Today was like a day at the zoo, but all the animals were in
the wild.
We started the day hoping for a nice breakfast but found the
lodge and restaurant across the road from the park closed. This seems to be a general
theme along the Alcan this year. The economy has taken a downturn in this area.
We moved on and encountered a bit of heavy road construction. In one area they
are moving the road completely to a new straighter area. It looked like a major
reconstruction. We also had 6 km of gravel that slowed us down a bit. Beyond
that point the road was ok but not the smoothest we have encountered.
Then we stopped to view our first herd of bison. It’s a bit
like Yellowstone. If you see brake lights there are probably animals nearby.
These may have been the same herd we spotted yesterday. There were lots of
calves, mothers and a couple bulls, all grazing on the roadside. Karen saw one
bull preparing for his morning chore with tail raised high in the air.
Underneath the tail was a small calf who didn’t know what was about to happen.
The mother used her head to shove the baby aside just in time. I guess all
babies have a lot of lessons to learn. It was a good laugh to start the day. We
took our pictures and moved on to our next encounter. Beside the road near
Muncho Lake we spotted a small herd of Rock Sheep. They look like a smaller
version of Big Horn Sheep. Next, was a grizzly (picture below), then a moose
crossed the road in front of us and lastly a black bear was eating wild flowers
near the highway. We saw a couple deer but they hardly deserve a mention.
Driving the highway requires constant attention but makes the miles go by
quickly.
We did find a place for breakfast at the Northern Rockies
Lodge. The food was average but the lodge and cabins were beautiful. They do
fly-in fishing packages and the scenery in the area is spectacular. We know
that from the pictures we found in the lodge. The weather today didn’t allow
for much of a view from the drive. Again, we knew there were huge mountains in
this area but they were hidden in the clouds and rain.
We found another older lodge an hour later that advertised
“The Best Cinnamon Buns in the Galactic Cluster”. We have tested a few of these
claims along the way and have been a bit disappointed but this one spoke the
truth. We left with two that will cover our breakfast for the next couple
days.
We are staying tonight in The Triple G RV Park in Fort
Nelson. Again the park is nearly full of travelers mostly heading west to the
Yukon and Alaska. We are told that next week the caravans (25 to 50 RVs) begin
arriving and that will really make it difficult to find places to stay.
Fortunately, we will be out of this area by then. The weather is a bit stormy so we may decide
to spend two days here. We have all the comforts of home and another rest stop
will feel good.
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| Home of GREAT Cinnamon Buns |
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| Size difference |
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| Keeping an eye on the young ones |
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| Grizzly - glad we were in the RV |
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| Watching us take his picture |
