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:

Fort Nelson, BC - Day 2 - Wednesday, June 15

We decided to stay another day. The weather was really bad with wind and steady rain most of the day. Since we are stuck inside we spent the morning doing laundry. After lunch we toured the Fort Nelson Historical Museum. They have a lot of things from the early days in this area but not much about the town itself. I thought it had been here for many years but it looks like it was built in the early forties to support the building of the Alcan Highway. Not much more to say about this area. 

Tomorrow we will continue toward Dawson Creek and stay at a Provincial park that looks interesting. We are hoping for better weather. 

Internet connections in Canada can be slow or weak so our postings have been delayed at times. We will try to stay as current as possible.

Fort Nelson, BC - Day 1 - Tuesday, June 14

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.   

Home of GREAT Cinnamon Buns

Size difference

Keeping an eye on the young ones

Grizzly - glad we were in the RV

Watching us take his picture