And I awake, refreshed and less than an hour from the Alaskan border. I get on the road and drive to the border, and then 100 miles up the road to Delta Junction, the official end of the Alcan Highway. I completed the trip 4 weeks early by ignoring lakes to fish that were 20 – 30 miles off the Highway. Ironic as you will see below.
I stopped at the first town in Alaska and got groceries. I parked in a spot at the end of the parking lot, near the road and “sidewalk”. As I was returning to my van, two 20-something native Americans, one very large and powerful in stature, were walking on the sidewalk toward my van. We made eye contact and the larger person wasn’t looking like he was having a good day. I continued walking to the van, but lowered my head to avoid eye contact. I looked up as they were getting just behind my van and the big guy flashed me a peace sign. I immediately flashed one back to him. A writer could produce a short story or a play using this interaction as the theme. I was just happy that it was a great, multi-layered experience for me, and for him.
All, and I mean All of the rivers and creeks I’ve seen in Alaska are blown out: high and muddy. So, I have no rivers or creeks to fish until mid-August, and I passed up 4 weeks of fishing lakes in BC and the Yukon. Now, I either just camp (kill me now!), or find small lakes near Fairbanks that I can camp and fish at, saving money, having fun, and waiting for the rivers to clear up for the August and September Salmon runs.
And Not Only Fairbanks. There are small lake/campgrounds all over the state. I can have a month of lake fishing to my heart’s content. THEN, salmon fishing in the rivers. Looks like I lucked out, probably because my attitude has changed (finally). In the photo above I knew the bench was behind me, but I followed the gravel and never saw the bench in my mirrors. I missed crushing my bumper and paying for a new table by “this much” LOL.
Tight Lines