July 26, 2005
Day 70: Vanderhoof to Burns Lake
Everywhere you look the hills are red - dead and dying pine trees infested with the pine beetle. 90% of the trees will be gone in 5 years. Logging trucks are everywhere. Mills are working overtime. Yards are stacked with logs on one end and lumber on the other.
Guys are making $60,000, $80,000 and $100,000 a year. But in five years it will all be over. Then you might just be able to buy all of Vanderhoof for a nickel.
I had breakfast with Jean Pierre. He decided to stay in town to let his pinched neck get better, then take the train to Houston - that's Houston, BC - not Texas. I spent most of the morning in the economic development office. They are aware of the axe hovering over Vanderhoof, but many of the locals are too busy making money to consider the consequences. Boom town blues all over again. Dodge City, Virginia City, Jeffrey City.
Lordy, lordy. I sure would like a good tailwind day. As I pedal slowly into the wind - grunt, grunt, grunt. I realize that I have had a headwind through most of Canada - in fact, for most of the trip!?!? So much for careful planning.
I made it to Fort Fraser where another one of Rebecca's beautiful cards awaited me. Had a late lunch then headed back into the wind. At Fraser Lake I stopped for soup and coffee. Big mistake! When I got back on the road my stomach and other parts went on strike. I made a necessity stop and wolfed down four Rolaids. At a rest area I met Jake from Burns Lake. We started talking about forest issues. I asked if he was heading into Burns Lake and he offered me a ride. There are times when its best to be practical on a long bike tour. And if you happen to be sick, it's much better to be in town than in the middle of nowhere.
Jake was returning from a board meeting of the McBride lumber mill. The glut in lumber is prompting the big boys like Canfor to put the squeeze on independents like Jake. We stopped by a beautiful new bar/cafe that he opened in town, had a drink together, then he dropped me off in the town campground. Unfortunately, as I lifted my loaded bike out of the back, I pulled my shoulder. I can only sleep in one position but that hardly matters. Foul-mouthed teen-agers party most of the night. And it rains. Oh, well.
Today's ride: 55 miles (89 km)
Total: 3,798 miles (6,112 km)
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