The Alaskan Chronicles: From Alberta through British Columbia, Canada

I decided to split the journey across Canada into two volumes.   This is 1 of 2.

June 10, Day 8, 56°, mostly cloudy

Calgary, Alberta

340 miles

One thing we do when entering new territory is to go to the first local visitor information center and collect maps and brochures so that we can better anticipate what we might want to do while we are there. At the Alberta center, we met a talkative and cute specialist who told us everything she knew. She even advised us on new routes that did not show on their current maps, places that she shops several hundred miles away, and where to eat in the process of getting there. It was like sitting at the coffee table and visiting with a friend.  I was also amazed at how clearly she could write upside down on the map on the counter between us.

We stop at all major welcome centers first.

It was raining when we arrived at our chosen campground for the night east of Calgary. After a quick campsite setup, I used scissors and tape to affix two reflective window coverings to darken our bedroom above the cab for sleeping. We also attached a dark cloth to the existing door curtain between the bedroom and main area to block out even more light. We didn’t want the long hours of daylight in this part of the world to hinder our sleeping!

We chose it because it was close.

We settled in and used campground WiFi on our computers to talk to family and friends.  We blocked our cell phones from data use, but on the advice of the first Verizon representative we talked to did not block the jet pack from roaming and data use. A big mistake.  After one hour, we got a cell phone text  notice that they were going to bill us for several hundred dollars.  We worked out a deal with a second Verizon representative to remove most of the charges. The point to remember is to take out an additional phone plan for Canada that will allow texting, which we had done, but only use WiFi in Canada where it is provided rather than using our jet pack.

Day 9, 70°, mostly sunny

Camrose, Alberta   Elevation 2,598’

182 miles

Ricky and Nolan, our neighbors in Texas, live near Camrose. We arrived early in the afternoon at their farm outside of town. Ricky drove us around Camrose, showed us their condo in town, and we walked around at the Mirror Lake Park.   

Home of Ricky and Nolan

We traveled the flatlands first.

Lake near their condo for walking

Ricky is our host

After dinner we took a walk around the barn and pastures, socializing with their grand kids Madison, Emma, and Will. 

We parked next to farm machinery.

I said smile and all did!

The rustic cabin at the farm. No indoor plumbing.

The boys on this side

The girls on this side

After returning to the farm, we went back to a rustic cabin they have further back in their property to have snacks and drinks. Of course he kids wanted to show us the facilities.

Ricky and Nolan now stay in their RV when on the farm, and they pulled out all the stops in preparing a dinner for us at their RV: grilled ribs, chicken wings, salad, perogies, green beans almandine, and letke (potato and flour tortillas with butter).

Babyback ribs with perogies

Saskatoon berry pie with cream

The grand kids introduced us to their 2 pet pigs, 7 horses, 2 llamas, and 1 sheep.  Three dogs accompanied us, including Elsa, the dog Nolan and Ricky adopted as a stray in Texas. I remember the day Elsa attached herself to Nolan, and she found a great home.

More pets than farm animals

Every one has a horse to care for.

Wooly bully...

The next day Ricky and Nolan made us a full breakfast before we got on the road.

Day 10, 60°

Grand Prairie, Alberta

363 miles

We arrived at our RV park by 5:00 and decided to make use of the good laundry facilities. It rained most of the night, making a pleasant background sound for reading and sleeping.

Day 11, 60°, light rain

Dawson Creek, British Columbia

We saw our first bear on this morning’s travels.   After 11 days of driving from Arkansas, we entered British Columbia and arrived at the starting point for the Alaska Highway (previously called the Alcan), Milepost 0 in Dawson Creek, British Columbia.  For the Alaskan adventurer, it is at Dawson Creek where you really begin noticing what is happening outside your viewing window. 

This is the beginning of the Alaska-Canadian Highway...the "Alcan."

It was here that a 1,500 mile road was built from Dawson Creek to what would eventually become (in 1959) our 49^th state. The highway was started in WWII as an emergency military route to provide a supplies and armed troop support to the north country.  After the Japanese attack at Pearl Harbor, there was fear that the Territory of Alaska would be vulnerable to attack as well. It took 8 months to build the highway, which was quite an engineering feat. 

Great Thai tasting in Dawson Creek

Brown's Social House celebration selfie

We did some sight seeing around town before going to the campground that is west of town.

Downtown Dawson Creek at the unofficial mile "0."

Trip of a lifetime we believe

Any place with paintable wall space gets a mural.

On this route we would see snow-capped mountains, ice fields, and frozen lakes.  We also hoped to encounter wildlife in numbers we had not seen before. We saw our first moose before arriving in Dawson Creek, but we were looking forward to adding to our cameras photos of black bear, grizzly bear, caribou, mountain goats, buffalo, and stone or Dall sheep.

Placard between us on adjacent photo.

At the visitor center in Dawson Creek we saw a video on the building the Alaska Highway that was produced to celebrate the 50^th anniversary of the highway. It was 20 years old and gave credit to all races involved in the construction project. It also highlighted the racist attitudes of the military at that time. My particular interest in this construction project was the nearly 4,000 African American engineers who were included in the 10,000 man military construction force. I wanted to see and hear their stories.  Dawson Creek was the starting point.

We did not see any northern lights but

 ...we got a rainbow!

We stayed outside town at the Northern Lights Campground and met other Alaska-bound travelers from Arizona, Texas, and South Dakota. The real adventure would begin the next day. Yahoo!

As we left town we encountered other features of this highway.

Old Alaska Highway Historic Site:  Kiskatinaw curved bridge

This is the only remaining timber bridge on the Old highway.  At mile 20 on the original highway, a hairpin turn forced the construction of this very unique bridge.  This 534 foot long wooden bridge that is sloped and has a 9 degree curve to conform with the bend in the highway. A modern steel bridge has replaced this one on the new route. But I like this one. It has character!

There is another thing you learn about travel and road conditions on the Alaska Highway. It constantly changes. Some signs I was familiar with, others were new to me.

Lots of hills with  6-10% grades

This yellow sign means medium-sized bumps ahead.

Falling rocks from the right. Hard bumps

Wood Bison crossing area. Soft bumps

Day 12, 60°

Fort Nelson, British Columbia   Elevation 1,414’

284 miles

A town  along the way

Our destination on this day is situated at Mile 300 on the Alaska Highway.  Fort Nelson, population 4,871, sits at the gateway to the large wilderness of the Rocky Mountains, the Yukon and Northwest Territories, and Alaska.  It is a major town and stopover destination for travelers leaving British Columbia. The Milepost traveler’s guide that we relied on indicated that deer, moose, bears, and elk would be seen in frequent clearings alongside the highway, foraging for food. In some areas, natural salt licks near the road attract these ungulates. I was told to be extra careful when driving these roads.  If I was to hit a moose, they tell me, the chances are good that our rig would come out of the encounter in worse shape than the moose. Honest.

Roadside camping is allowed along the Alaska Highway unless posted.

We only saw a single, scruffy looking old black bear, our first, in a stream on the side of the highway—no moose. 


 
We stayed at the Triple G Campground and Restaurant.  We were able to walk to the historical museum next door.

This campground has an eatery.

Made in British Columbia and tasty

   




In the museum, a 1944 film on the construction of the Alaska (Alcan) Highway was featured. It was a promotional film that made you want to buy war bonds.  It was interesting to watch this older production, which used slang of the times such as colored and Jap.  It was a good one to see and compare to what we had seen in Dawson Creek the previous day.  This older version also included information on our relationship with the Russians in the lend/lease of aircraft during WWII.

Owner here has driven every vehicle.

 

Studebaker?

The next day brought more good traveling and scenery.

Blue sky, aspen and alder roadsides

It seems everyplace has an Indian Head mountain

Reminds me of the Blue Ridge mountains in Virginia

Claimed to have the best cinnamon rolls on the road

Private rest areas had their own style

Other signs of the open road...

Free rolling rock on the right to avoid

Free roaming horses to avoid

 Steel bridge warning for bikers to include...

...grated bridge surface.

Stone Mountain Provincial Park and surrounding country

Day 13

Muncho Lake, British Columbia

153 miles

The drive we took in the next few days from Fort Nelson to the Yukon Territory was approximately 320 miles. The terrain rises steadily from the vast land of muskeg and boreal forest to the Steamboat Mountains, where the highway leads right into the Northern Rocky Mountains and the Stone Mountain area.

Signs warning to watch out for wildlife are everywhere.  

From that point on, the Rockies accompanied our travels, offering both the wide-open mountain views of craggy peaks and up-close views where the rugged rock flanks the highway.  It was during this cloudy day of driving that we saw 7 more black bears. For the next three days, we would not have cell phone coverage—one of the disadvantages of being in a remote area.

After driving 140 km west of Fort Nelson, we entered Stone Mountain Provincial Park. Much of the park lies in the alpine tundra biogeoclimatic zone, which is a tongue twister way to say that trees are scarce and mountains of solid rock jut skyward. The plant life there is limited to lichen, grasses, and moss. This is in stark contrast to the rolling, tree-covered foothills we had been motoring through.

Approaching Muncho Lake Provincial Park area

Folded Mountains

And more road hazards to remind you of.

When red instead of yellow, pucker up!

We don't have caribou in the lower 48.

I wish all of you could be here to see these views first hand.

There is beauty and...

...there is danger in the flash flood country.

Cascading falls

It's difficult in scenic river country like this to watch the road.

Previous travelers on this road had suggested that we must stay at Muncho Lake for a night.   The waters display a perpetually blue-green jade hue, the result of copper oxides leached from the bedrock. 

Muncho Lake

The campground has no services besides pit toilets, picnic tables, a hand water pump, and fire rings. All sites are gravel and somewhat level. Here we met Rod and Kathy from Michigan. They also had a truck camper and were in the site just across from us next to the lake. That evening we enjoyed a campfire and good company at their site. Before we retired for the evening, we met Deb and Kathy from Utah, another TC couple. As coincidence would have it, Deb had also worked for the Forest Service and had heard of me. The next morning, we met Barbara and Janie, from southern California, who were on their second trip to Alaska. They had known one of Daisy’s Virginia Tech colleagues through a professional organization. It is definitely a small world.  

We spent the night here.  The campground only has 16 primitive sites--one way in and out.

Small turnaround on one way in and out campground road.

No big rigs allowed

We got set up.

We met another truck camper couple here and...

No hookups

Secluded

....shared picture-taking chores on the shore

Then we went for a hike. It was about 8 pm. We were told to be aware of mountain lion, moose and bear activity. I made sure I had my running boots on in case Daisy could not handle what we encountered.

Mountain side view while standing in an alluvial fan

We had the opportunity to hike across alluvial fans. We were warned that caution should be used if investigating these wonders of nature. Rain high up in the mountains may cause flooding of these areas with little or no warning.

Pretty as a picture lakeside view

Moose droppings near camp

Lady slippers

And we found water--a single hand pump

Met Barbara and Janie

As we departed the next day,

Reflected rainbow with  the morning showers

the fog was lifting to reveal a rainbow over the stillness of the mirror-like reflecting waters. 

Our destination is over the next rise

Mirror reflection in the calm lake waters

We had to stop to allow stone sheep the right of way—they were here first. And so were the porcupines.

Stone Sheep

Just down the road, even the commercial enterprises strive to fit in and at the same time be as unique as the landscape.

Northern Rockies Lodge and campground

More float planes are docked near the roads than boats.

Mosquito burners with picnic site

We only stopped here for a potty break but the menu looked great.  We may see this place again. Food, campground, and a float plane all at your back door.

 
We turned west and the first things we saw were these.

and this

You've seen these warning before

and more of this

and then this. The sign was right.

Day 14, 65°

Liard Hot Springs, British Columbia

40 miles—A short drive.

Another location that was highly recommended by previous travelers was the Liard River Hot Springs Provincial Park, north of Muncho Lake. This park features the second largest hot spring in Canada and was adjacent to our travel route.  Once we took a look at the hot springs we decided it was worth staying the night and enjoying the “waters.” There are two hot springs at Liard, with water temperatures ranging from 107° to 126° F. The nearest is the Alpha pool, and half a mile beyond that is Beta pool, which is larger and deeper, with a muddier bottom. This second one has been closed to public use for some time. It is more isolated and there is a story concerning last year’s death of two tourists by an old grizzly that fits in this picture too.

Boardwalk to Hot Springs

 
We were told to be on the lookout for moose here in the boardwalk area. It seems that the animals like the mineral rich laden plants here over the plain Jane plants of the non hot spring areas. I could see the paths, tracks, and fresh droppings of the moose but did not encounter any critters.

Changing rooms, benches for relaxing in the water, gravel bottom, 107-126 degree temperatures.

This is the first hot springs that I have been to that has a boardwalk that passes through a warm water swamp.  These springs do not flow directly into a nearby river or creek but into a swamp system that never freezes in the winter. There is a boreal forest that supports rich and diverse plant communities around the swamp.   

Daisy noticed the larger than normal dandelions

This also adds to the diversity of animal and bird species in this area.  Lots of signs warned us to watch out for wood bison, moose, and black bears that frequent the area, but we didn’t see any.

Daisy and Barbara in the lower level of the pool. Temp here is less than 100°.

Barbara and Janie rolled into the campground soon after we did, and we visited with them in the pool and also later when they hosted us for happy hour. Because of their previous travels in Alaska, we got some good ideas from them for the remainder of our journey.

We took a hike to the hanging gardens area of the hot springs area.
There the hot springs water bubbles through porous limestone, dissolving the calcium rock and other minerals. When the dissolved minerals are deposited on the downhill surfaces they harden into stone again and form the terraced bases that the vegetation grows on. Thus the name hanging gardens. We were a might early to see the blooming on our trip.

Hanging Gardens, it is called

Laird River is our beacon west to the Yukon

The next day we anticipated a major stopping point—the Signpost Forest at Watson Lake, Yukon Territory.


Canada part two is next.