140 miles down the road and the rest of the trip was uneventful.
Dawson Creek is what it is but I decided to stay for 2 nights to re-charge and prepare the bike for the trip home. I found a carwash and fed Canadian dollars into it until I could once again see the paint on the bike. I changed the oil and checked the other fluids and noticed that my new rear tire, just 2 1/2 weeks old, was near bald. The closest hope for a replacement was Edmonton, Alberta so I packed up the next morning and headed that way.
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