So Long, Alaska Highway - Hello, Alberta
/It was foggy when we left Dyea and Skagway and the fog increased to pea soup as we ascended to White Pass. With zero visibility, we experienced a white-out on White Pass. Here’s our view!
By the time we reached Fraser and the Canadian border, ~23 miles from Skagway, there was blue sky up ahead and to the west and a thick tablecloth of cloud covering to the east. We watched as it moved. We are back in British Columbia (B.C.) now and have lost that precious hour once again, but not for long.
Now that the fog had disappeared, Tutshi Lake with its vibrant blue-green waters was stunning especially with fireweed in the foreground.
We stopped in Carcross once again. Views of the railroad bridge and Bennett Lake from the highway were very picturesque.
While we were there, the White Pass & Yukon Route train approached, and just like last time, we waited to watch it arrive, this time from in front of the train station.
We camped for the night at the Squamish Lake Campground, back in Yukon Territory. The campsite was lovely… spacious with a fire ring, free firewood, trash bins, very clean, well-equipped vault toilets and a picnic table. There was a water pump with the warning that all water should be boiled. We gave it a pass. Huge blue dragonflies and the last of the season’s butterflies fluttered by as we sat and enjoyed the warm evening. As soon as the sun was low in the sky, it cooled off in a hurry and we headed into Blanche.
We were up early with no internet to read our morning paper. It was cold, but the sky was blue and it warmed up quickly. The miles passed by uneventfully. We camped at Watson Lake Campground and with both ATT & Verizon coverage and caught up on the day’s news. Loon calls lulled us to sleep and woke us in the morning. My kind of alarm clock!
The sun greeted us in the morning, but the blue skies were gone, replaced by thick, acrid smoke. Our eyes burned and teared. Our noses wriggled and ran; we sneezed.
We stopped in Watson Lake briefly and checked out the Sign Forest once again… our magic-marketed plastic plate was still there among the thousand other signs left by passersby. We’ve been finding it difficult to find fresh drinking water that doesn’t have to be boiled. The kind agent in the Visitor’s Center took us into their kitchen and allowed us to fill our water jugs from the tap. Much appreciated.
Back on the highway and not far from Watson Lake, we came to an abrupt stop. A herd of ~15 wood bison had claimed the highway and sides of the road and were in no hurry to move.
As we drove along the Alaska Highway and back into B.C., we noted past burn areas where fireweed seemed to be thriving.
Further on, we spied a black bear noshing in a meadow. He kept raising his head and sniffing the air and we wondered if it was us or perhaps the smell of smoke that had him wary. Another mile and another black bear panting with the heat. The temperature had reached 85F. Then we saw another and then more bison and another bear. It was a good day for wildlife spotting. Total for the day: 4 black bear and 100+ wood bison.
We spent the night at lovely Liard Hot Springs Provincial Campground. We walked along the long planked boardwalk to the hot springs and dipped our toes in. The water was hot… way too hot especially with temps hovering in the 80s. A cool pool or a shower would have been more welcome. The next morning we rose early and walked the same path over the boardwalk. It was cold and we could see the mist rising from the hot springs.
The sunrise over the marsh was dazzling.
We were traveling through the Northern Rockies now. Just past the Racing River, we stopped for a leg stretch. David spotted something rustling around in the brush. A covey of ruffed grouse hens suddenly appeared. When the male caught sight of us, he ruffled his ruff, fanned his tail and headed straight towards us, protecting his harem. We backed off and he went back into the bush.
We spotted stone sheep high on a rocky hillside.
A caribou cow and her calf were grazing beside the road and attempting to cross. Traffic stopped and she finally coaxed her calf to the other side safely. Another great wildlife spotting day.
We stopped once again at the Tetsa River Lodge… Gail’s cinnamon rolls are the ‘best buns in the galactic cluster’, we’re told. Learning from our last stop, this time we split one bun. Heavenly!
We spent the night at Three G’s Campground in Fort Nelson, the same place we camped on our way up. We woke to gray skies and gusty winds, a bit of a reprieve from the unusually warm temps we’ve been experiencing. We saw no wildlife. The day ended up being gloomy and gray and David was coming down with a cold. Bah!
We managed only about 100 miles and David was feeling wonky with sore throat and sniffles. Buckinghorse River Provincial Park became home for the night. Though most campsites were alongside parking, we found one that was nestled into a grove of 100’ tall spruce mixed with aspens. Leaves are turning to gold and falling. Squirrels are collecting pine cones.
We sat out for awhile until the sky darkened and thunder began to rumble. The temperature dropped quickly and we climbed into Blanche. NyQuil for David!
Another gloomy morning, we were underway early and after a quick stop in St. John, we headed to Dawson Creek. We were back at Mile 0 of the Alaska Highway. We checked into the Mile 0 Campground once again, got situated in our site and set about taking hot showers and doing laundry. We just relaxed for the evening with fast internet, clean sheets, clean clothes and clean bodies.
After a stop at the iconic Dawson Creek Art Gallery and the Visitor Center to pick up a couple of souvenirs, we headed out on BC-2 South which quickly became Alberta-43 as soon as we crossed the provincial border.
Alberta is all new territory for us. We’ve never been in this province before, but we were excited to begin our explorations. This part of the province in the west central area is farmland… flat terrain, grain elevators situated near railroad tracks, barns and silos. Mown fields, plowed fields, fields of newly rolled hay.
We stopped in Beaverlodge to view a very large beaver. Evidently, for Beaverlodge’s 75th Anniversary of incorporation in 2004, a Giant Beaver Sculpture was unveiled and it’s now become a landmark along the highway and, at 3000 pounds, 18’ long and 10’ high (not counting the log he’s perched on), it’s touted as the World’s Largest Beaver.
The weather was warm, hazy and gusty as we headed east and approached Grand Prairie.
The Visitor Center is also home to the Millennium Sundial, a 40’ stainless steel structure surrounded by ‘time posts’. When we arrived the sun was shining and we noted that the sundial was about an hour off… until we realized we’d lost an hour when we entered Alberta’s mountain time and in actuality, the sundial was spot on.
After visits to Walmart and Safeway to restock the larder, we spent the night at the Country Roads RV Park, a few miles out of town. More like a trailer park than an RV park, we were wedged in between two rather larger trailers whose owners had been there awhile judging from the volume of ‘stuff’ that had accumulated beside, under and around their trailers. Tight quarters, but at least it provided a windbreak for us.
Enough ‘easting’ for awhile, it was time to start heading south. There’s so much to see in the upcoming days… Jasper National Park, the Icefields Parkway, Banff National Park and more! We’ll be in the heart of the Canadian Rockies. Come on along. Better bring some warmer clothes, the night’s are getting cold.