Suncor and Syncrude's plants are north of The Fort on the #63 another 40-something kms from town. There's a sign, but I didn't commit it to memory nor did I pay attention to the time. I was just out for a drive hoping Josiah would nap but it was too hot in the van. You can't see Suncor's plant from the highway because it must be sitting in a valley or something. As you get close you can see a dry barren clearcut area and then behind that and over a hill is where the plant site is. You follow the Athabasca River as you drive north and it's actually a nicer drive than south on the #63. As you get close to Suncor it is as if someone took a giant razor and shaved a bald spot on the landscape. I know that's a strange analogy but that's what it made me think of. It becomes dirty and dry but it sits in off the higway and things are lush and green until you reach this bald spot. You can't go in so I kept driving north. There are few things out there besides the plants but the traffic heading toward The Fort was non-stop as if you were heading into a major city centre at rush hour. We reached the gates of Syncrude about 10 minutes later. They come up out of nowhere and although I had seen pictures of them at the Discovery Centre I was a bit shocked when I came across them. They are on both sides of the highway, just like gates to an upscale community. I never did see the plant because we turned around and headed back into to town. We stopped and took some pictures and had a walk around. There is a park area and a hiking trail that has been set up by Syncrude which highlights the reclamation project that they've undertaken. We didn't go far because I spotted the signs "Beware of Wildlife, enter trail at your own risk" and I didn't have a bear bell on me, as usual. You know, even if I did have a bear bell, I wouldn't have gone because in order for me to feel powerful against a bear I would need a gun!