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.




 

 

 

 

INTO CANADA--JUNE 8 THROUGH JUNE 13, 2017

NOTE:  I will try to remember to convert miles and temperatures to degrees Celsius and Kilometers for my Canadian and European friends who are reading this blog.  I can’t guarantee that I will catch every one of these, but I will sure try!

Additionally, I will be making comments about road conditions, particularly from Dawson Creek, BC to the point at which I cross back in to the lower 48 next fall.  The reason for this is that there will be other RVers that I am aware of who will be traveling the same routes behind me and I have told them I would share what I am encountering vis-à-vis road conditions.

DAY 10: :  I was up early to hook up the Jeep and get the coach ready to travel; however, I wanted to watch the James Comey hearing with the Senate Intelligence Committee before starting out.  Bob and Judy Bales came over to watch the last part of the hearing and to see me off.

DEPARTING EMMETT, ID (PHOTO COURTESY JUDY BALES)

I took an alternate route west to Payette because a cold front was forecast to move in, then turned north on Hwy 95 and took it all the way to Grangeville. 

WEST OF EMMETT, HEADED TO PAYETTE, ID

I followed the Little Salmon River for a ways and it was flowing fast, so I just HAD to stop at one point to take some pictures.



LITTLE SALMON RIVER--FLOWING FAST

Further along, waterfalls next to the road were flowing—I didn’t get any photos of them because I didn’t know they were there until I was passing them!  There were quite a few of these.  It was a very nice drive and I had tailwinds most of the way, which was also nice.  Winds were very strong through the Salmon River Canyon, but still on my tail.  The Salmon River was running high, muddy, and fast with a lot of large logs and other debris flowing downstream.

SALMON RIVER

After driving 197 miles (317 km) today, I camped at Bear Den RV Resort in Grangeville, ID for the night.  (It is a very nice park with long pull-thrus.)

DAY 11, JUNE 9:  It rained off and on most of the night and I drove through light rain during the first part of the trip this morning.  Pulled out of the park at 0845 and made the 187 mile (300 km) trip to Coeur d’Alene, where I am parked at the Elks Lodge.  (VERY NICE PARK)  I drove through large rolling fields of small grain, most of which looked like they were planted in wheat.  Saw some fields planted in a crop that was a very bright yellow, but I don’t know what the crop was.  I didn’t see much of it, but it was very pretty on the hill sides. 

WHEAT FIELDS

 

                ???

Skies started clearing about 35 miles southeast of Lewiston, ID.  The drive through the Nez Perce Indian Reservation southeast of Lewiston was particularly nice as the gently rolling hills gave way to much steeper, higher hills and bluffs as I got closer to the Clearwater River.  Croplands gave way to pastureland with a lot of cattle grazing up high.  North of Lewiston I was driving among more tall trees all the way to Coeur d’Alene.  The drive today was a fun one to make because I saw the land from the ground for the first time after seeing it from the air day after day in the late 1960’s/early 1970’s as I flew fire patrols over much of the area.



DAY'S END

DAY 12, JUNE 10:  I worked around the MH all day finishing loose ends.  I also bought the final things I thought would be needed for the trip that I might not get later; i.e. oil, a 20 A to 30 Amp dogbone, etc.  It rained off and on all day but is clearing tonight.  The weather has been cold all day and tonight will probably be pretty cold, too.  It might have hit 60 degrees for a short time.  (Fairbanks got up to 94 degrees!  Guess I am headed the right direction!)  Hooked the Jeep up tonight, so will be ready for an early start.  Four travel bugs were activated and I found a nearby geocache to get them traveling.  The travel bugs will go along with me.

DAY 13, JUNE 11: I woke up to beautiful blue skies!  As I was getting ready to move out, I lost power to the satellite receiver, both TVs, and a few power receptacles.  I couldn’t figure out what the problem was at the time but decided to go anyway since I had partial power and figured I would do further troubleshooting at the destination.  (The “issue” was the inverter had tripped—again.)  I got out of the RV park at 0800 and left the gas station at 0830, headed north for the 242 mile (389 km) drive on Highway 95 to Radium Hot Springs, BC.  It was a nice drive to the border—again it was fun to see the country from the ground that I used to fly fire patrol over.  The drive north of Bonners Ferry, ID was especially nice in a wide valley bounded on each side by tall mountains. 

NORTHERN IDAHO

I crossed into Canada about 11:15 a.m. and had a very nice road surface on Hwy 95.  The border crossing was routine except that the agent asked what my license plate number was.  Since I didn’t expect that question, I stammered a little while answering, but got through anyway.



BORDER CROSSING NORTH OF BONNERS FERRY, ID
TIME TO RECALIBRATE MY THINKING RE SPEEDS & DISTANCES







Initially, it was a very scenic drive along the Moyie River which was running high and clear.  And, the scenery just kept getting better and better!  I got my first good view of the tall, rugged, Canadian Rocky Mountains just outside Cranbrook, BC and soon descended down into the Rocky Mountain Trench following it on Hwy 95 all the way to my destination. 

ENTERING CRANBROOK--THE CANADIAN ROCKIES AHEAD

 The scenery constantly changed as I followed major river valleys, crossed over divides between rivers, watched the ever-changing mountains to the right and left of me, and followed long narrow lakes for miles at a time.  One lake of note was Columbia Lake which is spring-fed and is the source of the Columbia River.  I turned into an overlook to see the lake and get some pictures; however, it was hard to do either because of the tall trees below the overlook. 

COLUMBIA LAKE

Broad-leafed trees gave way to various fir, spruce, pine and other evergreen-types of trees as I drove north the past few days.  I enjoyed seeing lilacs, lupine, and wild roses alongside the road—these really gave me a feeling of being further north.  I am parked at Radium Valley Vacation Resort, an RPI resort, for a few days.  It is a nice park at the very foot of the Canadian Rockies.  I have been going back and forth between Pacific and Mountain Daylight Time so many times the past few days that, at this point, I am not sure which time zone I am in at any given time.  Thank goodness for the telephone which shows the correct time for the location I am in!  Signs were posted all around the RV park warning people to be on the lookout for bears.  I was told that a grizzly bear was spotted a few days ago at the entrance to the park so the signs went up.

Wildlife spotted:  2 deer, 1 large brown bird which I think was a grouse

DAY 14, JUNE 12:  Today was a perfect day to go touring in Kootenay National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site!  The skies were clear, the temperature was forecast to get up to about 80°F (27°C), and winds were calm.  My first stop was the Park’s visitor center where I picked up my free pass to all Canadian national parks this year.  The Park Service is giving the passes out as part of Canada’s 150^th Anniversary.  This was my first visit to Kootenay N.P. and it didn’t disappoint!  Many trails and campgrounds are closed for maintenance because of damage from the severe winter up here.  Others were closed in the lower elevations due to bear activity in the area.  The west entrance to the Park is through a cutout portion of a tall hill (actually, I believe it is a glacial moraine but could not be sure) followed by driving through a tunnel.  The road winds past the Radium Hot Springs and then the view opens up to spectacular panoramas of very tall mountains and the wide valley of the Kootenay River.

 

KOOTENAY NATIONAL PARK, BRITISH COLUMBIA

I wasn’t far into the park when I had my first wildlife encounter—a black bear was very busy eating dandelions alongside the road.  It didn’t pay any attention to me as I took pictures from inside the Jeep.  I continued on into the park, climbing up towards the Continental Divide and looking at the spectacular scenery along the way.  My first stop was at the Paint Pots where I took the short hike out to the pots and bagged my first geocache in Canada.  It was a virtual geocache, meaning there was no container or log to sign but other criteria must be met to log it as “Found”.  The Paint Pots’ history goes back a long ways as the indigenous people used the red soil that was stained by the iron-rich mineral springs around the emerald green “pots” (pools).  The mud, called ochre was once used to decorate their homes, their bodies, and for rock drawings.  At the turn of the last century the ochre was mined by hand, sacked, and hauled in horse-drawn wagons for 15 miles to a train station where it was shipped to Calgary to be used as a pigment base for paint.

PAINT POTS



VIEW FROM THE TRAIL

OLD MINE EQUIPMENT





MY FIRST GEOCACHE IN CANADA!

My next stop was Marble Canyon where I took a short hike to Marble Falls.  The canyon was like non-other that I have seen beginning at the bottom with a broad streambed narrowing dramatically as I climbed up to the falls.  There is a lot of geology associated with this that I won’t go into here, but it was a very interesting hike.

MARBLE CANYON HIKE


 
 NATURAL BRIDGE

 

MARBLE FALLS

 

 

 

 

 

VIEW FROM THE  FALLS

 

 

 



After hiking to the falls, I drove over the Continental Divide and down into Banff N.P. (in Alberta) to the intersection with Canada Highway 1.  I then turned around and retraced my route, giving me the opportunity to see the countryside from a totally different perspective.  (I like to do this in mountainous country,)  On the way back to the resort, I stopped and watched a grizzly bear eating dandelions along the road.  (The dandelions must be good here because both bears were really munching them down today!)  Finally the bear became agitated by something back in the woods behind it and eventually crossed the road, perhaps 3 feet (.9 meter) in front of the Jeep—at the most.  At that point, things were happening so fast that I wasn’t able to get a very good picture of it, but will post the photo anyway.  You will be able to see the front of the Jeep’s hood at the very bottom of the photo.  The bear went up the steep hillside and disappeared into the woods and I continued on to the RV park.

 

GRIZZLY BEAR

OKAY--TAKE MY PICTURE



 

TIME TO LEAVE THE AREA



MOVING PAST THE JEEP--HEADING TO THE WOODS

All in all, it was a very satisfying day with perfect weather for seeing the area.  It is 11 p.m. as I finish writing this and you can still see the final red light from the sunset in the west.  Have I mentioned how much I love these long daylight hours???

Wildlife spotted:  7 mule deer, 1 black bear, 1 grizzly bear

DAY 15, JUNE 13:  I worked on the blog today and plotted out the route for the next few days.  Weather on my planned route through central BC doesn't look appealing for the most part during the next several days and, indeed, the skies are already overcast here.  Therefore, I have made the decision to go over the Continental Divide and drive through Kootenay National Park (N.P.), part of Banff N.P., and Jasper N.P., and out into the eastern side of the Rocky Mountains.  Weather forecasts along the intended route look much better to me--I don't do rain and cold very well any more. Ha!  The rest of the day has been spent getting some groceries and preparing to travel.