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A Fishing Story - 1989 the f/v My Colleen
by C. C. Crow photos by author
After the side trip we're off to Haines via the famous Al-Can
Highway. It's paved all the way now- which worries me. When I was there much was
paved with gravel sections in between much like it's shown on the highway map, as
dashes. They mark hazards with a stick and red flag by the road. This could mean
anything from a bump or pothole to ten miles of gravel or construction. Because of
frost heaves many times the gravel road was in better condition than the paved.
Al-Can Highway to Haines
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7-20 THUR
Finally it is overcast. I'm beat from the day before and it is
slow going. I break camp and go to the highway and head south.
Nice road but I am beginning to learn about the bumps and gravel
breaks, Alaska-size. A rough road ahead is a stick with a red flag
on it (occasionally there is a sign). It may mean a small patch, a
mile or several miles- you never know. At about thirty miles from
Valdez it starts to rain. It's cold so I turn back. There's
nothing I want to see anyway. Maybe some of the oil clean up. So I
turn back. Again I kick myself for not going up to Kennicott. The
day is wasted. I go up the highway to Glennallen, stop and do
laundry. I go to post office to mail the book home, post girl says
I missed the best part. Well, yeah, I know that. I put wash in
drier after waiting for lady doing a hotel. Then go to grocery.
Eat lunch at Frosty and head up the highway. 20 miles of
construction- bad to good gravel- some real crap. At Slona I turn
up Nebesna Road- Do I go up to primitive camp or stick to pavement
and camp with the RVs? Gravel road is nice for a change. I find a
spot where the trees are chopped down, green, bar and cabins real
close (mile). Oscillate. It's free. I have my new tent to pay off.
I stop for a beer at the road house and get hammered. Veco workers
(oil clean-up), Ron and bartender and others buy rounds and shots-
So it is drizzling rain as I set camp. I cook steak and then have
a nice fire- of a a nice dry spruce I fell.
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7-21 FRI
I go back to roadhouse for a $3.00 shower- see TV and have coffee.
Break camp by noon. I'm on my way to Tok. Still overcast but
improving. More construction- 12 miles but not too bad. It will be
a very nice highway when they are through. Find Eagle camp for
lunch- very nice CG. Stop in Tok for groceries, rum and gas.
Look for good water. Check out Deadman Lake CG. I missed one before
and I am not impressed so I push on. I stop at Alaska/Yukon border
and talk with two bikers from Edmonton, take picture of Alaska sign.
It rained on them the whole way. Check with border, TV on. Go to
Snag Junction Government Camp, full, I bum some water
and see a dirt road across lake. Go check it out and find an OK
campsite. I cook BQ chicken with spruce coals and watch the
endless sunset of a dozen photos. Loons crawl on lake. Light rain.
7-22 SAT
Rain early a.m. quits by 8 a.m. It's hard to get up. I have dishes
to do so I make oatmeal. Get ready for riding in the rain. It
works, just a few showers. (It would have poured if I didn't suit
up.) Road is good and bad, patches improve to where you can go 45
mph on gravel and 60 on paved. Take photo of totally burnt out
roadside RV. Stop at CG for lunch, write. Kluane Museum at Burwash
is good. Lots of stuffed animals. Call home. I've done real good
this day, 120 miles! Camp at CONGDON CREEK on Lake Kluane.
Spaghetti, fire and read, go to bed early. Tired.
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I run into some construction. Apparently they were not thinking
about motorcycles. The Haines cut-off, for about a mile, is nothing but huge boulders.
They haven't spread the next layer of smaller rocks. After waiting in line they
wave us through. I finally have to pull over and leave the rest of the line go before
me. I can't keep up and the RV behind me is right on my bumper. I thought about
turning back a couple of times. This was nuts. But eventually I made it.
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7-23 SUN
Sleep till 9:30! I must have been tired. Leisurely I break camp
and continue on my slow pace. Stop here and there for photos and
look sees. Surprise at Silver City, ghost town. I think Fred and
Irene came through this way. Lots of tour busses. Along Kluane
Lake and on up to Haines Jct. Gas up, shop for food, Frostie. See
slide show of Kluane N.P.- very good. I check out Kathleen Lake,
okay but go on, miss Dezadeash CG- signs were down, windy, so I go
on. Meet Beemers on way and follow them for a few miles then check
out Million Dollar Falls CG- this is it. Spot No.1 near falls.
Share site with bicyclist- Dave from Ashland, Oregon. Nice to
talk to somebody.
7-24 MON
I wake very early and can't fall back asleep. When I hear Dave up
I get out of the tent and eat. The road is being worked on but
passable after a mile or two of really rough stuff. Huge gravel.
Then onto the new highway which is very nice. Into the clouds over
Chilchat Pass (very cold). Little rain. I report to customs that
it is "very cold". Down into Haines through the eagle sanctuary. I
ask a local kid where the best cheeseburger is- Bamboo Room- its
pretty good too. Then out to Chilkat State Park, find okay site
24. Then I go down by water and find site 33 within yards of beach
and have to move. Take nap. Relax and read. Eat dinner after walk
around peninsula. Neat spruce forest. Thunder- oh no! Wait, the sky is
clear? It's ice fall on glacier across bay. Evening fire, drizzle.
porcupine climbs tree, eagles fly around screeching.
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Fishing with Les Index
