Part 4 of 10
Stewart BC
and Hyder AK
The Bear
Glacier
Mooses and
Invisible Mountain Goats
Stewart
BC and Hyder AK
From
Mezadin Junction on 37N a road leads west to Stewart BC and Hyder AK.
The ride takes about one and a half hours . It has rugged mountain
scenery with close-up views of the Bear Glacier; various ice-falls
and the tumbling bear river that characterizes the route. The road
conditions were much better than we had been led to believe . I was
monitoring my odometer with an eagle eye and I was maintaining a
steady 80 KPH to conserve fuel. As the number of kilometers decreased
as I approached Stewart I became less concerned that I would run out
of gas. Alas!..There it was just waiting for me on the main street of
Stewart was a gas station and it was open. Unlike Vancouver, however,
you filled your gas tank and then you went inside to pay for it. The
pumps took no credit cards – no pre-authorizations – no pin
numbers – and no tiny screens telling you that you messed up. Your
credit card or cash was happily accepted inside the station with a
smile and a pleasant greeting. There's a lot to be said about the old
ways. The King Edward hotel was just down the street and our rooms
had been confirmed for the night. A little beyond that was the town
of Hyder, AK. I could have easily walked, danced, skipped or jogged
right into Hyder but we decided to get our bikes and ride in style.
It was truly a Golden moment. My photo shown here under the “Welcome
to Alaska” sign is included as evidence to prove that I actually
got there – finally. It was July 16, 2014. Neil Armstrong had TV
coverage to verify his moon landing. All I have is a photo from my
new camera.
Bear
Glacier
When
leaving Stewart early the next morning we made it a point to stop at
the well-know Bear Glacier. There wasn't much traffic so we parked
our bikes to take a close-up look at the Glacier. The first thing I
noticed was that it became noticeably cooler as I approached it on
foot. I've seen bigger glaciers but this one was unique in the way it
snaked up between the mountains. It was also mid-July after a
scorching summer in Southern BC with near record hot temperatures so
I would doubt that it would look anything like this mid-winter.
However, it was ideal for taking photographs due to the morning sun
rising in the east and literally “illuminating” the glacier and
giving it a “glowing” effect. What a treat!
Mooses,
Foxes, and Invisible Mountain Goats
The
Bear glacier was not the only thing of special interest on this
stretch of Highway. I observed more different varieties of species
collectively than I saw throughout the entire Alaska/Yukon trip. It
was the first time in my life that I cruised at idling speed behind a
fully grown female moose trotting along in a non-nonchalant fashion
in the middle of the road. I could have stayed behind her all morning
but she saw fit to trot-off into the bush a little while later. I was
hoping that I hadn't spooked her. Deer became almost a problem as
they sprung out of the foliage and pranced towards the far side of
the road with no sense at all about highway safety rules. I saw a
family of foxes playing at the side of the road. Black bears were in
abundance but they generally kept a discreet distance to one side of
the road or the other. The most fascinating of all were the mountain
goats that blended perfectly into the side of the mountain. I was so
impressed that I pulled over to take a photo of them as shown. This
was not an easy thing to do since they had a tenancy to disappear
through the viewfinder of my camera. Nevertheless, I persevered. You
can see the young moose very clearly but how many Mountain Goats are
you able to count? Their camouflage is very affective – isn't it?
Word
Count 701
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