Chuck:
Departed Toad River Campground; beautiful morning, slight headwind. About a mile out of the campsite, a young cow caribou crossed in front of me and descended down the steep hillside. The road turned away from Toad River, had a few ups and downs then started following Racing River higher into the mountains. Some road maintenance held up traffic to wait for a “Pilot Vehicle”. They let me ride through on my own which was good; I avoided most of the dust. We crossed Racing River on an old iron bridge and eventually we parted paths. The headwind increased. Fortunately, Betty waited at a turnout three miles prior to our planned stop; the endless hills were wearing me out. A shower, lotsa water, lunch and an hour’s rest helped. But, the headwind was still a menace and the road is now constantly climbing on its way to Summit Pass, the highest point on the Alcan. My bike is now always in one of its lower gears. Right when I needed a break, I saw four Stone Mountain Sheep on the vertical wall about one hundred feet above me. I snapped a few photos, then back to pedaling. Three uphill miles later, Betty was waiting at a small turnout on an almost level plateau before another three miles up to Summit Pass. Enough for today!
After dinner, Betty was reading and I was working on this entry as a male caribou stood on the road in front of us. The shutter on Betty’s camera sounded like machine gun fire as she took pictures of this magnificent creature trotting right by us. Then, and hour later, he (or another about the same size) trotted by going the opposite direction. He stayed on the road for the half mile we could see.
“Climb the mountains and get their good tidings,
Natures’ peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees,
Winds will blow their own freshness into you,
And storms their energy,
As your cares fall away like the Autumn leaves.” By: John Muir
Betty: Pictures will be posted once we have unlimited internet (which means good old USA)