DAY Sixteen - Food, Gas and Bear

Beautiful bright sunny day for riding. Cool and brisk, but don't need the electric gear yet. With thoughts of thick air-light toast on my mind, I set out. Twenty-eight clicks north of Fort St. John's I find it. The Shepherd's Inn. Gas stop, motel and restaurant.

Heavenly food at the Shepherd's Inn.

Last time I was here, the mothers were working, today the daughters.

The waitress (who told me to make her good looking on the blog, which she is anyways, doesn't need any help for me) says they make four types of bread here - white, whole wheat, swedish rye and sourdough rye. So I asked for a slice of each to eat later for lunch on the road. She was nice enough to put a slice of each in ziploc baggies.

BTW - The pancakes here are over an inch thick and light as air. If you are ever up this way, stop in and experience The Shepherd's Inn for your self.

Now let's get back on the road.

On down a piece, saw this van on the side of the road with a flat tire. Is the couple from Chile, Ana and Sebastian(?). He had the tire almost changed by the time I stopped. Told him about a bridge being washed out on Route 37, which they were thinking about taking south from Watson Lake, as am I. We will have to get the latest info at the Rt 37 turn-off before starting that way. On departing, I gave them each a slide of Shepherd's Inn bread to try. They invited me to visit them in Chile when I go back down there.

At a gas stop I met Ted, who just bought a new Harley Davidson in Vancouver and is riding it home to Whitehorse. When I said I was planning to spend the night in Ft Nelson, he asked if I had a room because all rooms there are taken with oil field workers and their companies. He also said by the time I got there, it might be raining. Ted offered to share the reservation he had at the Ramada with me. Offer accepted.

Since Ted's Harley can go much faster than Da'mit, we agreed to meet at the motel. When I neared the city limits, the rain started coming down strong. Ted knows the weather up here.

Made a few discoveries riding today. One, start filling ALL the auxiliary gas cans. Came upon two gas stations about the time I was wanting to stretch and refill the five gallon main tank.

The Shell station on the left, notice the windows are boarded up and the tall grass by the pump islands.

No problem, there is another station just across the road.

Pulled in and their gas nozzles are covered with plastic, the doors locked. Nothing to do but keep riding to the next station, which in this case was another 50 - 60 miles. That's okay as I have two of the three aux cans full. Now will start filling all three, 11.5 gallons total.

Two, ride early, get your miles in for the day and stop before the afternoon rains start.

When I finally stopped to refill the main tank from the auxiliary can, spotted this. A beaver dam. So for my Texas friends who have never seen one before....

Back on the road, a white car decided to pass me when suddenly a black bear scampers across the pavement in front of us. We both slammed on our brakes to avoid hitting it. In a flash it was gone, off into the underbrush. Releasing a sigh of relief, we motor up. Is the first black bear sighting.... and heart attack, almost! Was the only wild game I saw today. Ted says he saw two moose but no bears. Luck determines who sees what up here, and most anywhere.

Tomorrow we ride to Watson Lake. Bought two cans of motor oil as Da'mit will need a change by then.

The daylight hours are longer now. At five AM, it looks bright out, as it does at 10 PM. All in all, a good day riding. We are on schedule.

Nite all

 

 

 

 

 

 

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