 Construction east of Coal River Kodak DC50 photo (by Nelson Kibler) |
 Bikes in the construction east of Coal River Casio QV30 photo |
 Gravel closer-up Casio QV30 photo |
 Gravel even-closer-up Casio QV30 photo |
It was a short day, but we started right off with big construction.
| Construction east of Coal River Kodak DC50 photo (by Nelson Kibler) |
Bikes in the construction east of Coal River Casio QV30 photo |
| Gravel closer-up Casio QV30 photo |
Gravel even-closer-up Casio QV30 photo |
We only rode 36 miles, about 6 miles of which was really bad
[among the worst of the entire trip] and another
6 of which was relatively standard gravel. In the really bad portion, only
Ritt got a ride in a pilot truck (age discrimination). The rest of us struggled
with the gravel, loose sand and big rocks in the road. Most of us stopped
at the end point to catch our breath and eat some candy.
When we finally got to Liard Hot Springs, the sun came out and
we were ready for a dip.
 Liard Hot Springs- "Alpha pool" Kodak DC50 photo (by Nelson Kibler) |
 Liard Hot Springs- "Beta pool" Kodak DC50 photo (by Nelson Kibler) |
 Carol showing off her painted toes Casio QV30 photo |
 Carol Casio QV30 photo |
 Ed, Bob, Carol, Ritt, Tim We really did have swimsuits on! Casio QV30 photo |
 Judy, Mike & Tom relaxing in the hot water Kodak DC50 photo (by Nelson Kibler) |
The water was HOT. In some places, you could only stand the heat for a few minutes. It felt good to wash off the road grime and sooth our aching muscles though, so we stayed in or around the pools for hours and some folks went back for more after dinner.
It made NO sense to bathe after the hot springs; the campground
restroom facilities were about as gross as we ever faced:
The lodge itself was actually pretty nice and they had excellent pie. We sat for quite some time eating pie a la mode and drinking coffee, etc. The auto repair facilities at Liard were a classic vision of what the entire Alaska Highway used to look like.
When we first drove the Alaska Highway in the winter of 1973, services were infrequent and even in the "urban" areas like Dawson Creek, Ft. St. John, Ft. Nelson, Watson Lake, Whitehorse, etc., there were pathetic food offerings. There were no fast food joints and incredibly bad restaurants. We were ecstatic to reach Fairbanks and real food. Now, all along the way the food has been interesting and there have been a myriad of food choices in all the towns.
36 miles.
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© Ed Noonan 1996, 1997