Monday  July 8       Cycling Day 5

  Rock River (Y) to Eagle Plains (Y)

Distance:  (Km). 77

Time:  5:15

Average Speed: (Km/ hr). 14.65

Ascent:  (m). 1193

Heart Rate: (beats / min). 104

Cumulative Distance:   (km). 523

Cumulative Ascent :  (m). 5057

Punctures so far : 0

As mentioned already we are now in a new time zone....8 hours behind Ireland. I put my watch back last night bit not my phone, so my alarm went off an hour early at 4:30. I was up, ready, dressed and ready to take down the tent when I realized my error.So I wandered down to the Rock River side to enjoy the peace and the sound of the flowing water. Then laid on the picnic table in my site 8 (Seomra hOcht) admiring the passing clouds above. Looked like a promising day.

 

Breakfast at 6:30 and out on the road at 7. That first stretch of road was heavily pock- marked and then the first of many climbs appeared. Quite a lot of climbing today as promised.The road ahead seemed always to be rising. River crossings always meant a sharp dip followed by a punishing rise at the far side.

No wind of any consequence today and it was exceptionally warm all day till we checked into our hotel. Then a cloudburst for about half an hour. Glad we were all in before that. Early morning sunshine threw shadows across the lonesome road.Up here in the Richardson Ranges the expanse is vast. Looks like immense grassland stretching to the mountains.

Haven’t seen much evidence of livestock or wildlife till today. Just before the 40 km mark a fox ( orangey red) came down the road towards me chasing an apparently injured bird. Around the same area a few ptarmigan (looks like a small pheasant or partridge) rose out of the roadside growth as I passed by.Tomorrow is a Rest Day (my first of 12) in Eagle Plains and the second will be in Dawson City after a further 4 days of riding.

Lunch stop today was at the 40 km mark where we crossed the Arctic Circle at 66 degrees 33 N. Many other tourists were pulling in for photos. It felt great to be crossing this special line on the globe.But the road continued to rise and rise with new vistas coming into view. 

Then a long long never ending descent to another river crossing with an impressive looking iron bridge. 

The bridge looked nice but the view at the other end indicated that what comes down must go up again. The initial rise was just a small part of the 363 metre climb to day’s end. Crest after crest appeared but all proved to be false. This was an ascent of 363 m over a 6 km stretch.

Finally, finally at 1pm the Eagle Plains Resort appeared on the right hand side. Relief. Looked forward to a shower and a Rest Day tomorrow. But Reception tells us that there is only 1 maid on duty and rooms will not be ready till 3.

 So a long wait as we stewed in our gear. The hands of the clock seemed to be moving so slow.

Also no internet or phone reception here. It’s not a town just a truck stop/hotel/restaurant on top of a hill. Not even a shop. That explains how there’s a glut of blog posts going up at the same time.....from Rest Day 2.

A good tough satisfying day and crossing an iconic line.

Thank God for the health and thank God for the energy.