This Bugs Me

The Alaska Highway extends 1,387 miles from Dawson Creek, British Columbia to Delta Junction, Alaska. It was constructed during World War II to connect the contiguous United States with the State of Alaska. There had been numerous disagreements and controversies between the American and Canadian governments over the highway’s construction, but all of those were quickly extinguished once the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor in early December 1941 and threatened other locations along the north Pacific coast. The highway was completed in haste by October 28, 1942.

 An alternative route to Alaska or the Canadian Territory of the Yukon, depending on starting point, is to traverse British Columbia Highway 37 often referred to as the Stewart–Cassiar Highway. The highway begins at mileage 298 of Highway 16 near the community of Kitwanga. Highway 16, an interprovincial highway, often referred to as the “Yellowhead” extends another 150 miles to the Pacific Coast city of Prince Rupert.

After 450 miles of trekking, Highway 37 eventually meets the Alaska Highway just a little over two miles into the Yukon Territory. However, returning to mileage point 97 of Highway 37, the traveler arrives at Meziadin Junction where they can journey farther north towards the Yukon or take Highway 37A 68 miles southeast to the historic mining community of Stewart, British Columbia.

I once read that this expanse of Highway 37A was the Swiss Alps of North America – I must concur. In Stewart, the King Edward Hotel and Motel are located on 5^th Avenue, an extension of Highway 37A which ultimately leads to the Alaskan border and the small hamlet of Hyder, with furtherance via the Granduc Road to a number of mining claims and operations.

Living in Stewart for a short period, I had the occasion to lunch at the King Edward Hotel’s café. I ordered the king crab salad. Stewart’s location, at the end of the Pacific Ocean’s Portland Canal, allows for fresh seafood at moderately low prices. By the time I finished the salad, I could feel my eyelids and upper cheek area below the eye begin to swell. I decided to drive home rather than return to the office. By the time I arrived home, I could barely see. The area around my eyes looked like Rocky Balboa’s at the conclusion of Stallone’s first Rocky movie – I felt I should be calling out loudly for “Adrienne”. By the next morning, the area around my eyes had returned to normal. I surmised that I must have a crustacean allergy and had rubbed my eyes after breaking open some of the king crab.

This was confirmed some months later, at a different location when I dined on fresh shrimp flown in for a sporting event. That time my throat began to swell, and my breathing was severely difficult and labored to a point that I drove myself to the only area hospital thinking a tracheotomy may be needed. A local doctor informed me that allergies begin to form as children, but are not necessarily noticeable until adulthood, and, as well, they tend to get worse with time.

I have since remained crustacean-free and order from the menu when eating at a restaurant serving seafood. Crustaceans of course are different than shellfish. I can enjoy scallops, oysters, abalone, and any mussel without any ill effects. My wife carries allergy medications in her purse.

Like crustaceans, insects have an exoskeleton with segmented bodies and appendages. Many studies have shown that crustaceans and insects share some common allergens, thus if one is allergic to crustaceans, the same may, or will likely, occur with the digestion of insects. Yet, it’s these insects, especially crickets that the eco-politicians, alarmist bureaucrats, and unelected corporate elites assume will be the protein replacement for varying meats, all as a result of the unproven theory of anthropogenic climate change.

As the large Cicadas emerge in their predictable intervals of 13 or 17 years, we can expect major harvests by these ‘pompous asses of preferred protein’ while those with emerging allergies reach for their throats. From the Cicadiamania website, you can determine if and when your next infestation will be.

I apologize for the lengthy geography and routes lesson at the beginning of this article, but apparently not enough to remove it.