6/6/08 Watson Lake, YT

In all our research for this trip, and in all our conversations with others who have travelled it before us, as well as in discussions with people we have met that either live in BC or work here, EVERYONE and EVERY guide book says ‘A trip to Liard springs is a must”. It actually became a joke between Dominic and I. It’s happened so many times in the 3 ½ years we’ve been on the road that we have been excited about seeing an attraction or visiting a ‘must see’ place and then being disappointed. Perhaps our expectations were too high, based on pre-conceived notions. We’re trying to just accept things as we see them and let strong recommendations become just gentle suggestions so we don’t get a false build up. Well, with Laird Hot Springs it was difficult to soften everyone’s vehement chant that we must go. To be honest, I wasn’t really thrilled to be in a communal pool with 30-50 strangers with what I assumed to be all degrees of cleanliness. My mind went to the fact that warm water breeds germs, and I wasn’t sure if these springs would be the only source of bathing for some ‘backwoods’ campers. So, I had kinda decided I would just go and see them. Dominic, feeling the same way, wasn’t even sure he wanted to stop. Diana and Ralph were wishy-washy (no pun intended) also.
But, how could we go home and tell the millions of people who told us it was a ‘must-do’ that we didn’t do? So, peer pressure prevailed and we stopped at the springs. We parked the rigs across the highway, walked approximately 10 minutes on a boardwalk over wetlands (ie..mosquito infested swamp) to the springs. We hadn’t worn our suits, since we were sure we wouldn’t go in…well, whoda thunk? The springs were in a beautiful, serene, lush setting. There were only about 6 or 7 people in them, and they were crystal clear and clean (the waters as well as the people!). So, off we went – back on the boardwalk, back through the swamps (they really were pretty, I am just using poetic justice to make my story more appealing!), got our suits and returned to the pools. What a wonderful surprise. The water was very hot at the surface, but actually quite comfortable just a few inches below. If you created a little swirl around you, you cooled off. When you stopped swirling your hands or legs, you brought back more warmth, etc. we chatted with some very interesting folks and enjoyed every minute. Lesson be learned….take each of life’s offerings as they come, with no expectations, either positive or negative. But, you can rest assured---if I meet someone who is planning a trip to Alaska, if will tell them Laird Hot Springs are a ‘must-do’!
After the springs, we were relaxed, clean and rested. We decided to have breakfast at the local lodge before heading back on the road.
Not sure how far we would drive or where we’d spend the night, we climbed in our coaches and proceeded to head north on the highway.
We pulled over and stopped at various rest stops to see the incredible scenery and most times met some folks that we have been seeing along the way. A few pictures of the sights, and few words shared with these new friendly strangers, and we were off again.
We drove from British Columbia into the Yukon Territory today. It truly brought tears to my eyes. I think I felt we were finally in the wilderness! I felt as if we had arrived. It was special entering British Columbia also, but entering the Yukon-ahh, that’s a real accomplishment. I didn’t realize we would leave the Yukon and re-enter British Columbia 6 more times before this part of the trip was over.
We ended up at Watson Lake, the next big(?) town on the highway. It’s challenging to pick a campground out purely by reading an ad or a description in a book, but it’s even more challenging pulling a 42’ motor home and towed truck around from campground to campground to look for the best one. So we threw a dart and landed at Downtown RV Park. We were still a little scarred and gun shy from our last electrical experience and still cognizant that we needed to evaluate the quality of the campgrounds we pick. So what did we find? Downtown RV Park, which sounded good in the book, was nothing more than a gravel parking lot with hookups…if this was going to be a deciding factor on the continuation or cancellation of our trip, it wasn’t looking too good that I’d get to Alaska! Well, the owner had a wonderful personality and as we teased and chatted with him, we told him of our bad electric at the last campground…even though that was 320 miles away, he knew which campground we were talking about. He assured us he had clean electric. I felt a little better, but still not sure which way we would decide.
Watson lake is famous for it’s Sign Post Forest, and it is exactly what is sounds like. There are more than 61,000 signs on wooden poles in a large square block in the center of town. The forest was started by an Army soldier who was working on the construction of the Alaska Highway in 1942. He was homesick and decided to hang a sign from his hometown of Danville, Illinois. Today, visitors are encouraged to leave their own signs. It’s an amazing site to see as you walk up to see the colorful signs and the names of towns and families in all shapes, sizes and styles.
We had a special plaque with our name and address on it that our friends Don and Carol Werner gave us as a new coach present. Don is a woodworker and made a wooden plaque in the shape and color of our motor home. We ceremoniously hung it in Watson Lake where it will hang proudly. We know of other friends who left their signs, and although we looked for them, we didn’t see any familiar names.
Next, we walked across the street and went to the Northern Lights Centre. Not sure what it was, but Diana had read about it in the travel books (and we had a $1 coupon), so we decided to go. There was an anteroom with information about NASA and the CANADARM that was built for the space station as well as information on the Northern Lights (Auroro Borrealis) phenomenon that occurs here in late summer through spring. We waited for a short time before the movie presentation started, and were let into a planetarium type theater with recumbent seats and a large domed screen overhead. Saw 2 movies-one about the vastness of the universe and the other an informative explanation and example of the Northern Lights. Although the show was interesting, the seats were extremely comfortable, we were semi-reclined, and it was about 8pm after a long day on the road…needless to say, most of us dozed for a few seconds during the melodic display of the lights over Watson Lake.
So, we walked back home and got ready for another early morning departure on roads unknown….
PS…the electric was solid, as promised. The day was wonderful, I had the opportunity to do all my laundry, we watched some US television, and somehow the meltdown of the previous day faded into a memory. There seemed to be no question that we were definitely Alaska bound.

6/4/08 - 6/6/08 Toad River, BC

The ride today was incredible. The scenery and terrain seems to change with each successive mile we drive. We left the town of Fort Nelson and also left signs of any towns and homes. The road rose as we traveled west through the North Canadian Rockies for the next 200 miles. We were enveloped in lush green forests with rivers that meandered in and out of our view. We were beginning to feel as if we were in the wilderness that we had envisioned during our many months of research and planning. We knew there was wildlife just beyond the tree line and we kept our eyes peeled to catch a glimpse of anything that was brave enough to venture onto the bright green grass that separated the forest from the highway.
Dominic (Mr. Animal Magnet himself), spotted the first black bear cub. We saw his little butt as he scurried back into the safety of the forest-he was too quick to catch in a photo. The next bear was more visible and cooperative. Since we left early (6am) the traffic was almost non-existent, we were able to slow down for photos. Then the bison appeared on the other side of the road. Then, we saw another black bear, then the stone sheep showed up for the party. We didn’t know where to look first. Oh, I forgot to mention-we had to pull over shortly after the 2nd bear quickly ran into the forest. Remember those animal alerts I mentioned in a previous blog (we bought super-duper ones), well we felt they were working too well and the animals were getting spooked, not giving us an opportunity to see them long enough. So, Dominic pulled over and taped the front of the alerts so we could ‘sneak up’ on the animals quietly (as quietly as 2 motor homes pulling trucks could be!).
The road was hilly, curvy, full of animals, and extremely scenic with snow capped Rockies looming at every curve. So, the ride was thrilling, but slow. We travelled 70 miles in 3 ½ hours…ahh, how nice to stop and smell the roses (and crisp, fresh air).
The campground we pulled into (Toad River) was on a good sized lake and we were able to pick our own campsites. Since we left at 6am, and arrived at 9:30am, and the campground had cleared out of overnighters who were moving on up The Highway (that’s what us ‘locals’ the Alaska Highway), we were able to pick our own sites. Needless to say, we chose 2larger ones and pulled in to face the water. We hadn’t eaten breakfast, and the campground office/café/gift shop/post office/internet hot spot was still serving breakfast. We couldn’t pass up the opportunity so we ordered up eggs, sausage, potatoes, and lots of good, hot coffee. The gal behind the counter (and the postmaster/cook/waitress) was friendly and chatty, as was another fellow who worked there. After many cups of coffee the fellow asked us what campsite we were in-when I told him #19, he said Bullwinkle was in our front yard…well, I haven’t run that quickly in many years! I was out of my seat and in the coach to grab the camera in a split second…the moose had meandered to the water where about 6 of us gathered, snapping photos and whispering OOHS and AAHHS so as not to scare her. She came out of the water and walked through the campsite..it was amazing to see her grace and gawky manner. She was beautiful and really goofy looking at the same time.
We decided to drive 35 miles up the road to see more critters and visit Muncho Lake. This area is nicknamed the Serengeti of the North and rightfully so. I’ll quickly say we say more moose, a Bald Eagle, stone sheep and a few large waterfalls before we got to the beauty of Muncho Lake. It was amazing to see nature in it’s natural environment. Muncho Lake, as if to keep up with the other sites, appeared as a combination of an emerald green and sapphire blue gem against the white capped alpine mountains. The air was crisp, the sky was blue, and I realized God has created this magnificence and also blessed me with the ability to experience it…It was quite a moment for me..
The ride home from the lake was equally fruitful-another moose and more stone sheep greeted us before we returned to the campground.
But, the day wasn’t over….before sunset began at 10:30pm we viewed 4 moose in the lake (I set up the scope on the steering wheel of the coach and watched from my own front windshield), and 3 beavers building a huge dam in the pond. Can it get any better?
The next day was a ‘catch up’ day-Dominic cleaned the coach, I am caught up on my logs and editing the 1018 pictures I took yesterday! Hopefully, the pictures and the blog will give you all a sense of the wonder we are experiencing in British Columbia…
Can’t wait to see what the Yukon and Alaska have to offer!

Additional Comments on the day:
After I wrote this log, we experienced a “meltdown” as such. The meltdown applied to both us and the motor home. Our coach is an electric junkie. We have a lot of systems on it that require constant power. Our refrigerator is a residential style just like you have in your home, our entertainment system is always on, and draws a lot of amperage, as does our ionic breeze air cleaner, automatic leveling system, and even our toilet is electric! Needless to say, the more power we can give this puppy, the happier it is. Well, the campgrounds in British Columbia and the Yukon (as well as Alaska, I’m told) are older and don’t have sufficient power. The campground we’re in now is so remote that it generates it’s own power. Well, it doesn’t do a very good job. We have a system on our coach that monitors and displays the electrical usage as well as power coming in at all times. We started seeing extremely high (130+ volts) immediately followed by extremely low volts (109v) followed by a quick 119v. each time this happened, we shut off all electric appliances to avoid frying them. After checking our electrical pole, checking our friends’ pole, and notifying the owner, we decided to pull the plug and just run our own power through the generator. A real waste of money (it runs on diesel) when we paid for electric at the campground. In addition to that expense, we were concerned that we may have harmed some appliances (the washing machine was whining, the hot water heater was slow, etc). so, now WE had a meltdown. We aren’t used to ‘roughing it’ and discussed the possibility of turning around and going back to the states-abandoning our trip. We’ve learned when things aren’t going right, then something is amiss and we need to rethink what we’re doing. Our motto is that life shouldn’t be so difficult. So, we went to sleep deciding to give it a few more days and see if this would be the trip of a lifetime, or the trip from hell..
We woke up the next day a little less frustrated, a little more realistic, and a little more positive.
Onward we would go......

6/1/08 - 6/3/08 Fort St. John, BC

Fort St John. Click on photo to see more.....

We arrived in Fort St. John yesterday after a long (?) 47 mile drive from Dawson Creek. We decided to stop at FSJ so that we can visit a nearby town (60 miles away) called Hudson's Hope. We were told the trip to HH would be scenic and we'd see lots of wildlife. In addition, there are 2 dams in HH that we wanted to tour. We arrived at FSJ and we all realized Ralph and Diana (who drove over 3000 miles from Pennsylvania to British Columbia in 10 days) needed a rest. We spent the 1st day in FSJ picking up a few staples (did i mention that food is EXTREMELY expensive here?) and finding the least expensive fuel station(did I mention that fuel is EXTREMELY expensive here?). Fuel prices have continued to rise with each successive town we visit. This seems to be the pattern, which is over and above the normal daily price increase, there is also a price increase as you move further north on the Alaska Highway.
Which leads me to another point. It dawned on me that many of you might not understand the geographical logistics of our trip. It took me a long time and lots of maps before I actually understood the route our trip would take. So, I'll try to explain it...
We entered Canada about 60 miles east of Vancouver in a small town called Abbottsford. The highway we took from the border up to Dawson Creek is called the Trans Canada Highway. We traveled approximately 700 miles on it. Dawson Creek is the beginning of the Alaska Highway, which continues for more than 1500 miles through British Columbia, the Yukon, and eastern Alaska, ending at Delta Junction, AK.
There is much history regarding the building of this highway, which was accomplished in the 1940's. It was a combined effort by the Americans and Canadians and, needless to say, quite difficult undertaking due to the extreme weather and remote aspect of the area. The distances on the highway were noted with mileposts and to this day, although the physical posts no longer exist, the attractions, landmarks and towns are still denoted by them. Funny how Canada uses the metric system (liters, kilometers, etc), but the highway uses miles..hmmmm.
So, there's a lot of history, national pride, points of interest and beautiful vistas along this 1500+ mile trek. But, this will only be part of our trip. We are expecting the total trip (in the motor home) to be approximately 5000 miles, with many more additional miles to be traveled with the truck. We are discussing taking the Dempster Highway upto the Artic Circle, a trip that is both rugged (guaranteed to cost you a new tire or two) and scenic. We're not sure if we're ready for it, but we're discussing it!
So, back to today's adventure.....
We left at 6:15am in order to try to see some wildlife on the road. The best time to find animals out and about is dusk and dawn. Well, silly us, we awoke before 5am and it was already light. We missed sunrise by more than an hour. Since we are so far north, we have extremely long days...the sun sets well after 11:30pm and rises at 3:30am...And, I understand the days will get even longer as our trip progresses
I keep digressing, back to today's story.
We were fortunate to see a coyote in a field as we drove to the first of the 2 dams. We have visited quite a few dams in the USA, and unfortunately, since 9/11 you can't get too far into them anymore due to security precautions. We were fortunate to be able to get into the powerhouse today. The first dam, the smaller of the 2, had a wonderful visitor center and film about the making of the dam. This dam (Peace Canyon Dam) is fed from the other, larger dam (WAC Bennet Dam) upriver. We decided to visit the smaller one first and then headed up to the larger one (about 15 miles away). Here, we took a bus tour 500 feet underground to see the actual working of the dam. This is the season where electrical demand begins to diminish in the Province and therefore, a time when maintenance is able to be done on the inner working parts. We were fortunate to see a lot of the ‘guts’ of the dam, which helped me understand much more easily how water produces electricity. (too long of an explanation to get into here).
At the end of the dam tour, the guide told us we could drive along the rim of the dam-it was quite awesome to drive it, and be atop a facility that harnessed immeasurable gallons of water so that we can flick a switch and turn on a light bulb.
So, the day was eventful, educational and a great opportunity to see another part of British Columbia…
Tomorrow we head 260 miles down the Alaska Highway to Fort Nelson.