Day 33 - Fort Nelson, BC to Watson Lake, YT - 350 Miles
Today was another long day of travel, from Fort Nelson, BC to Watson Lake, Yukon, over 300 miles mostly north and west. I was moving slowly as a result of began early as a result of the birthday celebration last night with JBim (Jim Beam)....
Traveling along the Alaska Highway, the first stop at Testa, where the cinnamon rolls in the bakery/general store were widely advertised. Warm and fresh from the oven, they were a perfect breakfast.
Then I headed on to Summit Pass, the highest mountain pass on the Alaska Highway. It has been described as one of the most scenic stretches of highway. I am sure it was beautiful, but it drizzled or rained until mid-afternoon so I didn't see much until stopping at Liard Hot Springs. Lunch was at the Muncho Lake Lodge, a beautiful log lodge.
Muncho Lake was aqua-blue, and if the sun had shone, I’m sure it would have been even more beautiful.
The original military highway has been re-routed in a number of places through the years to make it more navigable. For instance, there was a hill at 45 degrees, dubbed “Suicide Hill” back in 1942 when the road was built. A sign had been posted there to “Prepare to meet your Maker”. That has been re-routed, although I was looking for it as I travelled through the area. There were portions of the original highway visible from the new road, high above Muncho Lake where you could see the hair-raising road at the edge of the cliffs above. – it is amazing that the military trucks had to navigate it during the winter! The road had been called one of the wonders of the world.
I crossed the last surviving suspension bridge on the Alaska Highway.
Another stop made this afternoon was the Liard Hot Springs, where the water comes out at 126 degrees farenheight. The stop was for medicinal purposes, of course. It was a whole lot warmer than the hot springs back in Wyoming a couple weeks ago, and crystal clear, too. Just as I left the hot springs at 3 pm, the sun came out today. Now I can see the beautiful colors of the mountains, skies and lakes again.
I crossed into the Yukon territory north of British Columbia, although the road dipped back and forth several times.
The destination for the night was in Watson Lake, Yukon. During the construction of the road in 1942, one soldier who was working on building the road in Watson Lake was homesick so he nailed up a sign pointing toward his hometown. Through the years, others passing through the area have added signs of their own. At last count there in 2015, there were over 82,000 street, town and name signs posted. The provincial government maintains the “Signpost Forest” and it is one of the most-visited spots in the area.
Finished Season 4 of Boston Legal, and I am
trying to find Season 5. It’s not that important, though, since it’s bright as day at midnight and there’s plenty of quilting to do.
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| Signpost Forest, Lake Watson, YT |
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