Dawson Creek and Beyond

May 18, 2011, Dawson Creek, BC. Hurray! After five days and 2000 miles, we arrived at the beginning of the Alcan Highway, Dawson Creek, BC! Dawson Creek is a nice little town of 10,000 residents. It has a Walmart, a Dairy Queen and a McDonalds. It has an imposing museum dedicated to the construction of the highway and bills itself proudly as "Mile '0'" on the Alaskan Highway. It marks the jumping off place for tourists today, just as it marked the jumping off place for the US Army when it started and completed the 1350-mile road in 1942-43. The road was built in just nine months. Amazing!

Along the way, we saw elk, moose, deer and a strange kind of bird that looked like a crane of some sort. If it had been on our lake at home, I'da called it a Mileormore. However, there was no water nearby. The road has large grass areas between the pavement and the abutting forest. Usually, the wildlife is very close to the tree line. They seem to like the quick getaway provided by the woods if startled.

We've seen no bears yet. Good. I might have to put Annie on a plane home if she sees a bear. Oddly, she is more afraid of being eaten by a bear than she is being in a plane wreck. I'd judge the odds of each about the same.

Tonight, we are ensconced in a campground in Fort Nelson, BC. After six days on the road, the odometer reads 2375, an average of about 400 miles per day. Harvey the RV is averaging over 14 miles per gallon. It isn't a Prius, but that's more than acceptable for a recreation vehicle.

We don't yet know what tomorrow will bring. We are now approaching the most scenic part of the drive, or so say the books. Whatever it is, I eagerly await it. I love a roadtrip and I am especially enjoying this one!