Wednesday  July 10        Cycling Day 6

   Eagle Plains (Y) to Bush Camp 1 (Y)

Distance:  (Km). 83

Time:  4:26

Average Speed: (Km/ hr). 18.7

Ascent:  (m). 914

Heart Rate: (beats / min). 117

Cumulative Distance:   (km). 606

Cumulative Ascent :  (m). 5971

Punctures so far : 0

So we’re back on the road again after a beneficial Rest Day.

All of us had a hearty cooked buffet breakfast in Eagle Plains Hotel at 7:30. All fueled up with fruit, cereal, fry and coffee.Immediately after breakfast bags had to be loaded, Permanent into the blue truck and daily into the white (originally!) one. Such loading takes extra long after a Rest Day.

Riders Meeting outside the hotel could be brief. Riding directions could be brief ‘out on the road, turn right, camp on LHS at 83 km’. Andreas also spoke re procedures at Bush Camps - the first one on this trip.

And then the whole group (30) move off at various paces. Just 83 km ahead of us today and a promise of almost 1000 metres of climbing.

No great change in the shape of the road ahead. You can always see it rising and twisting through the trees. Generally the surface was good metres just ahead in order to avoid loose deep gravel and corrugations. Occasionally the Highway was lined with beautiful violet flowers. 

   

They looked after today’s section of the road.

   

tomorrow ‘s section

Tomorrow we move onto a stretch of road maintained by a different region. Hope it’ll be as good as today.

Local weather forecast was for rain today but it never came although it was dull and overcast all day. No wind of any consequence till I arrived in camp at 2 pm but that has died down now and a warm sun is shining. But I wouldn’t be surprised if we had a few drops during the night - some dark clouds lurking on the horizon.No big climbs of 10% today but plenty of long hauls of 4-7%. At this stage the legs have strengthened up and well able for such ascents once the surface is not unkind.

Came across unexpectedly across what looked like a helipad in the ‘middle of nowhere’. On previous days long straight stretches of the road were signed as Emergency Airstrips.Again very little traffic in either direction- most of what we met were motorcycles and RVs ( the  Dempster Highway is a 12 hour drive). But here are 6 or 7 Government Camping Grounds along the way with just the very basic facilities. Especially the RVs and trucks were followed by a cloud of  blinding choking dust.

Still no coverage for internet or phones here. ( Even in the Rest Day Hotel they couldn’t facilitate an international phone call......local calls only !) We’re totally out of contact with what some might refer to as ‘the real world’. But I suppose we are experiencing Mother Earth at its most basic. Would like coverage just that we can contact folks at home to let them know that all is well and making progress as planned.

Was nice to spot Camp on the left exactly on the 83 km  mark. So now we’re at Bush Camp #1 i.e. absolutely no facilities, just camping in an open space off the side of the road. 

Still plenty of the diseased spruce trees about us and the new thriving alder.  I have experienced many of these on the Silk Route 2016 and 2018 ( many of them in rougher spots than where we are now) but for some cyclists it is an initiation. At Riders Meeting this morning Andreas went through expectations and emphasized the diligent use of the shovels when nature called. All we want to leave visible after us in this beautiful region are footprints. We’re so lucky to be experiencing it.

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

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