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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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)
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| SUMMIT LAKE |
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| CARIBOU |
Shortly after that encounter, I came across
two groups of stone sheep along road.
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| 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!
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| 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.
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| 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 13th trip up the Highway. They go about every other year and pull a 5th-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:
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| STONE SHEEP |
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| 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!
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| 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.
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| ALLEN'S LOOKOUT |
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.
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| GRIZZLY BEAR--COMING TO CHECK ME OUT! |
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| ANOTHER BLACK BEAR! |
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| 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.
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| 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!
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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.
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| 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.
