Anchorage to Phoenix Bike Ride: Day 10

We ate oatmeal for breakfast and I started riding first while Paul and Kosuke finished packing their gear and lubricating their bikes. Soon I reached several mile stretch of road that was not paved due to construction. Luckily it had rained the night before so the dust wasn’t bad.

Having worked as a traffic control flagger for the summer, I noticed that the street signs changed in color and style because the were Canadian. The speeds also changed from miles to kilometers.

After 15 miles we came to the Canadian border. We got into line behind 10 motorhomes and waited to go through customs. I was under the impression that we would have an hour and a half wait to get across the border. I unhooked my trailer and unpacked the tent and spread it on the ground so it could dry. I planned to take out my stove to make lunch. However the line started moving fast and I had to move forward. I started walking my bike and carrying my gear forward and I left my trailer behind.

Paul said “Hey Austen, you forgot your trailer.”

I said, “Yeah, I need to go grab it. It’s alright.”

Right as I said that we heard the sound of crunching metal and looked back to see my trailer under the front bumper of a large pickup with a camper. I ran back and signaled for him to back up. As I approached my trailer on the ground I felt scared that my trailer would be broken and I’d have to get a ride somewhere. The back fender was bent but I fixed it. I brought the tailer to my bike and attachment arms were bent. I laid the trailer on its side and bent the arms out. After some adjusting it fit back on to my bike but it was a little cockeyed for the rest of the trip. Luckily the trailer was still usable.

Watching my trailer get run over was upsetting. Essentially all of my possessions were in the trailer and it was a careless action that led to its being run over. I felt a strong feeling of sinking in my stomach for about an hour after the incident.

Paul and I went through customs together. The Canadian lady was curt with us, but we made it through fine. Kosuke also made it through customs with no problem. We filled our water bottles in the customs office.

We rode away from customs and soon we came to Beaver Creek. I tested my debit card and treated myself to a hot dog-like snack and some candy at the rest stop. We lubricated our chains before leaving Beaver Creek at 2pm. There were bugs that would swarm over our heads and land on us if we didn’t go at least 10 mph.

We came around a corner and saw large rain clouds ahead. I put on my rain gear and listened to Atlas Shrugged on my iPod. I was cold and wet because we were in the mountains and there was no way to combat the weather except to keep riding. I stopped twice to wring the water out of my socks and gloves. We rode in the cold rain for 3 hours. Later Paul reported that he was was the coldest he had ever been. He wasn’t wearing gloves or socks. He said he could barely make a fist with his hand because he was so cold. His gloves were packed deep inside his bag so he couldn’t get to them.

The clouds lighted and the rain let up a little bit and we came to an RV park and stopped for a break. I was riding in my Crocs because my cycling shoes were saturated with water.

In my research before the trip I found a good place to camp at Edith Creek that was 25 from the RV park. We rode on to Edith Creek and the weather improved. We found clear skies and a nice view of a vista of mountains that we watched as the sun started to go down. Paul and I saw a falcon in a tree that was screeching as we went by and I whistled at the bird.

The pavement was rough for about 5 miles and Kosuke said he was getting tired. I gave him some dried apricots and started counting down how many miles we had left to go.

We reached Edith Creek and there was the nice place to camp next to the river I had seen on Google Street View. We purified water from the creek and I was happy that my preparation had paid off.

I collected firewood and built a fire while Paul cooked dinner. I collected wood by riding down the road and filling my trailer with sticks. I used toile paper as tinder. We all enjoyed dinner around the campfire. Kosuke shared his curry with rice with us and we shared our flavored rice meal with him. I washed the dishes in the river.

After the first few days of the trip we had fallen behind the scheduled route I had planned. Each morning we would pass the place I had planned for us to camp after about 1 hour of riding. It was frustrating to consistently miss our checkpoints. It felt good to be back on schedule.

Paul had a hard time falling asleep because his feet were itching so bad. He hasn’t been wearing socks so his foot health is deteriorating. I plan to convince Paul to buy socks and shoes in Haines Junction.