Day 31: Liard Hot Springs - Andy Bailey Lake
Continue with Wellness, at 6:30 another bath. In the restaurant opposite the campground, I charge my camera batteries during packing up and breakfast.
I have to check out before 11 am, so there's enough time for another bath.
After saying goodbye to the people at the gate of the campground I ride towards Fort Nelson.
It's a very smokey day, apparently still from the fires at Telegraph Creek, but it isn't sure. I did a detour with Trevor to Telegraph Creek, from where recently the inhabitants were evacuated, since the fires there had a devastating effect.
The smoke is really everywhere and very dense. Thus, the mountains, which are displayed on some boards at parking lots, can only been imagined.
In between, I make a lunch break at a restaurant, in which even wifi is available for a fee ($ 2). So I finally have a phone call with Brigitte on the Internet again.
It is very difficult to communicate, because there is often nothing on a distance of 150 kilometers, no settlement, nothing, no mobile signal, nothing at all. For this reason and because of the time difference, it is extremely difficult to communicate with those at home, especially for real time communication.
On the other hand, it is wonderfully easy to get in touch with the Canadians here. Everywhere you are addressed. Everywhere you take your time for a talk! Very relaxed.
At lunch I have a conversation with an American couple, outside the door I chat with other motorcyclists, you need a lot of time for these talks along the street.
After refueling in Fort Nelson, I ask for a supermarket in the Tourist Informartion and where I can find a nice campground.
It is sometimes difficult to find a supermarket in such small towns as they are not always as well signposted. But maybe I just have tomatoes on my eyes.
The young woman in the Tourist Information points me to a campground, which is 13 kilometers dirt road from the main road and she tells me, it's quiet there. Sounds good. I'll go for that.
The campground has a total of 15 sites, of which only 4 are occupied.
First I pitch up my tent. Then I want to bring my envelope with the registration fee - it's self-registration here again - to the money bin at the entrance of the campground.
Along the way, I meet Norman and Michelle, two Canadians with Ukrainian (Norman) and German (Michelle) roots, who are on their first day with a pickup camper and a boat trailer with a jetboat. It's 7pm when I get into conversation with them and it's after 11pm when I finally come back to my site. At some point Michelle takes the envelope with the registration fee out of my hand and throws it in for me, I am provided with wine, invited to dinner and we talk all evening.
It turns out that the two have been together for 30 years and also have children, but recently got married and are on a honeymoon, so to speak. Wonderful story. I'm talking about our best friends, who recently got married after 25 years together and the young couple I met recently at Kluane Lake. So we have a lot of fun telling stories the whole evening.
Coming back to my site I find out that the navigation system might still work. It is still turned on and surprisingly enough, I now can enter the PIN and get the normal control screen. However, I can not get it out of the mount and so have to turn it off, that the battery of the bike will not be sucked empty overnight. Let's see if I can get it up and running again tomorrow.