Having recently made a round trip on the Alcan Highway after a good number of years, I was surprised at several things. I made my first trip over the Alcan Highway in the back of a one ton jeep stock truck. The rack of the truck was covered with a tarp and in the back where my brothers and I rode from Colorado to Homer, Alaska my father had built a set of bunk beds, three high. Two hundred miles per day was a good day on the highway, but come nightfall, all it took was to pull off in the barrow ditch and camp out.
Today, the highway is paved all the way and easily driven at 60 to 80 mph when the roads permit. My biggest disappointment was that though the years, the original highway has been re-aligned to permit faster driving and shorter distance. Throughout the trip, you can see the road bed of the old highway, slowly being overtaken by grass, bushes, and trees. You will not see a single sign commemorating the "old highway" or given the opportunity to drive the original route. It seems our neighbors to the south have forgotten the cost and number of Americans it took to build this historic roadway in order to defend their country and our country to the north of them. The "old" lodges and road houses that I remember as a kid are now gone or reduced to deserted, weathered, wood skeletons.
In those years of long ago, when a "potty break" was required, all one had to do was bang on the truck window, grab a couple pages out of the Sears, Roebuck, and Company catalog and head for the nearest bush.
For the first time in our history, the Canadian dollar is stronger than the American dollar. However, with this modest landfall of unexpected income, the Canadians have utilized the extra cash flow to upgrade their rest areas so potty breaks in the bushes are no longer required.
Always on the outlook for tasty morsels, I have not been back in Alaska long enough to look, however, much to my surprise while cruising the isles of one of a thousand "Wally Worlds" that we saw, I came across an unfamiliar box of "Whoppers". One of my favorites when held tightly in the mouth and then a sip of hot coffee to dissolve it in your mouth. Chocolate, Malt, and coffee, the balance of delicate flavors is overwhelming. What I discovered, and I will be very disappointed if you already know about them but they now come in Strawberry Flavor. It took six boxes of them to establish a "fair and balanced" comparison with and without coffee. The new flavor is good but when taken with coffee, the old fashion Chocolate flavor is far superior. However, the Strawberry is very satisfying!
Today, while shopping for "bird feed" to assist our little feathered friends during this "global warming" period, I came across a second tasty morsel. This one is hot!!!!! Last year in December, I spent a lot of writing skills to fully introduce everyone to the proper methods of enjoying chocolate covered cherries. Again, you may already know but if not, rush to the store and grab a bag today. Hershey, the master of chocolate has developed the "Hershey Kiss Cherry Cordial"! In appearance it looks like the familiar chocolate kiss, but as it melts in your mouth or you bite into it, you are treated to a liquid Cherry Cordial creme. The particular bag I purchased is a 2 pound 6.5 ounce bag, enough to fill both of my candy jars. By this time tomorrow, they will not be available in the Homer area. If you like Chocolate Covered Cherries, there is no way that you will not savor these. You will thank me!
