Jul
27
2009
by Mr Cubes
Continental Divide to Nugget City (72.2 miles)
Total Miles: 1,553.6
My last day in the Yukon and like so many others it was a contrast of the sublime and the ridiculous. But in today's case it was the riding that was the joy; the resting the nightmare.
Feeling the need to be spoilt, I was tempted into the Continental Divide 'restaurant' which didn't actually offer table service, but at least I didn't have to cook. I ordered a 'breakfast burrito' which was just a standard omelette in a tortilla wrap. Should have stuck with the porridge. I had a feeling today would be pretty fast, maybe because I had crossed the continental divide so assumed it would be all downhill. It turned out to be mostly uphill, yet was still a very fast day.
I made the first 11 miles to Rancheria Resort in just 45 minutes and started to wonder what ingredients had been used in my breakfast. I had only planned a 46 mile day to a government campground but decided to try and push on whilst I was making such good time. As I freewheeled downhill to the campsite I met two American girls struggling up the other way and quickly learnt from them that it was a massive tailwind that was allowing me such good speeds. They also told me that there were some nice camping spots at Nugget City which is just at the junction of the Cassiar Highway, the road I was taking south out of The Yukon. Only 26 miles further on, and if a marathon runner can do it in just over two hours then surely I can make it fairly quickly on a bike.
Well, I guess marathon runners aren't carrying 70lbs of equipment on top of a 30lb bike. And most of the road for this last section was uphill, but it was still a 70 mile day completed in just over five hours - with a very healthy average speed. Arriving at Nugget City (another 'city' that is just a campsite) I had high hopes. Modern wooden buildings and plenty of flowers gave it a nice look, but from then on it started to go wrong. The pitch was the most expensive I had stayed in for probably the least. Showers were extra, internet was an additional $10 and there was no drinking water available. The spaghetti bolognese I ordered for dinner was also expensive and very ordinary and the tenting area was a small patch of trees next to a generator. A pretty sad way to end my time in a territory in which I had made some good friends, enjoyed some great cycling and marvelled at magnificent scenery. Tomorrow I would see what British Columbia, self proclaimed 'Best Place on Earth', had to offer. It'll be hard pressed to beat The Yukon.