Here we are, 10 days into this experiment in showing the crazy things that people do, and there is no stopping us, I hope! Each day comes forward relentlessly to offer new potential challenges, but I am too blind or not smart enough to notice. Well, feet don't fail me now! Another day's drive is in the books and this is what we have to show for it.
Yes, It's 4 PM here (here being Dawson Creek, British Columbia). We are three hours behind the East Coast. We gained one more hour crossing the border from Alberta to BC. The signs providing this information are not very large so I was practically past them before we could take a picture. But, have no fear. We have some pics to show so lets get on with it.
Today we started at 8:50. We were traveling about 270 miles so we did not need an extra early start. Once we closed up shop at the Sagitawiah Campground, its up to you to pronounce, we pulled in the connections and started to drive out. It was an interesting obstacle course. There were potholes everywhere and they were filled with water so you had no idea how deep and troubling they could be. I inched along and it was the slowest departure I have been associated with. Then when we got out of the camp, we had to navigate a dirt road for a quarter mile. I would like to say this was unusual but that would be false. We are traveling on main arteries as the roads we take are the only ones going our way. However, there are many side roads, or at least that is what I would call them. The only thing is that they are all unpaved. As soon as you turn off the main road, you are on dirt roads to who know where. We say a bit of this in Wyoming and Montana, but it is the standard here in Canada. The streets in the main towns are paved, but once you leave the town limits, have fun staying on the hard surfaces.
Any way, we headed out for the town of Grand Prairie. It would be considered a main town due to the many industries located there and the population of about 70K. On the way, the road was smooth and in very good shape. This surprised me as I expected them to be chewed up. The winters here can be rather harsh. They receive up to 100 inches of snow annually and with temperatures below 0 for extended stretches. And with the temps now in the 30's to 50's, some overnight freezing can still occur. But as I said, the road had no issues. Also, the wind had died down and that helped the driving a lot. We made good time. The speed limit was 110 KM hr initially, but when the road went from two lanes each way to a single lane, the speed limit dropped to 100 KM/Hr. We arrived in Grand Prairie at 11:40 and drove into town. I was expecting more of an old town look with the central main street having the businesses lining it. I would have taken pics, but this town is all spread out with shopping centers and other business. There was nothing for me to add to the blog. We stopped and ate lunch in the RV and then headed out toward Dawson Creek.
We arrived at Dawson Creek around 2 PM. Again, the scenery on the way was flat to some rolling hills, lots of evergreens and plowed fields with nothing growing. We found main street and it looked a little more like an older town. I could have taken a couple of pictures, but due to the fact that it was Sunday and Mother's day, all the shops were closed and dark. Even the visitor center was closed. The only thing I got pictures of was a Walmart with the RV in the picture. This was done for two reasons,. It seems that Walmart is in every main town and Chiara (who claims hatred for Walmart) has made me stop in just about everyone we have encountered.
I also took pictures of the monument for the Alaskan Highway.
We are camping now right off that ALCAN Highway. The monument shows where it was started back in 1942, due to the war and the Japanese invasion of the Aleutians. It was completed the same year and became the main connection for the lower US with Alaska. It was turned over to the public in 1948. The road is the main and one of the only roads that runs between Canada and Alaska.
There is heavy trucking on this artery and it requires constant attention. There is a condition called Frost Heaves, which cause the road to rise and sink. We will have to be careful and observant for these points, and construction crews.
The statue of the guy represents the many original explores and town founders from the late 1800's and early 1900's.
We are camping in Mile '0' RV park, which is about 2 miles along the route so the name is not geographically correct, but who cares. Tomorrow we start to tackle The ALCAN, heading to Fort Nelson, then Watson Lake and Whitehorse. The later 2 will be longer drives and they go through the Canadian Rockies. Hold onto your hats, and enjoy the pictures we have provided.
One more point about this region. The days here are very long and growing. Sun rise is around 4:30 - 4:45 and earlier everyday. It is light out well before this time. Sunset is around 9 PM, however, there is still some light well past 10 PM. The further north we go, the more the light extends earlier and later. We will eventually reach Latitude 65 degrees N. which will put us about 110 miles from the arctic circle. In that area, it never gets completely dark at this time of the year. Of course, in the winter, it basically is light for about 3 hours but the sun never goes higher than the horizon.
This is the Catholic Church in Dawson Creek
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