DAY SEVEN - July 1, 2017 - Canada Day

Woke up this morning to discover that a tick had attached itself to my leg during the night.  Ticks in Northern B.C. haven't been found guilty of the Lyme Disease infection but we'll keep an eye on the situation for a few days.

Fort St. John's Canada Day parade wasn't to start until 11 a.m. so we headed out of town.  Our thoughts this morning were with the men who died building the Alaska Highway.  Just outside of town, on Charlie Lake, is a memorial to U.S. army members who drowned on May 14, 1942 while trying to take a bulldozer, barrels of gasoline, and other supplies to the north end of the lake.  All of this stuff was placed on a "pontoon boat" which consisted of three large rowboats with a deck on top and flaps of canvas to keep the water from filling the boats.  Half way up the lake the wind came up, waves reached three feet high and ended up swamping the boats.  A local trapper rowed out through the waves, making three trips and saving a total of five men.  Seventeen others drowned.  The 17 posts surrounding the memorial each have the name and regiment of one of those who were lost.

We saw several of these oilworker camps along the way.  Other workers also stay in the highway hotels.  

I assume that my tick may have hitchhiked from the bush to the hotel on a worker's clothes.

The vistas today were awesome.  Due to an even slower internet than yesterday I won't be able to share them all, but these views are a start.

We stopped in Fort Nelson and visited the local museum.  Our personal guide was Paul DiMaggio, who, although he has lived here for 49 years, spent his school years in Cayuga, Ontario.  He and Mardi knew some of the same people.  

They have several vehicles which were used in the construction of the highway.  Some of the museum's cars were in Fort Nelson's Canada Day parade.  Cool!  

This picture of outboard motors is for Roger (the Bassman).  Also, note the albino moose in the background.

And this one for Barry (Sologill of Fishguts fame).

If you haven't stopped at Tetsa River Services for a cinnamon bun your trip to Alaska is a waste!

Note the sign on the pump below.  Their price is $1.59 per litre.   We paid $1.14 this morning and $1.38 tonight.

And now for the absolutely awesome part of our day.

The black blur to the left of the above picture is this guy.

They both seemed oblivious to the presence of our van.  We watched them for about ten minutes as they crossed the road and went their separate ways.

We checked in to the Toad River Lodge and after carrying our things to our cabin, checked out the river (which we can see from our window).  First we noticed a pair of swans.

And then, this young lady cavorting in the water.

We couldn't have asked for more today.  A fabulous experience.
Except that we didn't find a Big Stupid Thing, so we had to create our own.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CANADA!