Day 12 O, Day Full of Grace

What kind of Sunday did you have? There was no church service for us this morning, but we were able to give thanks in our situation all day. To start with, it rained all night and day to varying degrees but we had a good, warm night’s sleep.  Bryan had an awesome morning, tucking away 102 km by 1:30. Sure he got wet but in his words, “Once the shoes are full, you can’t get any wetter.”  He felt that his cadence was solid, even up and down the hills, really enjoying the ride. There were long stretches of relatively level, straight road and not much wind or traffic.

He did have a couple of concerns, such as when the pilot truck driver wouldn’t let him continue ahead on his bike through the construction.  He offered to take Bryan in his truck but then where would I find my husband?  Just making sure the cyclist was safe! Bryan had made such good time that he had to keep cycling back and forth to keep warm while he wondered why I wasn’t there yet. The second time, I was delayed doing laundry in Liard which again worried him. And he’s the one out in the rain alone!

 However, we connected each time and  then he changed into dry clothes, warmed up and ate hot food.  I am so thankful for the generator that is the mainstay of all of the homes, resorts and businesses up here.   A hot meal is what keeps Bryan going on days like this. We also have time to share our perspectives of the passing miles and what we have seen.  We commented on the mountains, so ethereal, wreathed in low wispy clouds.

We saw many bison around Liard, just grazing like a cow herd would. When I did a load of laundry, I found a bison calling card left beside the out-building.

I learned from Bryan later that he’d had a less passive response from a bull bison. This bull calmly watched as Bryan slowly advanced up the almost mile-long  9% grade, then ran across the highway in front of the bike and into the opposite ditch.

As I passed a black bear on the side of the road, I said a quick prayer for Bryan who was still coming behind, that the bear would stay put.  Along came Bryan and that same bear waddled into the centre of the highway, just watching as he passed.

Some of the sights, like the Liard hot springs, will have to wait until the return trip. Not much fun in the rain! Actually, a rainy day is perfect since I can do nothing else but read, write and wait for Bryan.  Such a simple life.  We were able to get some beautiful views of the Liard River as we followed it.

It seems that there was also a man in his RV that was interested in us. When he saw this cyclist in his yellow jacket for the second time, he just had to stop to talk to Bryan. He took photos of me too when he saw me stopped at the summit, waiting for Bryan. There have been many interesting people that we have talked with over the trip. As I waited for Bryan at the inspiring Allen’s Lookout, I first spoke to a man from Alaska and another from Quebec, 6 people in all parked for there for the night. To my delight, I was able to easily converse with them in French.  We have found that most people are friendly, helpful and eager to learn more about people from other parts of the country and their experiences.

Meanwhile, Bryan was approaching this summit for another helping of spaghetti. The menu isn’t too varied when you have a small fridge and a big appetite. With still lots of daylight left, Bryan completed his 198 km for the day at the 905 km marker, a gravel pullout with two other RV’s already parked.  This is close to the Yukon border, at Contact Creek.   

 Yes, a day of full of grace indeed, a hymn that played through my mind all day long.