From Camrose to Prince Rupert, BC

On Friday, August 31st we packed the van with our camping gear, three bicycles, our literacy presentation material and headed away from Camrose to Prince Rupert. Our goal was to travel as far as McBride BC, camp for the night and carry on the Smithers for another camping experience before arriving in Prince Rupert on Sunday.

The drive to McBride was uneventful but the day ended in showers and upon arriving at McBride things were a little wet. Helen was still game to set up tents to start the camping experience but I prefer my camping "dry" so thanks to the Camrose and Area Adult Learning Council we stayed the night in the McBride Motel.

Saturday morning we drove to Prince George and stopped in to say Hi to friends who own the Stride and Guide Store in Prince George. After a short visit, with enough time to buy an anniversary gift for Helen (34 years), we jumped in the van and drove to Smithers. We wanted to travel the entire route in daylight hours so we could see the highway shoulders. This would help us later to know where the highway was not as safe to ride which allows us to us "Munsch Miles" More about Munsch miles later but quickly it's a term we use for miles that we accumulate for overlapped miles in the relay.

At the Smithers campground we unload everything and set up our tents, cooked supper and rested. Soon the van signage, provided by Windwood Signs, has people stopping by to see what we are doing. This was great because it helped us know that we would have to change the date of our first school visit. Our first school was Kitwanga but their first day of school was only one hour so we would need to delay our presentation one day. With the help of our visitor who knew the school principal's name and phone number (how's that for service) and we were able to make the needed change.

The next morning we had our second campsite visitor, Lilly. Lilly is the librarian at Mouse Mountain School in Fraser Lake. She wondered if Robert Munsch was in the van with us since she knows he is capable of showing up at any school and entertaining the students. We said he was not with us, but when we explained what we were doing she invited us to her school. She is a very determined woman and we were curious about the school's name and as luck would have it we were able to change our schedule to accommodate the visit.

After breaking up camp we headed for Prince Rupert and a night of seafood before starting the bike relay home.
Our night in the Prince Rupert Campground was "WET" and my spirits were as damp as everything around us - not a great way to start but we did expect rain in Prince Rupert.

Helen was the brightest spot of the morning as she was ready, willing, and able to start riding from the edge of Prince Rupert. So the bike relay began.