Passing an old friend . . . Day 5 Part 2

Fort Nelson to Watson Lake . . .

It seems like every 10 minutes or so we drive around this curve or crest this hill and we run into another pack of Caribou or Moose standing in the middle of the road.

Then you come upon a really nice one . . .

Then not to be outdone a couple more miles down the road a nice small herd . . .

There were about 10-12 more down in the riverbed area. We stopped briefly to watch them look at us and slowly continue on their way.

Another tourist sign . . . it is a hoax to keep everyone amused, especially in winter . . .

The head butt . . . Our first encounter with the mountain sheep along the highway was comical. We topped a hill and came upon several sheep in the roadway and one . . . well just say he was quite headstrong and would not move . . . He stood his ground . . .

Then about a minute later we stopped as another sheep was showing his ass . . .

As we started to accelerate towards our next group I see rounding the curve in front of us a possible vehicle I had seen pictures of before. In the middle of nowhere British Columbia somewhere between Laird Hot Springs and Muncho Lake I saw my friend Vicki and her husband heading south along the Alcan on their way to campground host in southern Utah. I knew they were leaving Anchorage on Friday and today would be the probable day that we would pass each other.

I had been looking and as they slowly rounded the curve I could see the 5^th wheel camper and thought it was the one I had seen pictures of the week before. I could see Vicki sitting in the middle next to her husband and I waved as we passed by each other. I could see Vicki break into a big smile as our rigs passed each other and slowed a bit to see if they would stop. They slowly continued on to the group of sheep we had just passed and we continued on our way.

Vicki had become a friend of a group I have breakfast with every Saturday morning. I started having a ‘working breakfast’ almost 5 years ago when I was building a large project here. The University of Alaska in Anchorage was building a new library and I was project manager for the mechanical work being done with the plumbing, heating, and some other specialty parts of the project. It started as a way to organize the next week’s work and materials needed along with setting our goals for the crews and Vicki took care of us every week since that time. After that project was completed we continued to drop into our favorite Saturday morning place to eat and the people who stopped by grew. It is a nice way to have fellowship with others in a not so hurried way that happens during the work week.

So Vicki, thanks for everything you have done for our Saturday morning crew over the years . . . you will be missed! Good luck on your new adventure as we will keep an eye out on your blog for updates. See you guys when you return to Alaska next year.

We continued on our way a bit further when I saw a small herd of sheep walking down a ridge line towards the road. I stopped just past and go out and walked a bit back to where they would come to cross.

One has a nice set of curved horns . . .

Always remember to look both ways before crossing the road . . .

Another lake still frozen in time of winter . . .

During this time as we continued our time in the mountains it started to snow and the flurries picked up to give us another reminder that the conditions are ever changing.

We stopped at my favorite place on this trip for a cup of coffee, Laird Hot Springs Lodge. I had hoped we would have stayed here overnight last night but it was too long a drive to continue so we stopped in Fort Nelson. My other three trips during the winter drives it was a welcome place in the wilderness with great food and a warm bed. The staff has always been great and I look forward to stopping here on each trip.

I made my way down the wooden walkway to the springs where several people were enjoying the hot waters. It was about 35 degrees outside with a light snow falling off and on.

There are several pools with varying temperatures that you can relax in along with a nice little waterfall that you can sit under . . .

After our brief stopover it was time to continue our long day’s drive as we would be coming to the area where the buffalo's roam.

There weren’t as many as pass years as many were probably off the highway and back into the woods or grazing areas that are hidden from view.

And while I was watching Charlie take pictures I thought I would get one of him . . .

We finally make our way into the Yukon Territory in early afternoon . . .

And shortly before we could make our way into Watson Lake the reason for our stop in Grand Prairie came into play . . .

Yep . . . we (I) ran out of gas. I hoped we could make it all of the way into Watson Lake but Charlie was right . . . we should have stopped a little before to refuel but I told Charlie I would put the gas in if we did not make it all the way so I had the honors. I only used one of the 5 gallon cans as we were only about 10 miles from the next gas station.

We limp into refuel and stop by our welder friend, Kevin’s shop to say hello. He welded our receiver hitch on our last trip so we wanted to stop by. He was out on a job but we talked with his wife and left our regards.

More to come . . .

Ice