I got up determined to go to Wrigley, the true end of Highway #1. I had it planned out - I would grab a quick shower, have breakfast, check in at the Visitor Centre, get some gas, and head off to the end of the road. And, in some alternate dimension, I'm sure this is how it happened. In the reality I'm writing you from, on my walk into town I chatted with one of the government staff working in the park, who advised checking at the highways department for full information, as my motorcycle might not do so well with the road.
So, I walked to the Visitor Info Centre and chatted with the girl who worked there, finding out about her studies in Halifax, things to do around town, and information about the local honey producer.
I also asked about Wrigley and found out that the gas station there is unreliable, with this station often running out of gas, or being closed, and by then I had missed the morning runs of the ferry. Still thinking I could do it, I was about to head out to the highways office when in walked the couple from yesterday and we briefly caught up.
At the highways office I was filled in on the situation. All I had heard was true, but there would also be a haul operation this evening, a dry grader was working on the road, and the drivers in that area treat the speed limit as a minimum, and do not slow down for oncoming traffic.
So, instead of Wrigley, I followed the walking tour, learning more about the political and regional history of the area. I read about the treaty process and the subteruge that had been involved in the actual signing. I learned about the visit of Pope John Paul II in the 1980's, seeing the monuments made for the occasion, and the significance of the Monument of the Four Directions.
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| The Teepee Stage for Pope JP II's visit |
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| The Monument of the Four Directions |
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| Glasses on the Monument of the Four Directions |
I then continued to wander, learning the impact of the fur trade, and about individuals involved in the prospecting in the early to mid 20th Century.
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| The gathering circle in Fort Simpson |
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| Flowers by the monument to the Grey Nuns |
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| Albert Faille's cabin |
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| Albert Faille's cabin |
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| Albert Faille's cabin |
It was a really neat tour around and got me to see most of the town, plus, I got a good long walk out of the deal. I'd heard about the Nahanni Inn and decided to see if it would be good for dinner. They had the menu I was expecting at the Sub Arctic last night - standard pub/diner fare, so I stayed for lunch, which was really good, and decided I would do Chinese for dinner again.
Going by the Nahanni Park office, I decided to head in and find out more about the park. I chatted there with Bernoit (spelling uncertain), who had moved up here to be with his partner, originally from the Laurentians North of Montreal. We talked about some of the people who had been through the park, the recent expansion of the park boundaries, some of the great places to go around Fort Simpson, and my travels so far on the bike. He introduced me to some of the other staff, as I had some questions about Jean Marie River, as, if I go there tomorrow, I'll probably need a jerry can or I'll run the risk of running out of gas before Fort Providence, the next gas on my route. I heard that it was beautiful there, and worth the side trip, so I needed to do some shopping.
Thanks to Northern, I've got a new addition to my trip gear - a 10l jerry can, held on with heavy duty ROK straps. The only thing I don't like about these straps are their plastic attachment buckles, which I would like to replace eventually would a metal buckle system.
2220h - As I was in my tent getting ready to summarise the last of my day I heard a quiet noise in my campsite, coming towards my tent. A couple of seconds later a small fox appeared in my view. It looked startled to see me, and when I said "hello" it quickly disappeared. Mere seconds later when I popped out of the tent there was no sign of it.
Only a few minutes earlier the park operator had stopped by to let me know he had left the cooking shelter unlocked so that I would have somewhere solid and secure to go, in case the bear appeared again tonight. We had talked earlier in the day and he had given me the number to call for wildlife emergencies. With that, my cell phone, bear spray and a hatchet in my tent with me, I feel prepared for just about anything. Now, I'm going to try to get some sleep.
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| Looking down the tent... Wraps on in case of a need for a quick exit |
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