Oh Canada

I had a pretty easy day today; I was just trying to get across the border.  Only 63 miles from where we camped last night.  Today wasn’t a very hard day, and the weather was perfect for riding so that was nice for a change.  There were still some rolling hills to deal with, but nothing like what I have been doing.

We crossed the border without incident and set up camp in Beaver Creek.  Showers and running water are a great thing, it is amazing what a shower can do for you.  Azure was able to do some laundry as well, which should help the current smell in the van.

Not long after arriving we met Houston and Sue who are riding North from Missoula, Montana and Jasper, B.C. respectively.  It has been interesting I have met a lot of cyclists up here all seeming to have different agendas and destinations but very few of them have been American.   So it was nice to see some fellow Yankees out here pedaling away.  We ended up having a few beers at the site and then heading to dinner.  It was truly an enjoyable evening, pleasant company and conversation was a really nice change of pace. 

I think that it is because everyone is out of their element and has more time available, but when you are on the road everyone is generally really friendly.  Had we crossed paths with these two in any of our perspective hometowns I highly doubt, even if we exchanged hellos or simple conversation, we would have ended up having dinner together.  What a shame.  Taking the time out to actually speak to a stranger isn’t something that we do in our everyday lives; I am as guilty as anyone.  The hustle and bustle of everyday life gets to everyone Azure and I included.  Tonight as we were having dinner I was thinking about all of the interesting people/conversations I have missed out on.  I know that most likely when I return to the “real world” I will drift back into the societal norms.  But I hope that I can preserve something from this overtly open and friendly life style that we are currently living. 
Houston and Sue, Thank You for a great evening.

63 miles

12.8mph average

28.1mph max

4:52:40 ride time