Excitement along the way

Can’t remember if I told this here story many moons ago or not, so here goes.

Me and Butch was cut’n timber near Haines, Alaska. When we quit the job we decided to drive down the Alaska Highway.

Haines Junction was the first stop in the Yukon Territory. The place, in them there days, looked like a frontier town. I inquired where the bank was and was pointed to a Chevy van across the way. Not wanting to ask too many questions, over we went.

Yup, there both side doors open and set’n behind a card table with money in little stacks was the bank of Canada. The banker had no fear however, for standing beside the van was the biggest Mountie in all of Queens county. The guy was 6-10 if he was a foot. Hands behind his back and a poker face. Sgt. Preston was impressive!! We gave them good green backs for strange look’n money and was on our way.

In them there days the road was all gravel except for one mile of blacktop near Whitehorse. About daylight we ran into heavy rain and the road, which was graded the day before, left a three-inch slush if you ventured out of the track. Bad place for me to fall asleep.

The left wheel caught the slush, did a 90 and we dove over the bank. Ol’ Butch leaped to consciousness, sank his fingers into the dashboard and yelled TERRILLION!!!!!

I suddenly was forced to take control.

Forty feet to the bottom and how I missed all those boulders, only our guardian angel knew. And there at the bottom was a two track which eventually got us back up on the road. Butch had a hard time sleeping after that.

Late afternoon I spied a huge Yukon moose that had come to the road. This monster with a 60 inch spread and in the velvet was something.

Anyhow I cut him off so he couldn’t cross. When the old bogtrotter tried to go behind the pickup, I backed up. He stood there look’n at us and tried to go around the front, sooooo I drove ahead. Then he started to shake his head and slobber at the mouth.

Ol’ Butch sez, “Terrillion, I don’t know if you’ve noticed but this bull is get’n mad and he’s on MY SIDE!! Back at daylight I had enough excitement to last the whole trip.”

Ok, sez me, we’re on our way.