Saturday, June 27, 2009

June 25th

Another good day.  Once again, we got up before BA’s breakfast… no reading in bed with coffee!   It was cloudy when we left and continued that way until after lunch.  Then it turned to rain.  That along with the 50 degree temps makes for a good day to drive… better than the temps we’ve heard about in GR.
After taking, some pictures at Mile ‘0’ we headed west again.  Our plan was to stay in Fort Nelson but we stopped a couple of times along the way and decided to call it a day about 40 miles short of our destination.  We stopped just before 4:00 PM because we didn’t want to miss happy hour!  We are going to spend the night in a “rest area” (no facilities) but in BC they call it the 'Litter Barrel’.
The first stop of the day was at Mile 21 at the Kiskatinaw Bridge.  This is a 531' curved structure that is the only remaining one built from timber (original timber that is) that is in use today.  It is an amazing feat when one thinks that the Alcan Highway is 1523 miles long, built in 1942 in 8 months by the more than 11,000 American troops, 16,000 civilian workmen, and 7,000 pieces of equipment… remember the equipment did not include the big "dozers" we have today.
Next stop was for lunch at a small gravel pit alongside the road.  Lunch consisted of raisin bread, cheese (yes Dutch Gouda) and jam.  The jam was a present from Gale Ring when we left their place (suppose she was glad to get rid of us?).  It was homemade blue berry jam and was delicious.  Before we finished lunch, we had company as another motor home stopped for a break too.  
It wasn't long before we were on our way again with Arda desperately searching for Moose.  Seems like the bigger the "moose signs" along the road, the more moose we should see but not to be.  We did spot one little Black-Bear cub crossing the ditch… who knows where Momma was?  Maybe a good thing?

We had intended to stop at Mile 148 named SUICIDE HILL.  Apparently, it is one of the most treacherous hills on the entire highway and is noted for its ominous greeting, "PREPARE TO MEET THY MAKER".  We are not sure where we went wrong but there was nothing at this mile marker other than trees, grass, and more road.  The mileage may not be correct, as the road has been straightened over the years.
A new feature for WD's Tally book…  Each day I publish something I will include a section called, "Did You Know?".  Here is the first item…

Grizzly Bears have difficulty climbing, however they can still reach heights of 12 feet up a tree trunk.

That's all for now folks – until next time, keep your loops open.



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