Alaska Highway (Al-Can) Part 1

We spent the night in Grande Prairie which is a good sized city but the area we were in was heavily industrialized and there were trucks everywhere.  Many of the people who stayed at the RV park worked in the local industries which are timber, oil and gas.  The town was very dusty from trucks carrying gravel and many of the sides roads were not paved so a cloud of dust was evident everywhere.  

Heading toward town.

The RV park we stayed at was nice and the owner was very friendly.  He said every winter he and his wife close up and go to Hawaii to relax.  Not a bad gig!  The mosquitoes were unbelievable.  They swarmed all over you and poor Desi got so upset.  The owner said this was the worst year he had ever seen because they went from rainy weather to hot which really brought the bugs out.  Since we were only there one night we just put on bug spray and tried to stay inside as much as possible.

Heading out of town for the drive to Dawson Creek, BC.

Beaver lodge and this town's claim to fame.

Large farming operations along the way.

We had to stop for  some bridge repair since the road was down to one lane.

I thought this was a clever way to control the traffic.  Never saw a stoplight in the back of a truck before but it sure saves on flagmen.

Made it to Dawson Creek safely to begin the 'elder' migration.

Travelers stopping to take a picture of the milepost.  How silly!

Wonder who that 'elder' couple is.....

In 1879, Dr George Dawson led a survey party through this valley looking for a suitable rail route through the Rockies.  By 1898, fur traders, prospectors, and settlers came to this area.  The railroad got here in 1929 and by this time the area was known as Dawson Creek.

In 1942, at the height of World War 2, the US Army Engineers began the construction of the overland route to Alaska and nine months later at a cost of $140 million dollars the road was completed.  11,000 troops and 16,000 civilians were employed on the project.  There are 133 bridges and 8,000 culverts in the 1,523 miles of highway.  Over this lifeline to the Northwest thousands of troops, food and war supplies were transported.  Maintenance was taken over from the Canadian Army in 1964 by the Dept. of Public Works, Ottawa. 

This old grain elevator has been converted into a local art gallery.

The visitor's center used to be the train station.

We've come a long way baby!

While in Dawson Creek we went to a restaurant for lunch.  Both of our meals included french fries and the waitress asked us if we wanted gravy with the fries.  We looked surprised and she explained that gravy and fries are very popular in these parts.  She didn't understand putting ketchup on fries although she did admit that occasionally she will dip her fries into gravy and ketchup.  She brought us a bowl of gravy to try with the fries because she said we just had to give it a try.  It tasted like fries dipped in gravy......

The manager came over to talk and said he loves living in Dawson Creek.  He and his parents have a cattle ranch outside of town and ranching is a major business. We asked him how all the restaurants and shops survived in the colder weather and he told us business was booming then, too.  Many workers come up to Dawson Creek to work in the timber and gas business and winter is a better time to cut and haul lumber and work on gas platforms because the ground is frozen.  In the warmer weather those businesses slow down and the workers all go down to Mexico.

Loved this establishment. Who needs a doctor.

Hmmmm

I wonder if he is driving this vehicle to Alaska.

This is the actual mile marker for the beginning of the Alaska Highway.

We spent an extra day in Dawson Creek and took a a drive out to the historic Kiskatinaw Curved Bridge which is on mile 21 of the old Alaska Highway.  The bridge is made completely of wood and although it is no longer used as part of the current Alaska Highway it is still in use.

The next morning we left Dawson Creek and began our journey on the Alaska Highway.

Driving up and down in the foothills (I use that term loosely) we came upon this beautiful bridge we had to cross.

A gas pipe line also ran across the river.

Across the bridge was the town of Taylor and a huge gas plant in the distance.

On another bridge we saw this road sign which read, " Wide Load?  Watch for pedestrians".  Well yeah.....

An out of work lumberjack......or was it the cold winter.....

We went through several miles of forests that had been destroyed by fire.

This is one of the places where workers spend the winter while working in the timber and gas industries.  They are called Open Camps.

The pay must be really good because the accommodations are very basic.  And these open camps aren't close to any towns.

This is how they spray the roadways in Canada to seal cracks.

The road just continued on and on.

We stopped at Fort Nelson for the night and saw this cottonwood tree in the RV park.

The cotton was very sticky and drifted off the tree onto everything around it.

Beautiful scenery as we continued our journey the next day.  As we moved further west we drove into higher elevations called the Middle Rockies.

These road signs mean the road is in bad shape and one needs to be careful.  This is the only warning you get.  If you miss the sign you could hit a big pothole and mess up your rig.

The bridges are grated on the bottom so there are always warnings for motorcycle drivers.

Drove past an area called Stone Mountain Provincial Park.  Well named!

Moose!

The highway took us around Muncho Lake.  The speed limits were slow because the road had many curves and it was a very long lake. 

We made it to Liard River Provincial Park which was our next stop. We planned on staying for two days to enjoy the hot springs.  The park has no amenities so you are boondocking.  We were allowed to turn our generators on from 9-11 AM and 6-8 PM to keep everything electrical going but that was it.  This is a very popular spot so it is hard to get a space and overflow parking across the highway was in use by many rigs.  We parked, set up our outdoor things, sprayed for bugs (which were numerous) and had dinner.  We decided to try the hot springs the next morning.

When we woke up nothing was running including the refrigerator.  It was only 6:30 AM, we couldn't turn on the generator, so we decided to go to the hot springs. We drove our car to a parking lot near the boardwalk that takes you to the springs. The boardwalk is about a half mile long. 

The marshy area has warm water, too, and is a spot enjoyed by the local moose and other wild critters.

You could see the steam rising off the water as we walked along the boardwalk.

This is the hot springs.  Since it was early in the morning there were few people enjoying it.

The temperature of the water varies between 98 degrees and 120 degrees.  It is very warm when you first get in but your body adjusts and then you can feel the difference in the temperatures as you move around in the water.

The lower section has a small waterfall you can sit under and let the water splash over your shoulder and back.  Very relaxing.

Hello from Canada!!!

We walked back from the hot springs to the car (a little nippy but really not bad) and drove back to our site.  It was still too early to start the generator so we went to a local restaurant (the only restaurant in the area) that was almost across the street for coffee and decided to have breakfast, too.  The food was iffy, the prices were high, and they were doing a booming business!  

Back at the rig 9:00 came and we started the generator.  Actually, we tried to start the generator multiple times and it wouldn't turn over.  The Captain started the engine and let it run for awhile and then tried the generator again.  Nothing.  So the decision was instantly made.  We loaded up the outside stuff, got the rig prepared to go, and were on the road by 10:00 AM and started heading to Watson Lake, the next stop on our itinerary.  The Captain tried the generator about a half hour down the road and it finally started but it definitely needs a check-up.  Oh well, so much for boondocking.

Actually, my idea of boondocking is 35 amps, water, but no sewer hookup.  I think that is really roughing it.  And our adventure continues....   Peace !