Modern Black Gold Rush

Just leaving Fort Mcmurray. September 2010. Early 1900's the gold rush of north BC and Yukon was attended by bad monkey business, donkeys, horses, booze n sex. The First road was ploughed into ft. St McMurray near the same time, and the black oily sand was used by natives to patch canoes. I wasnt there, but nostalgically wish it was so. But surely the cold cracks, needs to go hack trees down to stay warm, and the severe sousing of whisky would maybe have been for my younger days...more later...