JUNE 21-25: DAWSON CREEK, BC TO WHITEHORSE, YT

Note to readers:  Road reports will be a little more extensive since travelers coming behind me are looking at them.

DAY 23, JUNE 21:  I got an early start up the Alaska Highway this morning, headed 283 miles (455 km) up the road to Fort Nelson.  It was very windy (cross-wind and headwinds—what else?) the first half of the trip—probably 25-30 mph (40-50 km) with higher gusts.  I travelled in light to occasionally moderate rain much of the way.  It wasn’t long before I was travelling deeper into the boreal forest, leaving the rolling farmland behind.  The road has nice wide right-of-ways (ROW) so you can see animals easier before they come on the road; however, the ROW are becoming overgrown with bushes in many places.

DAWSON CREEK TO FORT NELSON, BC

I stopped for breakfast about 70 miles north at The Shepherd’s Inn—once again, it didn’t disappoint!  Definitely a good place to grab a bite on the way with lots of parking for RVs and trucks.  I passed many logging trucks during the first half of the drive and oil/gas activity was prevalent all along the way.  One noticeable difference from the last times I was on this stretch was all the prefab “work camps” that have been put in along the highway.  I don’t recall seeing any along here a decade ago.

ONE OF THE WORK CAMPS

The road has a lot of long climbs and descents with a few short ones of 6-10% grades.  Driving into Fort Nelson, I noticed quite a few newer buildings and businesses.  The town has changed quite a bit!  I am parked at the Triple G campground which I had stayed at in 2008 when it was under different ownership.  The new owner has made a few improvements since then, but it is pretty hard to do much when you are located in a bog.  This was one of my least favorite campgrounds on the 2007 and 2008 trips; however, it is really the only show in town.  (For RVers reading this:  There are no Good Sam or any other discounts here.  Northern Lights RV Park in Dawson Creek will give a discount to Good Sam members.)  I walked over to the Fort Nelson Historical Society Museum that is next to the campground after getting parked.  It has quite a collection of machinery and artifacts that date back to the construction of the Highway.

FORT NELSON HISTORICAL SOCIETY MUSEUM

I really “goofed” by not setting my “Trip B” odometer to zero in Dawson Creek.  The Milepost lists mileages from certain cities, Dawson Creek being one of them, so you really need to know where you are relative to your starting point or destination in order to figure out where you are when reading The Milepost.  When I hit 200 miles from Dawson Creek, I reset the odometer, so now I just have to remember to factor in the 200 miles.

Wildlife count:  2 deer, 1 cow moose with a calf crossed the highway in front of me (they were moving too fast for me to get a picture), 2 very large gray birds next to road—only got a quick look but probably sandhill cranes

Road report:  Generally good road conditions with short areas of construction.  Potholes, broken pavement, and frost heaves becoming more prevalent the last half of the trip.  All in all, nothing major.  However, in spite of all the securing of things that I did, a few items were “re-arranged” on this leg!

NOTE:  I had planned to go to Fort Liard, NWT from here by Jeep; however, I have decided against that .  Weather is supposed to be pretty good tomorrow, so I want to take advantage of that for the beautiful drive to Muncho Lake.  There are only 2 geocaches in Fort Liard—one of which, from reading the logs, is not one I should do alone.  So, the NWT will have to wait for another trip because I don’t want to drive it without another RV along in the event of a problem.  Oh, well, such is life.

DAY 24, JUNE 22:  This is one of my favorite stretches of road for the whole trip—Fort Nelson to Muncho Lake, BC, a 149 mile (240 km) drive.  And, today didn’t disappoint with perfect weather for the trip.  The snow-covered northern Canadian Rockies became visible shortly after leaving Fort Nelson.  As I approached them, new vistas appeared around every turn—the scenery on this part of the trip is really incredible.  (I took over 100 pictures today!)  Eventually, I climbed up to Summit Pass which is the highest pass on the Alaska Highway (elev. 4250 feet/1295 m).  The speed limit through the Rockies is 50 mph/80 km which is a very comfortable speed for sightseeing and avoiding obstacles such as animals, rocks, or potholes in and on the road.  Also, I like to be a long way from the vehicle in front of me in order to have a good view of the road ahead for some distance. 

FORT NELSON TO MUNCHO LAKE, BC

(INTO THE NORTHERN CANADIAN ROCKIES)

SUMMIT LAKE

 

 

FOLDED MOUNTAIN

For old time’s sake, I stopped at Testa  River Services & Campground to pick up some cinnamon rolls.  They are excellent!  I also stopped at Toad River Lodge to leave a cap for their collection.  They have over 10,000 caps at last count—the hostess gave me a staple gun and said to put it wherever I wanted to.  I had a good piece of brambleberry pie there.

TOAD RIVER LODGE--JUST ONE 0F THE ROOMS!

The black spruce trees are becoming more common as I head further north.  I began seeing them a few days ago; however, they are very common now. 

BLACK SPRUCE

There was a caribou on the road shortly after crossing Summit Pass and I was able to get some pictures of it when it had moved to the side of the road. 

CARIBOU

Shortly after that encounter, I came across two groups of stone sheep along road. 

STONE SHEEP

I am camped at Strawberry Flat Provincial campground on Muncho Lake tonight.  There aren’t any services here, so it is “dry camping” as we call it.  I have a wonderful view of the lake and the mountains out my front window! 

WHAT A VIEW!

The deep blue green water is beautiful.  The lake is long and narrow—about 7.5 miles/12km long and 1 mile/1.6 km wide with a reported depth of 730 feet/223m.

RELAXING AT ONE OF MY FAVORITE PLACES!
(MUNCHO LAKE, BC)

I am parked next to an interesting couple from Texas who are likely well into their 80’s and they are making their 13^th trip up the Highway.  They go about every other year and pull a 5^th-wheel with a pickup and they have explored much of what is in Alaska and northwest Canada during their travels.

The satellite radio in the motorhome basically stopped reception about 340 miles from Dawson Creek; however, it is still working in the Jeep here at Muncho Lake.  I am not sure what to think about this situation—and I can’t contact Sirius from here to try to sort it out.

Wildlife Count:  3 black bears, 1 caribou, est. 12 stone sheep in two groups

Road report:  A little rougher west of Fort Nelson, but basically in good condition.  Two short stops for construction.  Many small potholes but most are marked for repair, so may be repaired by the time the caravans come through.

DAY 25, JUNE 23: 



HELLO WORLD!
WHAT A VIEW TO WAKE UP TO!

This was a very short drive today—just 41 miles to Liard River Hot Springs, where I am parked in a provincial park again tonight.  This is a nice campground with large flat sites amongst the tall trees and wild roses all around. 

LAST VIEWS OF MUNCHO LAKE-THE PHOTO DOESN'T DO THE SCENE JUSTICE!

After seeing stunning reflections along Muncho Lake this morning, the drive took me out of the heart of the Canadian Rockies, although there were still deep valleys and fast moving rivers.  The slopes were forested with no barren areas along the highway once I was a few miles northwest of Muncho Lake.  Wildlife was abundant along the way—I saw black bears, wood bison (a type of buffalo) in two herds, and stone sheep which were not about to give up their salt lick along the road.  There were really a lot of bison calves in the two herds.

STONE SHEEP

 



WOOD BISON



 

I drove along a couple of rivers for quite a lot of this trip.  They were really running downhill, so to speak, with lots of rapids, etc.  I crossed the wide Liard River on the only remaining suspension bridge on the Alaska Highway.  I had forgotten how wide that river is!  I thought, as I was driving along this morning, that this country is nothing but high, wide, and wonderful!

After getting the camp set up and having lunch, I went to soak in the hot spring pools for awhile.  Oh, but did that feel good! 

LIARD HOT SPRINGS

While on this venture I talked with a park employee and a park ranger who had both had close encounters with bears in the last two days.  The bear spray worked for them and they are here to talk about it!  And, these were very close encounters!  I spent quite awhile talking with the ranger about bear protection and he had some very plausible reasons why bear spray is better protection than a gun or bear bells.  In fact, up here they call bear bells “dinner bells” because a bear hearing the bells is more likely to come to you while investigating what the sound is.  The ranger suggested that, since I am travelling alone, it would be good to have the spray with me anytime I am going into the bush.  So, I guess I will be carrying my bear spray more often now.

I am parked across from two very interesting RVs from Europe.  A couple from Italy is in one and a man from Austria is in the other.  The campers are heavy duty all-terrain vehicles which were brought to Canada by ship.  The trio will be on the road for 1.5 years circumnavigating Canada, Alaska, and much of the Lower 48.

RVs FROM EUROPE

I took a walk back out on the boardwalk to the pools this evening to see if I could see any moose.  Sure enough, one was out there eating.  She was a long way out but I took some pictures anyway.

Wildlife Count:  2 black bear, 50+ wood bison, 9 stone sheep, 1 moose

Road report:  There is a sign by Northern Rockies Lodge telling drivers to use headlights because of extreme dust.  I drove a few miles before I got into the actual construction area which was being watered to keep dust down.  A pilot car was being used in this area, causing a short delay.  Further along while on gravel roadbed the dust was, indeed, extreme in the dry spots.  Visibility was perhaps 200 feet/.06 km or less in places.  The gravel beyond the active construction area runs for several miles and is staked out for future construction.  I suspect future caravans this year will be encountering continued work in the whole stretch which may run as much as 10 miles.  (I didn’t check the mileage, so this is a guesstimate.)  The road was good from the end of the construction/gravel to Liard River.

NOTE:  For people coming north on their own in the future, just west of Northern Rockies Lodge/RV park, I saw what looked like a fairly new lodge/RV park on Muncho Lake.  They advertise 30 amp power and large pull-thrus.  The sites appeared to be by the shoreline so there should be some good views.  This might be another option for future travelers up this road who want hook-ups.  However, from the road, the lodge does not compare esthetically to Northern Rockies’.

DAY 26, JUNE 24:  I had  another short drive of 129 mi./208 km today to Watson Lake, Yukon Territory (YT).  The countryside is predominantly rolling and forested with some deeper valleys.  All in all, very scenic.

ALLEN'S LOOKOUT

I stopped at Allen’s Lookout which has a historic milepost marker and a cairn marking the YT/BC border.  The border is also marked in cement at the foot of the cairn and you can see the original roadbed of the Alaska Highway behind the cairn.  However, the highway runs parallel to the border here, so I won’t cross it for another couple of miles.  I will cross the YT/BC border 6 times before I get to the “official” border crossing at Historic Marker 627.

Shortly before arriving in Watson Lake I could see the snow-covered Cassiar Mountains off in the distance to my left.  I will be seeing a lot more of them before this trip is over—and I look forward to that!  The wildlife was abundant along this stretch.  I saw what I am certain is a young grizzly bear—he was sort of aggressive as he came out of the ditch, crossed the other lane, and headed right for the motorhome.  He went right in front of me, turned and went down the right side of it and around back of the car, at which time I lost sight of him.  I also saw several black bears and wood bison (all males) and my first red fox on the trip.

GRIZZLY BEAR--COMING TO CHECK ME OUT!

 

ANOTHER BLACK BEAR!

MALE WOOD BISON

My first stop after parking was the famous Sign Post Forest which began with a sign posted by a homesick U.S. Army soldier from Illinois in 1942.  The count as of late last September was 83,886 signs!  (There were 64,371 on September 30, 2007, which was the year I put my first sign up.) After posting my sign for the trip, I enjoyed walking through part of the “forest” looking at the various signs and where they were brought from, in addition to finding a couple of geocaches there.

 

THE TOP SIGN IS FROM MY 2007/2008 TRIPS

Then, it was on to the adjoining Visitor Information Center where you can get good information on all things Yukon, plus more maps and books than you can easily carry out.  They really do an excellent job of passing along information at this center.  By then, it was beginning the promised sprinkle of rain; however, I had another stop I wanted to make.  I went out to the airport to see the WWII display in the terminal building.  I really enjoyed it when I saw the display in 2007 and noted several additions had been made to the earlier presentation.  It was well worth the effort to take the 8-mile drive out of town—and it was a good opportunity to review once again how the U.S. participated in the Lend-Lease program during the War.  The evening was spent at the Northern Lights Centre to see their shows.  I have really enjoyed the shows in the past and I was not disappointed again this year.  In addition to the shows in the state-of-the-art theater, there are also very interesting interactive space-related activities one can participate in.  All in all, it was a very busy day filled with lots of different activities!

Wildlife Count:  3 black bear, 1 grizzly bear, 4 wood bison, 1 red fox

Road conditions:  Good all the way.

DAY 27, JUNE 25:  I fueled up this morning and headed to Whitehorse, YT, a 273 mi./439 km stretch of beautiful scenery.  Light rain showers were encountered off and on, but in general it was an easy drive with good roads.  I followed the Rancheria River for some time but opted not to make the walk to the falls on this trip because of the rain.  That is a beautiful stop, so I will probably make it on the way back south.  The route took me back into BC for a short stretch and that was probably the roughest part of the road.  Evidently their maintenance crews don’t spend a lot of time up in that part of the province.  Ha! 

CASSIAR MOUNTAINS

I was in the north end of the Cassiar Mountains during this part of the drive and encountered a few miles of dense fog and many of the mountains were obscured by clouds.  Coming out of Cassiars, you soon see Teslin Lake, which you drive along for quite a few miles.  Teslin Lake straddles the YK/BC border and is 86 mi/138 km long and averages 2 mi/3.2 km wide. 

NISUTLIN BAY BRIDGE--TESLIN LAKE
2ND LONGEST BRIDGE ON THE ALCAN--PEACE RIVER BRIDGE IS LONGEST

From there it was mostly a gently rolling road with some high rugged mountains on each side in spots punctuated by long narrow lakes or smaller ponds/lakes.  The amount of black spruce forestation definitely increased on this leg of the trip.  Those trees are really amazing!  I will write more about them later when I can find my reference material.

 

I pulled into the RV park that I like here in Whitehorse only to find they were already full—and it was only 2 p.m.  I went back down the road to Pioneer RV Park and they can put me up for two nights.  Caravans use this park a lot, so I was fortunate to get in.  I have encountered problems getting into the commercial parks since I left Radium Hot Springs.  I believe the bottom line now is you are almost forced to make reservations to get a spot which is a big change from when I came up in 2007.  I am definitely going to have to rethink how I like to travel without a schedule most of the time.  I drove by WalMart late this afternoon and I would estimate there were between 50 and 60 RVs of various kinds parked there.

I have noticed a lot of motorcycles going both directions on the trip--they typically run in groups of 2-4.  I have also passed 8 southbound cross-country bicyclists.  What a trip that would be!  But it’s not for me!  I am also seeing more southbound RVs than I had seen at the same time on my trips 9 and 10 years ago.  I guess people are going up earlier and heading back south earlier now.

Wildlife Count:  2 black bears, 3 red foxes (1 scurrying along with breakfast in its mouth), several small rabbits along the road
 
Road Report:  The road was in generally good to very good condition.  A 10-mile stretch is marked for construction which begins about 40 mi. east of Rancheria Falls; however I didn’t see any equipment along the way.  It was packed gravel and in good condition.  Around Dawson’s Peak resort there was a sign for 15 miles of construction; however, conditions were the same as for the first area.  There is one really rough breakup along the route which isn’t marked well—and it is the kind that will rattle the fillings in your teeth if you hit it just right.  It covers the whole northbound lane for several yards.  I don’t have a good fix on the location but I believe it was a couple miles after you get back into Yukon from the loop down into BC.  It may still be in BC, but that is the general area.

JUNE 18-20, DAWSON CREEK, BC

DAY 20, JUNE 18:  I drove 84 miles (135 km) from Grande Prairie, AB to Dawson Creek (DC), BC.  It was an uneventful drive with good roads through gently rolling farm land interspersed with small forested areas.  Trees here were mostly birch and spruce.  The spruce were short and spindly in some of the boggy areas and were not very large in other areas. 

 

Shortly after leaving GP, I could see the snow-covered Canadian Rockies off in the distance to the south.  I thought as I drove that it won’t be long before I will be back in them for more spectacular scenery!  I turned into a pullout at Beaverlodge to take some photos of the famous Beaver that is the town’s mascot.  I did not go to the museum on the north edge of town this time since I had spent a lot of time there in 2007 and enjoyed it a lot. 

My goal was to get to DC at an early hour since I didn’t have a reservation at the park I wanted to stay at and I knew they would be pretty busy.  I pulled into Northern Lights RV Park and was able to get the last site available for 3 nights.  The ownership has changed since I was here in 2008 and the new owners have really worked to make improvements to the park.  A caravan pulled into the park this afternoon and will be here for 2 nights. 

I spent the afternoon visiting a local art gallery that had a juried show in progress.  This place had a nice gift shop when I was here on prior trips and it has gotten even better in the intervening years.  I also went to the visitors’ center to get information on the Alaska Highway where I was informed it was now paved all the way to Tok except for some areas of construction.  We will see… 



 

"MILE 0" MARKER, DAWSON CREEK, BC

After dinner at the George Dawson Inn, I took a drive about 20 miles up the Alaska Highway to see the historic Kiskatinaw Curved Bridge that I had not seen on previous trips.  The bridge was the first curved wooden bridge built in Canada and it is now the only curved, banked trestle bridge left in Western Canada and the only original wooden bridge remaining on the Alaska Highway.  (The 531-foot long bridge was completed in nine months!)  It is on the original Alcan Highway and there are not many of these types of landmarks that one can see now because the course of the road has been changed over the years.  In fact, there isn’t much of the current highway that is on the original highway roadbed because of “improvements” that have been made in the intervening 75 years.

KISKATINAW CURVED BRIDGE



 I saw my first moose while driving to the bridge; it was a cow eating alongside the road.  The moose spooked when I stopped to get a picture so I simply pointed the camera in the general direction of it and took the picture without being able to see what I was aiming at.  It isn’t the greatest shot, but it preserves the history of my first moose sighting on the trip.  Ha!  I then saw a deer a little further down the road.

FIRST MOOSE SIGHTING ON THE TRIP

It is a beautiful night here—the sun set a little before 11 p.m. and the colors are beautiful on the few clouds that are in the sky.



SUNSET IN DAWSON CREEK, BC

Wildlife count:  1 moose, 1 deer

DAY 21, JUNE 19:  I spent the morning doing errands around the motorhome—most of the time was spent washing the rear end of the motorhome which definitely needed it.  For those readers who have not traveled up the Alaska Highway, a lot of time is spent cleaning the exterior of the motorhome while on this trip.  Later on, and depending on the weather encountered, it will likely have to be washed daily at some points—no small task when you travel alone and are tired at the end of a day’s travel.  There will be times that I will want to stay an extra day just to clean it up and rest up a bit myself.  In the interim, I am spending time cleaning portions of it daily to stay ahead of the grime before I get into the really heavy “stuff”.  I will post a couple of pictures of my car when I arrived in Tok, Alaska during my 2007 trip which will give you an idea of what may be ahead of me.  This was the last leg of the Highway in Canada.

 

The afternoon was spent at the Alaska Highway House where there is an interesting exhibition on the building of the Alaska Highway.  This was definitely a worthwhile visit.  Construction on the highway began in March 1942 and was completed less than 9 months later.  It was a primitive road cut through forests, over mountains, through muskeg, along lakes, etc. for nearly 1500 miles opening up a supply line for military supplies to go to Alaska and to support the military airfields through Northwest Canada.  The airfields served as waypoints for military aircraft being ferried from the U.S. to Russia during World War II as part of the Lend-Lease Agreement.
I found 4 geocaches today to add to my Canadian total.  I won’t get very many on this trip, but look for them when I can.  Light rain began about 1:00 p.m. and continued through much of the afternoon. I had a mid-afternoon dinner consisting of a very good hamburger at Mr. Mike's Steakhouse.

DAY 22, JUNE 20:  The day was spent working around the motorhome and getting ready for a travel day tomorrow.  I did necessary errands such as paying bills (they don't end just because I am out of the country), responding to correspondence, cleaning some more of the motorhome, getting a haircut, doing some last minute grocery shopping, working on the blog, and doing some planning for the route ahead.  These types of chores never seem to end!  Tonight, the summer solstice arrives here.  For me, this is usually one of (if not the most) the saddest days of the year because it means the daylight hours begin to decrease.  On a brighter note, tomorrow I will get on the Alaska Highway to begin the drive north with hundreds of other intrepid adventurers!  The Highway is celebrating its 75th Anniversary this year which adds to the adventure.  It will be interesting to note the changes I see along the way since I was last up this way in 2008.  I paid a visit to the owner of the RV park this evening to say good-bye and we agreed to re-connect in AZ next winter.
 

BC AND AB, JUNE 14-17 (Radium Hot Springs, BC to Grande Prairie, AB)

Note:  A follow-up from the previous post.  Judy Bales sent me an email saying the yellow-flowered crop I saw in ID was canola.  I will share an interesting link she sent concerning the difference between canola and rapseed.  It is:  http://www.thekitchn.com/whats-the-difference-between-canola-and-rapeseed-206047.  Incidentally, I learned while here in Grande Prairie that canola was developed at a nearby agricultural research station west of town.

DAY 16, JUNE 14:  It rained off and on all night but only had light rain while getting ready to leave.  I got out of the RV park at 0830 and drove up through Kootenay Park on Hwy 93.  I then transferred to Trans-Canada Hwy 1/93, then Hwy 16 to Hinton, AB.  I missed the turn from Trans-Can 1 to Hwy 93North, so saw an extra 14 miles along Hwy 1 and into Yoho N.P.  After 281 miles of driving, I am parked at the Hinton/Jasper KOA—a park I stayed at in 2007 and liked.  I still do, but they are having WIFI “issues” in the part of the park I am located in which doesn’t make me happy.  Speaking of reception, I am still getting good Sirius Radio (satellite) reception here, so can keep up on the news in the U.S.  Weather up through Kootenay Park was overcast and wet. 

A WET DRIVE THROUGH KOOTENAY N.P.

After crossing the Continental Divide the conditions improved quite a bit—rain stopped and the ceiling over the Bow Valley in Banff N.P. was high.  However, the mountains were obscured until about midday when there were breaks in the overcast and one could see the higher mountains in places. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CROSSING  FOR WILDLIFE TO GO OVER THE HIGHWAY

Afternoon thundershowers began building about 2:00 P.M. and I drove through intermittent rain the last 1 ½ hours of the trip.  One thing I like about driving through the Canadian Rockies is all the wildlife you see.  Today, I saw grizzly and black bears, bighorn sheep, and mountain goats. 

BLACK BEAR
 

GRIZZLY BEAR



 

 

 

Also, the waterfalls were really flowing due to the snow melt and several very tall falls were tumbling straight down mountainsides for hundreds of feet.  The road to Jasper (Hwy 93) was quite rough which gave me an opportunity to see how well everything is secured in the coach for the roads ahead.  It rode pretty well—I don’t have to make many changes.  But, and this is a big but, I sure do miss the air suspension I had in the Journey while driving the rough roads!

Wildlife Count: 1 black bear, 2 grizzly bears, 3 bighorn sheep, 3 groups of mountain goats-perhaps 15 in all

I didn't make many stops going through Banff and Jasper N.P. because I have spent quite a lot of time there before and because the weather wasn't conducive to real sightseeing.  Here are some pictures from a previous trip showing the awesome country there.



ATHABASCA FALLS



LAKE LOUISE

 DAY 17, JUNE 15:  I woke up to clear skies and a beautiful view of the Canadian Rockies towards Jasper N.P. 

 

I finished packing up, then found fuel, and a new linchpin for the car hitch at a local building supply store.  Then, it was time to hit the Bighorn Route (aka Highway 43) to Grande Prairie, Alberta.  The route is described in “The MILEPOST” as a “2-lane paved highway with moderate grades and curves and good mountain views.”   “The MILEPOST” description is pretty accurate from my perspective.  I drove the road 10 years ago and, although there are still some rough areas with narrow to no shoulders, it is in much better condition than what I remembered from the previous trip. 

 

The route is anchored on the south end by Hinton, AB, and by Grande Prairie (G.P.) on the north end.  Grande Cache is the only other major community on the 203 mile (327  km) route.  A driver does not stay on the “straight and level” too long on this road and there are quite a few 6-8% grades.  However, it is a pretty drive that opens up to the broad expanse of farmland that is the Peace Region just south of G.P.  I had heard of the Peace River Country since I was a child and, although I have driven through here twice before, I have not had time to delve into it’s culture on the previous trips.  With that in mind, I signed up for two nights’ stay at the Rotary Campground and took a free tour of the city during the evening that was offered by the local Rotary Clubs.  The tour was well worth the time and the host was excellent, offering a lot of history and information about the Peace Country as well as about G.P.  The largest industries in the area are agriculture, oil and natural gas, forestry, and tourism.  The primary crops grown in the area are canola, wheat, and barley.  Incidentally, G.P. hosts the third largest oilman’s show in the world—behind Houston, TX and Calgary, AB.  It also has the second highest standard of living in Canada—and prices are high.  The city of 69,000 has one of the youngest populations in Canada and is one of the fastest growing communities in North America.  I can vouch for that—when I was through here 9 and 10 years ago it seemed like a fairly small town on the prairie.  My but how the south end of town has changed—as has the Rotary Club campground!  Shopping centers and businesses have filled in for several miles since I was last here and the campground has made major upgrades and improvements.  The area is definitely bustling!

Wildlife Count: 1 bald eagle (first one spotted on the trip), 3 deer, 1 black bear

NOTE:  Road construction through Grande Cache.  Periodic road maintenance with some short delays along the way.  (These conditions have been prevalent throughout the trip.)

DAY 18, JUNE 16:  After working around the coach in the morning, I spent the afternoon going through a local museum/cultural center which really gave me insight into the Peace Country.  It was all very interesting and well done.  I am still fighting electrical problems with the coach.  After setting up last night, I tried to get over-the-air TV; however, there was no power to the satellite receiver/transfer box.  Oh, well, I will look at it more when I have more time.  I am still  receiving the satellite radio so I can keep up on the news from the U.S.  It was very windy here today—30 mph (48 km) with higher gusts.  Someone asked me how light it is in the evening.  I will post a couple of pictures that were taken at 10:55 p.m. just after sundown—it was still light outside when I went to bed at 11:30.  A person almost needs an alarm to tell you when it is time to go to bed.

 

 

 

 

 

 










 DAY 19, JUNE 17:  I decided yesterday to stay in G.P. an extra night and spent the day shopping for supplies, working on the blog, doing laundry, etc.  The wind is blowing again today, although not as strong as yesterday.  It kind of reminds me of Oklahoma.  I had dinner at The Canadian Brewhouse and can recommend it.  I learned a long time ago that brewhouses and brewpubs generally have good food at a reasonable price.  This chain of brewhouses uses an inuksuk (inukshuk in English) as it’s symbol.  I have seen several inuksuks the past few days which, again, make me feel like I am getting further into the “north country”.  Inuksuks are human-made stone landmarks, or cairns, used by the Inuit and other peoples of the Arctic region of North America.  The structures are found from Alaska to Greenland.