Friday 17 June 2016

Dawson Creek, BC - Thursday, June 16



Started working on the Ark today. The rain is still coming down. The local weather people report 5 inches in a 24-hour period. I’m surprised it was only 5 inches.
We pulled out at 9:15am for our trip to a point half way between Fort Nelson and Dawson Creek. We have a couple Provincial Parks that look interesting. The roads today were the best we’ve had so far: smooth, wide and not too busy. We saw a couple black bears again today but they have become common place. 

We reached our first park about noon so lunch seemed in order. We scouted out the campsites and all were too near the creek that had now become a river. It could get very wet here if it rains much more. We decided to continue to our next choice. The next Provincial Park we stopped at was along the Kiskatinaw River. It is near the last original wood bridge from the 1942 construction and was built with a large curve in the span. It is not on today’s Alcan highway but is part of the Old Alaska Highway and is still crossed by local people and interested tourists. It now has a weight limit of fourteen tons. That’s not bad for a bridge nearing its seventy-fifth birthday.

The Kiskatinaw River was also a raging torrent, with fallen trees flying by and clogging the passage in many places. We decided this was not a safe place to stay. The road in and out passes very close to the river and a bit more water could make it impossible to leave. We checked the map and realized we were only an hour from Dawson Creek so we were off again. Karen found a golf course with camping just outside of Dawson Creek that sounded quiet and nice. When we pulled in, our host met us at the site and welcomed us to the park. We talked with him about our route tomorrow down Highway 97 toward Prince George. He informed us that we would have trouble getting through Dawson Creek because of heavy flooding. They have one bridge washed away and two more underwater. Also Highway 97 was closed with large washouts in more than one place. Our fear of flooding has been realized. The B.C. road report says the road is closed indefinitely so we will need to find another way home. I guess Alberta looks like a nice place to visit. It’s nice to have time to reroute. Charlie likes it here. He has grass under his feet and his Frisbee in the air. So far no one has told me to keep him on a leash. Run Charlie run! 

Tomorrow we see if it is possible to move through Dawson Creek. If not, Farmington Fairways may become home for a few days.


Buckinghorse Creek - notice that is over bank in foreground
Views of Kiskatinaw River and wooden bridge:



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