Ardmachree Travels

Friday, June 15, 2012

Watson Lake - Sign Forest

The Watson Lake Sign Forest at the North end of town was started by Carl K. Lindlay of Danville, IL, A U. S. Army soldier in Company D,, 341st engineers, working on the construction of the Alaska Highway in 1942. Travelers are still adding signs to the collection, which which numbers more than 50,000. Visitor are encouraged to add a sign to the signpost forest. At historic Milepost 635 or today 976km.

Yukon Territory

At Contact Creek the Highway dips back into British Columbia for 46 kms then back into the Yukon and Watson Lake at km976

Contact Creek - km 912

Contact Creek on the border between British Columbia and the Yukon. Were two teams of US Corp of Engineers met one that had been working south and east and the other working west and north.

Wood Bison

As we came out of the foothills of the Northern Rockies and Muncho Lake Prov. Park we came across this huge herd of Wood Bison grazing and just lazing around.

They were not even concerned about traffic.

We could just about reached out the window of Dutchess and petted this one.

A very large male in his dust bowl, he has lost most of his winter coat but still has a small patch on the middle of his back.

Flowers

This is just a few of the flowers that were around the board walk on the way to the Laird River Hot Springs.
Above is the Prickly Rose (Rosa Acicularis) and below Dwarf Dogwood (Cornus Canadensis)

Above Marsh Grass-of-Parnassus, or Bog Star and below is Lady's Slipper, (Calypso Bulbose) of the orchid family.

Below is the Tall Lungwart, Bluebells of the Borage Family

Laird River Hot Springs. Km765

Laird River Hot Springs: This was a wonderful over night stop with the campground just off the Highway amongst trees and a board walk through the marsh land to the hot springs.

The hot water came out of the ground at the upper end of the natural pools and was too hot to get too closed to. Parks Canada had done a lovely job of keeping the pools as natural as possible.