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I got a fairly early start and was rewarded with motion at roadside about
thirty kilometers from Destruction Bay. I quickly stopped and hurriedly
snapped a picture. Mamma Grizzly now stepped out and led her family across
the road. I pulled to the side of the road they had just vacated and eased
on by. When Mamma neared being even with me I again pulled forward and
when she came even a second time I forced myself to leave.
I had been told I might see grizzlies and I certainly hoped I would but I
was quite pleasantly surprised to have my first sighting be this mother
and cubs. Thrilling is probably the right word. At no time did I ever take
my eyes off of the big bear and the car was never turned off or out of
gear. I always had at least the width of the road between us. Yeah,
thrilling is just about right.
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There was little chance of topping the grizzly sighting so why not go
straight to construction and rain. I reached this red light some fifty
kilometers after leaving the bears. The pilot truck appeared after about
ten minutes then spent a few minutes refueling from the waiting tanker. It
had been sprinkling when I reached the stop and that became a steady rain
about the time we started moving. In addition to the rain, this zone was a
little odd. We followed the pilot truck for nearly eight kilometers.
Somewhere well short of that another pilot truck, with a caravan in tow,
passed us in the other direction. Lots of serious looking work was going
on for quite some distance after the pilot truck pulled off.
I had effectively become the pilot vehicle and I blew it. At one point I
pulled to the left to pass a roller and, since that's where the widest and
smoothest surface was, stayed there. I was still there when we encountered
a grader and oncoming traffic. We were all moving quite slowly so there
was no real danger of a head on collision but it was awkward. Fortunately
the guy behind me was thinking clearer than I was and drove through the
dirt to pass the grader on the right which is where I should have been. I
followed and all was well.
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I made one last stop before leaving Canada. Here's the billboard, bikes,
and bar at Buckshot Betty's.
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There's a little park at the international border where lots of
photographs are taken. The border is marked by a line on a bench as well
as one on an obelisk. Two lines. No waiting. I guess I was actually on US
soil as soon as I pulled into the park but it took passing through customs
to make it official.
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I had more or less planned on spending the night in Tok, Alaska, but so
did everyone else driving from Canada. I stopped at the Visitor's Center
then worked the phone from my car. After calling three filled motels, I
found a room in Delta Junction and moved on.
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There's some mighty straight road between Tok and Delta Junction.
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That straight road is part of the final miles of the Alaska Highway which
officially ends in Delta Junction near some giant mosquitoes. There's
even a tall marker to indicate it and for me to look silly in front of.
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