Prince George

We have a delightful breakfast of oatmeal with nuts, dried fruit, and honey.  The food is shared over many stories and much laughter.  It's a bit sad to leave such friendly people, but everyone is going their separate ways.

Pierre, April, Mike, and Jen

 As we bike out of town, the traffic gets worse and worse.  There are an incredible number of logging trucks on this road!  Some are carrying the raw lumber, others cut wood.  You can smell it as they roar by.  An enormous truck passes every few minutes, and often there are multiple trucks in a row.  Forests along the road are less dense and more shrubby.  The lakes we've been passing have shrunk to murky ponds.  There are more billboards and the occasional small business.  Scenery is unremarkable, and I spend very little time looking at it because I'm so focused on biking and staying out of the way of all the traffic.  At first we start off with a good shoulder, but then it shrinks to almost nothing, and we have to get off the road each time trucks pass.  Despite these challenges, we make amazing time: 42 miles before lunch in 3 hours and 40 minutes.  We find a shady, sandy area off the road to eat.  A bit down the road we see my parents!  They've driven out to meet us with water and delicious snacks.  It's so wonderful to see them!  They take our backpacks so we have a lighter load, and since the shoulder is pretty good for the rest of the ride, we make really good time into Prince George.  PG's slogan is: Northern Capital of BC.  It's a crossroads town: lumber and railroad routes cross here.  All sorts of raw materials are constantly moving in and out.

 It's a big city, but luckily the hotel my parents where my parents have reserved a room is on the edge of it.  Standing in the pristine lobby with our dirty bikes, we feel a bit awkward, but it sure is wonderful to have a clean and cozy room.  Waiting for us are exciting gifts from my parents, including a small set of paints and all of my favorite snacks!  We shower then go out to an amazing dinner, which includes bruschetta, salad, pasta, and a brownie with ice cream.  It's great to catch up with my parents and share stories.