Remembering Running Bear

Hey! Remember Running Bear? Loved Little White Dove with a love that couldn’t die? Sonny James Song from the late 50’s I think. Well, anyway, I saw "him" today. Actually I saw quite a few running bears today and have the film to prove it! In the run from Liard though the Cassiar Mountains, you cross back and forth between British Columbia and the Yukon Territory a total of 7 times. It’s actually hard to figure out just where you are from time to time. But it really doesn’t matter much. The scenery is dynamite the entire trip and the wildlife is just plain non-stop. Keep a sharp eye. The moose can be pretty well hidden as you’ll see in one of today’s shots. The fox actually waltzed right by the front of the coach after we got settled into the campground at Teslin Lake, Yukon. There were some wild horses mixed in with the roaming buffalo along the 100 mile stretch from Liard. Beavers where-ever you find water. And we saw Black Bears at four places, no Grizzlies today though. Then there were the two tortoises- NOT in the Wild, but in the RV next to us at the lake- big suckers.

For those following, Yukon diesel up to 99.9 in Watson Lake; 118.9/ liter in Whitehorse. The first camp and fuel stop on your right as you come in to Watson Lake offers campers a 3 cent per liter discount just for being campers! You will understand why it is higher here once you get here. Same for Whitehorse. Long haul for anything; miles equals cost. The Sign Forest is at the end of town (Watson Lake) on the right. Allow at least an hour to pots around the forest and the shops. The first sections of “broken road” started to show up as we headed out of town. Just short stretches of highway construction usually marked by plenty of signs, then some nice washboard gravel. No big deal. Destruction Bay it ain’t!

We’ve been meeting people in campgrounds and camp offices as we travel north. Leave some of our cards and some brochures for Chicken Gold Camp. Lots of interest to come to Chicken for sure. Tonight, the travelers next to us pulled in and asked, “You aren’t Greg and Marilyn are you?”

Well, yes as a matter of fact we are. Rosalie had our name and a Chicken brochure that we had left at Sagitawah in Whitecourt some 1000 miles earlier. Joyce had given them the info, thank you very much! Rosalie had hoped to catch up with us to talk Chicken. Notice how nicely I turned the phrase? Remember when people used to talk turkey! No longer the case my friend! She and her husband, who happens to be named Greg, too, will be working at a large gift shop in TOK this summer. They too will venture to Chicken to talk turkey about gold- you get the idea! Another panning session out the door!

Now a final word about the last couple blogs. Once the dodging between BC and Yukon begins in earnest, keeping a handle on your communications becomes a monumental task. Cells phones work here but not there. PC card works a few places but only certain functions. Wifi is OK if you’re the only one in the campground, but add a few campers and the functionality first slows, then crawls, then craps out completely. I can get a text post up of late, but no stills. Yet I can do a slide show no problem. It makes me a bit crazy but it is what it is and what it has to be. Between the mountains and the weather and the tech equipment involved in the process…and the very few people who can support the facilities- it is quite frankly a crap shoot. I try, especially right now to keep something up every day- just not possible. And since the TV signal said good bye, and the Sirius Sat radio started to bugger out about 50 miles before Whitehorse- there’s just me, the wife, the dog, and the blog left- and I’m not real sure about me and the blog!

A slide show will have to do for now: