Episode 3 - this time we do get to the Alaska Highway

Remarkable the timing of my arrival at the motel in Lloydminster, just minutes before the start of the broadcast of Game #1 of the Stanley Cup Finals. Ah, Don and Ron, a cold one in hand and finals hockey. This has to be Canada eh. A Detroit victory, not unexpected.







Day 7 May 31






Last night I called the Mills' family in St Albert to warn them of my impending arrival today. David is still in Ontario enjoying the Learneds and as I soon discover a whole lot of golf. David and Janice are old friends from early days in Ottawa and neighbours in the Glebe. The drive through Alberta is enjoyable as the morning is sunny and bright though there is a cool breeze blowing. Janice has plans to plant a couple of flower beds today so I should be there in time to help. I get to Edmonton and call to fine tune directions and arrive in time to get dirty in the planting operation. We worked for a while until most of the flats were distributed and then we went in for lunch and a good long chat. It covers the gap of the many years which have passed in our respective lives, kids, careers, etc. Mid afternoon now and friends, the Voiseys come over to wish Janice a happy birthday delivering card and gift. We spent a rousing few hours of conversation over drinks. Topics range from life in Edmonton, Ottawa, and various national parks as we shared experiences. They take their leave and we decide to bbq dinner. It was another chance to talk especially about my recent decisions and activities. Janice generously agreed to watch some of the second game of the SCF since she has a goalie for a husband and is accustomed to the lure of playoffs. WOW huge screen, hi def too! Alas not a great game especially for Pittsburgh. Looks like a Detroit sweep.





Day 8 June 1




Janice has to work today so I have the place to myself. A stack of morning papers - four dailies - yes I know its all about the research David! That took up a good part of the morning, then laundry, a trip to the driving range, bought some wine and groceries for a good meal which I was happy to prepare as part of my rent. I spent some time in the sunshine reading my book which I am finding fascinating, The Book of Negroes, by Laurence Hill. All in all a nice battery recharging day after a number of days on the road and almost half way to my destination. Dinner... pork loin, rice, broccoli and Caesar salad. David flew in just in time for leftovers. We have a grand re-union going over old and new news. We work out a plan for the next day which, of course, includes golf. I call Brian Corbett to see if he would be interested in joining our group. Oh and I have to explain that I have the rocks, ready for delivery. Jerry O'Brien had tasked me with a special request, to deliver two ocean worn beach stones from their trip to the Magdalen Islands a couple of years ago. It is a long story and I don't expect to stay in the rock import-export business so please send all future requests for a detailed explanation or to order more rocks contact Jerry directly. After a few calls back and forth we filled out our foursome with a friend Brian has invited.



Day 9 June 2



In another of those classic coincidence moments it turns out that Rod Macleod, professor at U of Alberta, (actively researching and writing a biography on Sam Steele,) was on the board that hired David into the History department. Brian Corbett was half of the two man board, the other was Peter Gillis, that hired me to my first contract at Public Archives of Canada in 1977. We had a great day on the links, save for the scores, but everyone enjoyed the sunshine, the kibitzing and reminiscences generated lots of laughter. Oh yes and we end with a cold one on the deck of the Indian Lakes golf course. Left to right - me, Brian, Rod and David.



In the evening an exchange of e-mails establishes that Patti Anderson is in Edmonton attending the ARMA conference. I call her and we arrange to meet for dinner tomorrow, Wednesday.

Day 10, June 3

Got directions from David and make my way into downtown Edmonton from St Albert. Patti has already headed over to the restaurant from her hotel so I drive through the rush hour traffic and arrive a bit late. It's an Italian place on, appropriately, Whyte Ave with a sunny patio at the back. Patti has ordered an appetizer but we set some sort of record for the amount of time between receiving menus and finally placing an order. We are too busy chatting to concern ourselves with food. We cover a long list of items since it has been a while since we had an opportunity. We worked together for many years and were important cogs on softball and golf teams, Unfortunately neither sport really needs cogs but we were ready if called upon. Patti seems a bit miffed at how happy I appear, too happy is her complaint, you know that almost smug kind of happy, what with all the retirement and engagement stuff going on. I explain that the idea of the retirement party proposal is partly her inspiration. Patti and her beau John decided to tie the knot back a few months ago although she did not seem to be a big fan of marriage. So that caused an "ah ha" moment for me which started the process rolling. A good four hours later we have had our fill of food and beverage but could have gone on talking til who knows when. It's time to leave. I manage to get someone to take a commemorative photo of the event just before Patti mounts up and bikes back to the hotel. I would say an ideal night but there is one minor flaw, the bar a few doors down appears to be a favourite of motorcycle club members and there is a constant parade of very large, noisy bikes to-ing and fro-ing down the back lane to Philthy McNasty's, how appropriate. Ah we manage to talk over the grumbling engines anyway.

Got back to the Mills homestead, Janice has already gone to bed... work the next day. David is watching several concerts of famous bands from the 60's and 70's still hard at it these days. Boomer Rock. Enjoyable never the less. It is good to have a chance to talk over those days, and in an equally nostalgic touch he produced, no not a joint, rather a photo album with snap shots from lo those many years ago when we played Sunday Morning Softball with a group of friends and colleagues, there were camping excursions, trips to Henry's cottage and different parties. All before children arrived for most of the people pictured there. Ah the good old days. The last few images were from the time the Mills, including their two young kids, came to Whitehorse when we lived there in the late 1980's. How appropriate to see images of my destination.

Day 11 June 4

This is it the last big push from Edmonton to Whitehorse along the legendary Alaska Highway. It is a leisurely start, unfortunately Janice is gone already by the time I get up so I leave a note of thanks for her hospitality taking in a travel weary fellow, providing shelter and sustenance. It has been a very enjoyable stay both for the level of comfort and catching up with old friends. I tell David we'll have to keep up the pace, every 15 years or so we'll get together. We say our farewells and I capture the inspired t-shirt he has on for blog purposes. It's a rec hockey team logo with a back story. E-mail David for details.

I am actually looking forward to getting behind the wheel after so much time off. It is cool and cloudy, perfect for a long haul up the highway. The first part of the trip is dominated by farms the next part has oil rigs dotting the country-side, eventually entering the boreal forest. Soon there are signs of wildlife as I catch a glimpse of a coyote on the prowl. I stop and to my surprise the car doesn't seem to both him at all. He looks, listens and then pounces trying to catch mice or voles. My efforts to get an action shot were so so. Whenever I had the camera ready in movie mode he would stop. After a few minutes I would take a break and then he would jump around like a rubber ball.

The game of coyote and mouse looked like it was an all day event and I have places to go and so I did. Next stop, after a fairly long day was Dawson Creek, B.C. and no Elizabeth, it is not that Dawson's Creek, it might have been a more interesting tv series if it had been shot here, though. Found a place that looks ok, get a room and haul my stuff in. Wouldn't you know its game 4 of the SCF, what remarkable timing. Hey not only that but there is an NBA Finals game on as well. What a great country we live in, cable and satellite feed. Hey Pittsburg won, now it is a series again.

Day 12 June 5

That was a good night's rest, often a challenge with time change and increasing light levels. I am up early because I want to see if I can chew up a lot of the 1400 kms left so that I can get to Whitehorse at a good time on Saturday. Pack up, a quick bowl of cereal and I'm ready to go. As I leave Dawson Creek I think I should replenish my post card supply and something from around this area would be different. I keep an eye out for a suitable place to stop once it gets a little later. As I come upon Taylor, B.C, population 1400 I notice a Tourist Information Centre, housed in a nice log cabin. I pull in to check it out and get some cards. I try the door but not open yet. Then a notice on the door grabs my attention. "Alaska Highway Closed Between Fort Nelson and Watson Lake Due to Forest Fires" Now this is something I had not factored into the trip. Mechanical problems, maybe some bad weather but not fires this early in the year. There wasn't much to do except wait so I took the opportunity to look at the outdoors exhibition of historical information and artifacts beside the cabin. Apparently the cabin was built in 1938 then bought much later and donated to the town by a kindly benefactor.

As I was reading the plaques a car pulled up and a lady emerged from the passenger side carrying a box. She apologized saying that the center should be open by now but she was a little late, she had picked up donuts from another event held yesterday. Did I want to come inside and have coffee and a donut. Western hospitality, why not, but I should skip the donut, empty calories. Sometimes I try. The driver of the car a younger man came in as well. The building was chilly inside as it is not heated when not staffed. She set about turning the heat on, pulling the coffee maker out and setting up the donuts. "Sorry they are day olds but do have one." I declined and asked about the fire situation. She asked her son, who was back in town for a visit and he said the last he heard the highway was still closed. Once she heard my dilemma she started on a non-stop dialogue, extolling the virtues of the tourist attractions in and around Taylor. She listed hikes and scenic points of interest gathering steam as she began to warm up. She listed a few places where I could stay all the while pushing the donuts. I declined the donut but took a cup of the instant decaf and was grateful to have something hot in my hands. The son seemed to sense my predicament and asked if it would help if he checked on line for the latest update. Yes, yes please! The Highway site stated that it was still closed. He gave me the contact number to try later on and then suggested that there was a golf course just up the road and they served a good breakfast at reasonable prices, in fact they were just there earlier. Sounded fine to me but I was still having some difficulty disengaging from the Mom who continues to pile up brochures and maps, sounding a bit hurt by my refusal of the donut and a second cup of the coffee. She extracted some information from me... home, destination, reason for going and then surmised that with my interest in history I "really must check out the Alaska Highway Museum." I tried to politely explain that I had a fair knowledge of the highway's history having been responsible for records of one the federal departments involved, and I had presented at a conference on that very topic in Whitehorse some years ago. Big, big mistake. I should have just said uh huh and left when I had the chance. Now I was led over to the shelf containing the library devoted to local history with a small subsection devoted to the Highway. She said maybe my work was there among the other authors. I explained that my presentation wasn't published. She wanted to know why... "Was it not good enough?" Now I was being interrogated. Why hadn't I taken the donut, then none of this would have happened! I would have tried to come up with a defence if I could only remember why it wasn't published. I don't think anything out of the conference was. Oh well. Anyway I decided that the golf course offered the best plan of retreat. As I bade goodbye and headed for the door she made one last effort at passing out a donut, ah no thanks, and I made my break for it.

A short distance down the road I came upon the largest golf ball I have ever seen. I deduced I was close. Sorry no picture, I was too awe-struck to remember I had a camera. Just a bit further along was the Lone Wolf golf club, The Pride of the Peace, Mile 36 on the World Famous Alaska Highway. All right, history that serves up breakfast. I find a table in the near empty dining area. Service is quick and pleasant. I order and ask about fire knowledge here. One of the staff is unaware and the other says yes the highway has been closed for a while. Coffee was good so was the juice and I had time to write some post cards, oh yes I did manage to come away with some cards while suffering through the inquisition. The Weather channel was on the TV so I had half an ear on it. No mention of the highway situation although there was a story about fires in central B.C. Typical, was the response of the server, they never talk about the North unless it is something really big. As I ate and wrote, the weather outside was actually improving. it had been drizzling but was clearing up. A thought entered my brain, I'm at a golf course, I have nowhere to go for a while, I have clubs in the trunk. A plan started to form. I walked over to the pro shop side of the building and asked if there was an opening. No one booked for the next half hour, yeehaw. Oh but the dress code, I was wearing jeans, the person at the cash responded to my question with the following phrase, "phffffffff." I took that as the local term for "whatever."

Out to the car, clubs, shoes, ready to go. Off to the first tee. I began with my rigorous pre-game routine, stretch left, one right, try to find my toes ah there they are, now I am ready. A quick look at the hole layout on the tee box map, develop a strategy, water all along the left so keep it middle right. Ball on the tee, practice swing, address the ball, waggle, waggle, whoosh.... Splash! Oh well, moved on down the fairway and find the ball in the shallow water; ball retriever, extraction, drop it and gather necessary data to inform my next shot. Second shot about 185 yards over water and with a cross breeze. Trusty 5 wood deposits my second shot onto the green a mere 8 feet from the pin. I decide that a mulligan is fully in order given the trauma of the fire, the cool, damp conditions, the lack of proper warm-up, etc. Still two putted. Not that I am going to provide a shot by shot account of the game, although I could post the card, ah, no, but I did want to mention that after hitting my drive on the second hole I saw another single finishing up at #1 so I waited to see if he wanted to join me. Dillon turned out to be a young man of some golf talent and good company. As well he had local knowledge and much better vision than mine so he found several of my wayward shots I would never have located otherwise. Though he was slow talking we did manage to warm up to each other and he was soon offering up interesting historical facts about the town, its industries and his own background. He is a goalie and hopes to make the pros. On top of that he is a very good golfer playing the round at par. I was just happy to improve upon the game in Edmonton. As we finished we shook hands and wished each other well.

I found out where the local post office was and set off to buy stamps and mail the postcards. As I finished I saw that the Visitor Centre was directly across the road so I crossed over with the number for Highway Information in hand. As I got out of the car I saw the lady from this morning. She was with another staff member but recognized me and came over immediately. I asked if I could use the phone, certainly. I showed her the number, she said it was long distance, I said fine I have a calling card. As I was punching in the dozens of numbers required to make the call she first offered me that last donut and then said non-chalantly, "the Highway is open again." I stopped dialing. "Opened up shortly after you left were here this morning." I thanked her and made for the door. She insisted that before I leave I needed to have a look at the archives held by the centre. It was a series of photo copied clippings about the Highway. I said they were a fine collection, very helpful to visitors especially as they were arranged thematically. She seemed pleased with that so I bid her goodbye and beat it before the donut came up again.

I drove to Fort Nelson where I decided to eat an early dinner and then try to make it as far as possible that evening. The last portion of the drive from Summit Lake to Toad River Lodge is an incredible experience. First off the fantastic scenery as the elevations increased and the snow capped mountains start to appear. Add to that the unbelievable amount of wild life I encounter in such a short distance. I literally see more animals in one hundred kms than I had in an entire summer in the Yukon. Let's see, three black bears, a dozen mule deer, two moose, two herds of Dall sheep totalling over twenty animals. Apparently the road salt is one of the big attractions this time of year making for a tasty treat after a long winter.

The day ends when I pull into theToad River Lodge. There are vacancies in the motel and cabins but no one was on duty in the office. The hand written note on the door explained the drill. "Please enter and take any room with the door open. Register and pay in the morning." Now I recall why I enjoy this region so much! A place to stay, a day's travel from my objective, life is good.