Miles June 9th: 304
Miles June 10th: 460
Total Miles: 7,355
I continued my eastward trek on Saturday, June 9th. I did not pull out from Fort St. John until nearly 5 p.m. I needed to catch up with work and run a few errands in town. It is frustrating to leave so late, especially when there is much progress to be made on the road.
Heading east the mountains transitioned to small hills, and eventually to flatlands as I entered Alberta. I stopped for the evening at a campground near Whitecourt, which is about an hour’s drive from Edmonton. It had been sprinkling off and on the entire day, but it seemed to clear by the time I arrived at the campground. I was happy to take the last spot, and was planning to light a small fire and enjoy a couple hamburgers.
About ten minutes after I arrived, it began to sprinkle, which turned to rain, which did not stop for the entire night. I settled for eating muffins in my rain-soaked tent. Needless to say, the next day packing up every soaking wet thing was not fun.
I have a friend from high school who lives in Calgary. I sent him a note to let him know I might be passing through. It was on my route to Montana, so I phoned him and we were able to meet on Sunday.
I was invited to enjoy a backyard grilling get-together with some friends of his family. He had known them from the same country where we attended high school, Oman. I had great time, enjoying free drinks, food, and Canadian humor. Thank you for the invitation ladies and gentlemen; the stop was welcome after the long trek through British Columbia and the Yukon.
It was 9 p.m., but I needed to make more progress for the day, so I said goodbye– about two hours after I had planned to leave. During conversation with Ewan, he mentioned the bobsled from Cool Runnings was at a nearby bar. I had to take a photo, knowing Cool Runnings was Sweetie’s absolute favorite movie.
After an hour and a half of driving south from Calgary, I camped again. But this time the weather was dry and very windy– a perfect night to dry all of my equipment.
Now back in the U.S. I’m making my way across Montana, and hopefully to Mt. Rushmore tomorrow, if time permits.
Posted by: The Big Cheese