Harley Ride to Alaska

Friday, 23 July 93--This day started when we left Dawson Creek and headed up the Alaska Highway for our 283-mile run to Fort Nelson in Northeast British Columbia. On our way out of town, we stopped at Mile Post Zero to take a few pictures.

Although the temperature was very cool when we left, the sun was shining brightly. The weather deteroriated, however, after about 200 miles, and we donned our rain suits for awhile.

The country was beautiful, and we saw several deer and coyotes. At one point, a car was stopped, and a lady was coaxing a coyote to approach her--in my opinion, not a wise thing to be doing with a wild animal.

The road was good most of the way, although we had a 30-minute delay at one point for a road construction crew. When we crossed the Peace River Bridge at Taylor, about 37 miles outside of Dawson Creek, I looked down and had the sensation that I was riding on clear air since the bridge roadway was made entirely of steel grating, and I could plainly see right through it. There was frost on the grating in places where the sun wasn't yet shining on it. It seems that this bridge was built in 1960 to replace the original suspension bridge which collapsed in 1957.

We arrived early in Fort Nelson and settled into our room at the Blue Bell Motel. George treated me to a Chinese dinner at the motel restaurant--a welcome change from our usual fare of canned beans.

Before going to bed, I finished reading Crazy Horse, mailed a card of Mile Post Zero to my son, Brian, and began reading Alaska by james Michener.