Travels With Sir Charles: Fort Nelson, BC - Day 1

Today was like a day at the zoo, but all the animals were in the wild.

We started the day hoping for a nice breakfast but found the lodge and restaurant across the road from the park closed. This seems to be a general theme along the Alcan this year. The economy has taken a downturn in this area. We moved on and encountered a bit of heavy road construction. In one area they are moving the road completely to a new straighter area. It looked like a major reconstruction. We also had 6 km of gravel that slowed us down a bit. Beyond that point the road was ok but not the smoothest we have encountered.

Then we stopped to view our first herd of bison. It’s a bit like Yellowstone. If you see brake lights there are probably animals nearby. These may have been the same herd we spotted yesterday. There were lots of calves, mothers and a couple bulls, all grazing on the roadside. Karen saw one bull preparing for his morning chore with tail raised high in the air. Underneath the tail was a small calf who didn’t know what was about to happen. The mother used her head to shove the baby aside just in time. I guess all babies have a lot of lessons to learn. It was a good laugh to start the day. We took our pictures and moved on to our next encounter. Beside the road near Muncho Lake we spotted a small herd of Rock Sheep. They look like a smaller version of Big Horn Sheep. Next, was a grizzly (picture below), then a moose crossed the road in front of us and lastly a black bear was eating wild flowers near the highway. We saw a couple deer but they hardly deserve a mention. Driving the highway requires constant attention but makes the miles go by quickly.

We did find a place for breakfast at the Northern Rockies Lodge. The food was average but the lodge and cabins were beautiful. They do fly-in fishing packages and the scenery in the area is spectacular. We know that from the pictures we found in the lodge. The weather today didn’t allow for much of a view from the drive. Again, we knew there were huge mountains in this area but they were hidden in the clouds and rain.

We found another older lodge an hour later that advertised “The Best Cinnamon Buns in the Galactic Cluster”. We have tested a few of these claims along the way and have been a bit disappointed but this one spoke the truth. We left with two that will cover our breakfast for the next couple days.

We are staying tonight in The Triple G RV Park in Fort Nelson. Again the park is nearly full of travelers mostly heading west to the Yukon and Alaska. We are told that next week the caravans (25 to 50 RVs) begin arriving and that will really make it difficult to find places to stay. Fortunately, we will be out of this area by then. The weather is a bit stormy so we may decide to spend two days here. We have all the comforts of home and another rest stop will feel good.