65 miles of twisty gravel each way.  It seems like our day trips up here are all driving challenges.  Today’s drive took us to a virtually deserted old mining and river town, Telegraph Creek.  The town itself was a bit of a disappointment since it is just a cluster of mostly falling down buildings but the drive out there through the Stikine River valley made it worth it.  The road passes through some great geology.  One section is perched on a 400 foot high narrow ridge formed as the Stikine and Tahltan Rivers, one from each side, collided with an ancient lava flow.  The road dives from valley to ridge and back to valley on 18% and 20% grades.  One, maybe one and a half lanes wide in places it clings to the mountainsides.  Marvelous river valley views are revealed all along the way.  Today it was certainly all about the journey.

We have moved to Anchor Point, the “Most Western Highway” in North America.  Here they are not blessed with a harbor or spit and have 20-25 ft tides like much of Cook Inlet.  How do you launch a fishing or charter boat?  They utilize logging tractors to launch them in the surf.  The shore runs out gradually so they are out several hundred yards from the high tide line.  The tractor is in about as deep as it will go and keep running.  The larger charter boats take quite a choreographed retrieval.  First, the trailer is backed into the surf to await the landing boat.  As the boat arrives over the trailer the tractor starts moving toward shore and the captain powers up the engines to catch his ride in the surf and to make sure everything doesn’t mire down in the sand.  Once they reach shallower water the tractor takes over completely and pulls the boat and trailer across the beach to the parking lot. Somewhere during the run through the surf a person riding on the tractor latches and tightens the winch on the boat trailer.  Looks pretty well rehearsed.

After many days of glimpses and partial views.  Showtime!