Day 9
1964, the Plan: Rancheria, YT to Haines Junction, YT.
1964, the Actuality: On Saturday, July 25, the Explorer Scouts traveled from Dawson Creek to the Kledo River (Creek) Bridge in BC, running a couple days behind schedule.
Thursday, June 22, 2017
We departed from Dawson Creek to start following the Alaska Highway (now the official name of the Alcan Highway)/BC-97, built as the Alaska-Canada Military Highway in 1942. It was a massive construction project, built in response to the attack on Pearl Harbor. Work began on March 8, 1942 and the official ribbon cutting took place on November 20, 1942. The original highway stretched 1,422 miles from Dawson Creek, BC to Delta Junction, AK. Over the years, the highway has been rerouted and straightened, so that it is now 1,387 miles long.
2017 marks the 75th anniversary of the highway. In 1964 the road was not paved, but was made of gravel and/or dirt. By now the entire highway has been paved, although there is always construction with temporary sections of gravel road.
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We heeded the surveyor's direction
to begin following the Alaska Highway |
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Kiskatinaw River Bridge (1942-1943), an engineering
achievement of the Alaska Highway, has a 9-degree curve |
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| The Kiskatinaw River Bridge is a wood-truss structure, 122 m/400' in length |
Pow! A passing truck threw up a golf-ball sized rock that hit the windshield.
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| Windshield damage, at about Mile 25 on the Alaska Highway! |
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Peace River Bridge (the 1942 bridge collapsed in 1957, replaced in 1960)
is the longest water span on the Alaska Highway at 712 m/2,130' in length |
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Tamiko picks some "gold" from the wood
carving of a Goldpanner in Taylor, BC (KSS) |
Taylor, BC is the home of the World's Invitational Gold Panning Championship.
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Taylor is also home to the world's largest "golf ball"
that is 12.9 m/42' in diameter |
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To the Rink (2010, by Peter Vogelaar) at the
Fort St John, BC Visitor Centre |
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Alaska Hwy Monument for those drowned on 5/14/1942 when their
pontoon boat, carrying construction equipment, sunk in Charlie Lake |
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| Remains of a wildfire |
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| Typical accommodations for oil crew workers |
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| Restaurants and hotels request that crew workers remove their muddy boots |
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1964: The Explorer Scouts' bus at Buckinghorse, BC
(actually on their way home) (Dr M) |
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| 2017: Our car at Buckinghorse, BC |
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| The gas station at Buckinghorse had an above-ground tank (KSS) |
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| Big cumulus clouds |
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| Kent at the Fort Nelson Heritage Museum |
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| A vintage Chevrolet school bus at the Fort Nelson Heritage Museum |
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| It is literally a school bus! (KSS) |
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| A Ford 1500 WT Canadian military truck (KSS) |
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| Tamiko with a kid-size ride-on lawn mower (KSS) |
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The "movie theater" at
the Fort Nelson Heritage Museum |
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The Fort Nelson Heritage Museum had a little of everything,
and supposedly an impressive antique car and truck collection |
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A black bear in the verge; we saw five separate bears today
along the Alaska Highway |
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| Kledo Creek from the bridge |
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Rest area near the Kledo Creek Bridge;
because overnight parking is not allowed,
we had to spend the night at a different place |
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| 1964: Reportedly a site of a tire blowout (KSS) |
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| 1964: Looking over a cloud-shadowed plain |
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| 2017: Is this the same place? |
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| We spent the night at the Tetsa River Campground |
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| We stayed in the back half of this cabin |
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| A cabin with a TV! |
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| Is this the Tetsa River? |
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| A farther hike took us to the actual Tetsa River |
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| Clear waters of a snowmelt river |
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| Making our way back across the rocky river plain |
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| Mertensia paniculata/Tall or Northern Bluebells |
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| A different kind of log fence |
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