May 17-18

Wed. – Thursday, May 18-19

Wednesday (yesterday) was my last day in Dawson Creek.  It was filled with many errands.  I took my Roadtrek (hereafter called “RT”) to a windshield repair place to see what could/should be done about the 6-inch crack I noticed spreading down from a star-shaped hole I hadn’t realized I had gotten at some point.  Since it was on the passenger side and I hadn’t really even started the Alcan Highway yet (will probably get more rock dings before the trip is over), it was decided that nothing should be done at this point.

Another errand was getting Maggie and Juliet to a groomer for baths and trims.  Don’t they look beautiful?  (I wonder how long this clean white look will last?)

I also went to the Visitor Center to get some souvenirs and books.  They showed an hour-long documentary movie of how the Alaska Highway was built.  Very interesting and informative.  Although pushed for by several people for many years, construction of this road was started in 1942 after the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor and the necessity of having a drivable road for US troops to use to access the numerous airfields that were set up in Northwestern Canada and Alaska became imperative.  With   thousands of troops and civilians, both Canadian and American, the initial road took only 9 months to complete.  It stretched 1422 miles from Dawson Creek, British Columbia, to Delta Junction, Alaska.  It was later improved so civilian vehicles, in addition to the rougher military jeeps and trucks, could use it, and extended to Fairbanks, Alaska.  Improvements are continually still being made.  When Dave and I drove the Alcan in 1984, part of it was still gravel; now it is entirely paved. 

This is a very common sight along the highway (or ON THE HIGHWAY!).  They are called mountain sheep, Dall sheep, stone sheep, or boghorn sheep depending on their location, color, and horn size.

Just 17 miles out of Dawson Creek, there is a 10 kilometer loop side trip I took which took me over the last remaining original wooden bridge built along the Alaska Highway that is still in use today.  It goes over the Kiskatinaw River and is also unique in that it actually curves as it spans the river.  I am happy to say that it is still standing after my heavy rig went over it.

Since we left so late Wednesday (6:30 pm), we only went 47 miles and spent the night in Fort St. John, one of the larger cities around here.  We opted to dry camp (rather than spend money for an RV park) and parked along a frontage road in front of a Motel 8 because there were a bunch of truckers parked there and Motel 8 has free WiFi.  Unfortunately I couldn’t use it because I had some problems setting up my new WiFi antenna booster.

I'm going to post this now and will continue with Fort St. John in next post.

Tuesday, May 17

 Hi All!

The bad news is I’ve been on the road for over a month and have yet to start my blog.  The good news is that I’ve been having such a wonderful trip and seeing so many beautiful sights that I haven’t had time to work on the blog!  But I don’t want anyone worried that I’ve fallen off the road or that my computer died or that I’ve given up all forms of communication so I am determined to not leave this campground until I get at least ONE blog post done!

Today is Tuesday, May 17, and I have driven 3200 miles so far and successfully met up with the 24 other Roadtreks and their occupants two days ago here in Dawson Creek, British Columbia, at the start of the Alaskan Highway (also called the “Alcan Highway.")  We had a meeting Sunday night and took this group photo (I’m the one in front with the sunlight on her face!) 

The next morning most of us went to the ceremonial “Mile Zero” signpost in the center of town, stopped traffic, and had someone take this photo of us.  Actually, the poor person had to take this picture on 19 different cameras because we all wanted an original on our own camera!

The actual start of the Alcan Highway is really a few blocks away from the ceremonial signpost in the middle of town.  Here is a picture of me at the REAL start of the Alcan.

Three or four of the Roadtreks left after the picture-taking and started the trip up the Alaskan Highway.  The rest of us went back to the campground and spent the day cleaning our rigs, doing laundry, tuning CB radios, getting help solving little problems, or just relaxing and getting to know each other.  All but two of us left this morning.  I’m taking an extra day here TO GET MY BLOG STARTED!!  I will leave tomorrow (Wed) morning after taking the girls (my bichon frise puppies) in to a groomer in town to get a month’s worth of grime washed off them.  The other person who will leave tomorrow is our “tailgunner” who happens to be an excellent mechanic, electrician, and handyman who will “bring up the rear” of our loosely-connected group and help anyone who has broken down along the road.  Actually, anyone in our group who comes upon another Roadtrekker from our group who is pulled over to the side of the road with their hood up (our signal for trouble), will pull over and offer assistance and stay with that Roadtrek until help comes.  We all have cell phones and CB radios and are flying certain flags in our windows.  (Haven’t put mine up yet, should I use the yellow ones or the blue ones?)

I’m going to stop here now and see if I can post this.  I will TRY to keep current and post every few days  but no promises.  Sometimes I won’t have a WiFi connection for several days, will be too tired, or will be having too much fun enjoying Canada, Alaska, friends, and this beautiful natural wonderland. I'll also try to bring you up to date on my adventures of the past month.   I know much beauty awaits us up the Alcan, but I have already seen some absolutely gorgeous scenery and had a few adventures I'd like to share with you.  Please make occasional comments or ask questions so I know people are following along, and also sign in as a “follower” so I know who’s out there.  Incidently, if you double-click on the pictures, they should get larger (I hope!) 

Good-night everyone!