Tailwinds to Grand Praire, Alberta

Day 13 Grande Cache to Grande Prairie. Distance 112 miles. My distance 76 miles.

The wind howled all night long, and the forecast had been that today those winds would be in our faces. Thus, we all anticipated a horrible 109-mi trek north today. I decided to read aloud our Irish prayer we have taped next to the door:

Thank you Papa! It turned out that we did indeed have the wind at our backs for most of the ride, and it was a fierce wind! It made it a pretty easy day, although I was the one driving the RV for the final third when the strong wind did have spells of being in their faces. The only time it was in MY face was just as we left town this morning, and we were coasting steeply downhill. Perfect.

The scenery today was pretty consistent: evergreens in all directions, rolling hills, and no cities or establishments of any kind until we arrived here. My photos today are primarily of us cycling. Here's the first:

If you have a sharp eye, you'll notice Bob is riding his light bike (for only the 2nd time). Rick was the first driver, and Derek decided not to ride the beginning because of the headwinds prediction. So, for the first 28 miles, it was just Bob, Bert, and I. On his light bike, Bob scorched ahead of us and we couldn't stay with him. Derek joined after 28 mi.

After the first third was done, Rick joined us (Bert drove) and here's a photo of Rick with "the road ahead."

Here's a nice shot of Derek and Bob, and as with the other photos, you can see the kind of landscape we had today:

Somewhere in the morning, I crested a hill ahead of the others and came across another beautiful moose! As I was slowing down to take her picture, she turned and vanished into the woods. The guys are jealous that I've seen two moose, and they haven't seen one yet.

Here's another picture with Derek, Bob, and Rick. Can you tell we have a tailwind?

My favorite photo of the day:

Derek is only 22, so he needs his rest!

Most of today's scenery was "the road ahead", so here's a cool one of Bert and our road in the distance.

After 74 miles, I drove 40 miles, past our campground, straight to a supermarket in Grande Prairie (population 55,000!). I got desserts and treats, as well as fruits and veggies and necessities. When I arrived at the campground, Bert had already arrived.

Another day in the books! Tomorrow we ride back into British Columbia and Dawson Creek, which is Mile 0 of the Alaska Highway. Two weeks will be done, with six to go. Distance so far is about 950, and my total is 863. We're doing great on our epic journey.