We spot our second and last bridge since leaving Whitehorse.
As we got closer to the bridge I was preparing myself for the fact that Ed might throw in the towel right there. He seemed so despondent and fed up that I
had decided that if he did give up, I would still go on solo. Nothing was going to stop me from completing the journey.
Vehicles of all sorts were crossing the elevated bridge that sloped from the high cliffs on the left (south side) to a much lower bank on the right side. The highway crossing ran north and was one of the very few highways that crossed the Arctic Circle. As it was the
summer season it was very popular with tourists all eager to get as far north as possible.
We were back in civilisation but the rough conditions made it far from enjoyable. A few boats were parked beyond the bridge and pulled up on the rocky sloping shore that posed as a boat ramp. We hit the shore with our bow, pulled up the canoe and I dashed to the bushes for a pee. Feeling a little
more comfortable I left Ed with the canoe and walked along a gravel track to see what was there, I came across a service station, a motel and restaurant.
Excited about finding a restaurant, we soon changed out of our wet clothes into something more respectable and made our move to the restaurant. Although there were only a few people inside, the waiter taking the orders was flat out as
he was behind the counter on his own. Eventually we got served. I ordered a hamburger and chips with a coffee and Ed had similar. The food was expensive but I didn’t care, I looked forward in anticipation to a scrumptious meal. When the hamburger arrived it was huge, complemented with a big serving of chips, but with so much on my plate I knew I was going to struggle. Although delicious I wasn’t enjoying it as much as I had thought and the sudden change in diet just wasn’t agreeing with my
stomach. Having spent the last few weeks eating noodles and pasta I expected to have bigger cravings for fast food but really it was a bit of a let down.
The waitress who served us was from Utah and she had taken a job here because she wanted to work in Alaska. I didn’t think this was the best or prettiest place to start but it certainly would be an experience for her. I asked one of
the locals in the restaurant about the weather and he told us that the windy conditions were quite usual, and that we could expect it to remain. As you can imagine, his reply didn’t boost our morale.
One room in the restaurant was dedicated to souvenirs and tea towels with moose heads and other items related to the Arctic Circle. I had a quick look in it but there was nothing
particularly inspiring.
It was time for us to leave. Ed was quiet when we started packing but he still hadn’t given any indication that he wanted to go home and I was proud of him. At twenty years old he was doing something physically and mentally tough. He was physically hurting, he was missing home, his Mum, his girlfriend and his friends. But he had the toughness to paddle on
to beyond the point of no return and from here it would only get tougher.
The Dutch couple took our photo before we slid the canoe into the water. We paddled away waving goodbye. The wind had not eased so our crossing to the next corner was very choppy. This was it, no more roads, no more cafés and very few people ahead. As we rounded the corner, we watched the bridge slowly disappear.
Like children we kept looking back each wanting to be the last one to see it. It was an important structure and our last easy opportunity to get off the river. I just wondered what Ed was thinking at that moment? Then all of a sudden it was gone – it was good-bye bridge.
