Happy Canada Day!
I asked four Canadians what Canada Day is all about, but none of them could say for sure. I so I went online:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canada_Day
I could barely see out of the mesh tent walls due to the mosquitoes roosting there this morning - and that's only a slight exaggeration. I suited up, head net included, and exited the tent to quickly break down camp and scarf down breakfast. I was on the road quickly and stopped to clean my bug-crusted windshield just outside of the park. This is a task that I was becoming very accustomed to doing.
As I left the junction north on Highway 37, a mama black bear and her 3 cute little cubs crossed the highway in front of Conrad. My trigger finger wasn't quick enough on the camera. Next time! It turned into a long day of driving. I was hoping to reach Skagway by bedtime. I stopped a couple of times for gas along the way. The service station in Good Hope Lake even had a shower! I stopped for pictures at Gnat Lake, a good representation of the topography I saw along the way. (And the gnats swarmed me.) I stopped again as another black bear ambled onto the highway just east of Dease Lake. I crossed into Yukon Territory just south of the junction with Highway 1. I headed west on that highway and criss-crossed back and forth between Yukon and BC on my way to Skagway, Alaska. Several things stood out to me as I drove west:
1) I viewed myself as just a little bit daring in my travels, but nothing compared to the brave and adventurous people that actually explored and built these highways. It amazes me what courage and big-picture view these people must have had.
2) I passed many touring bicyclists along the highway. It seemed like such a long drive to me. I couldn't imagine wanting to bike it.
3) I appreciated how the Canadian government posted the cost (in Canadian dollars) of each construction project I encountered along the highway. Their (many) tax dollars at work!
4) The road is, simply, a highway cut into an expanse of nowhereness. The raised road rolls on and on through a swath of clear cut forest.
I turned off the main thoroughfare to Anchorage at Jake's Corner and headed southwest on Highway 8, then 2, through Carcross. I drove by Canadian Customs and several miles later, a US official welcomed me at the Alaska border. The drive between the two customs units was one of the most beautiful I have ever driven, even better than the drive to Stewart the previous day. Smooth rocky outcrops separated dozens of lakes in a valley surrounded by mountains. It seemed like I was on the top of the world. From customs, it was only a short drive to Skagway. The town was shut down by the time I arrived, but tourists from the cruise ship in the port continued to stroll around. I visited the ferry terminal to see about a ship to Juneau, but it was closed for the night. The best I could figure, there was one at 1:15 AM (two nights later). I was hoping I wouldn't have to take that one.
I found the Skagway Mountain View RV Park, a relatively quiet location considering the busy 4th of July weekend. They didn't have any tent sites, so I settled for a RV site. (That meant only that there was no designated tent pad or picnic table.)
The days were even longer at this latitude. The sun set at 10:22 PM as I walked through the downtown area and thought about how I would get to Juneau. It would rise again at 3:52 AM the next day, so I had to sleep quickly.
I asked four Canadians what Canada Day is all about, but none of them could say for sure. I so I went online:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canada_Day
I could barely see out of the mesh tent walls due to the mosquitoes roosting there this morning - and that's only a slight exaggeration. I suited up, head net included, and exited the tent to quickly break down camp and scarf down breakfast. I was on the road quickly and stopped to clean my bug-crusted windshield just outside of the park. This is a task that I was becoming very accustomed to doing.
As I left the junction north on Highway 37, a mama black bear and her 3 cute little cubs crossed the highway in front of Conrad. My trigger finger wasn't quick enough on the camera. Next time! It turned into a long day of driving. I was hoping to reach Skagway by bedtime. I stopped a couple of times for gas along the way. The service station in Good Hope Lake even had a shower! I stopped for pictures at Gnat Lake, a good representation of the topography I saw along the way. (And the gnats swarmed me.) I stopped again as another black bear ambled onto the highway just east of Dease Lake. I crossed into Yukon Territory just south of the junction with Highway 1. I headed west on that highway and criss-crossed back and forth between Yukon and BC on my way to Skagway, Alaska. Several things stood out to me as I drove west:1) I viewed myself as just a little bit daring in my travels, but nothing compared to the brave and adventurous people that actually explored and built these highways. It amazes me what courage and big-picture view these people must have had.
2) I passed many touring bicyclists along the highway. It seemed like such a long drive to me. I couldn't imagine wanting to bike it.
3) I appreciated how the Canadian government posted the cost (in Canadian dollars) of each construction project I encountered along the highway. Their (many) tax dollars at work!
4) The road is, simply, a highway cut into an expanse of nowhereness. The raised road rolls on and on through a swath of clear cut forest.
I turned off the main thoroughfare to Anchorage at Jake's Corner and headed southwest on Highway 8, then 2, through Carcross. I drove by Canadian Customs and several miles later, a US official welcomed me at the Alaska border. The drive between the two customs units was one of the most beautiful I have ever driven, even better than the drive to Stewart the previous day. Smooth rocky outcrops separated dozens of lakes in a valley surrounded by mountains. It seemed like I was on the top of the world. From customs, it was only a short drive to Skagway. The town was shut down by the time I arrived, but tourists from the cruise ship in the port continued to stroll around. I visited the ferry terminal to see about a ship to Juneau, but it was closed for the night. The best I could figure, there was one at 1:15 AM (two nights later). I was hoping I wouldn't have to take that one.
I found the Skagway Mountain View RV Park, a relatively quiet location considering the busy 4th of July weekend. They didn't have any tent sites, so I settled for a RV site. (That meant only that there was no designated tent pad or picnic table.)The days were even longer at this latitude. The sun set at 10:22 PM as I walked through the downtown area and thought about how I would get to Juneau. It would rise again at 3:52 AM the next day, so I had to sleep quickly.
2 comments:
Excellent!
Excellent!
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