Moving on to Watson Lake

Caribou

Stone sheep

A long day of travel today, but we did see wild animals, among them mountain goats, bear, stone sheep,  caribou, and bison.  Photos will help you visualize them.  

Black bear

Bison

Watson Lake

We ended up at Watson Lake, where we are staying the night in former Air Force barracks. Watson Lake's claim to fame is the Sign Post Forest.  There are over 75,000 signs on the posts.  It was begun by a homesick soldier working on the highway in 1943.  He put up a sign saying '2835 miles to Danville, IL'.

On the road to Fort Nelson

The pickup speaks:  It was so welcome to have the day off yesterday, when M & N spent the day in Dawson Creek (DC) and did a lot of walking.  Today I had to work again.  I am getting dirty, but I still look a lot cleaner than the local pickups around here.  Shortly after leaving DC, I was told to get off Hyway 97 and take the old Alaska Road.  I found out why very soon.  M wanted me to drive over a wood suspension bridge built in 1943, and is still in use today.  I was a bit nervous, but M was quite nostalgic, since he had gone over this same bridge 60 years ago.  I do like to drive in light traffic, and except for driving through Fort St. John,  my job was easy.  M & N were quite excited when they saw a moose and her young calf near the road.  I was thankful that she didn't run on to the road and make a mess of me.  I am also glad that mosquitoes don't bother me.  I had to wait in the parking lot for quite a spell, while M & N took a walk in the woods.  I was pretty proud of myself when M & N visited the Heritage Museum in Fort Nelson.  Those vehicles were so old, I felt like a young thing.  And of all the places I am told to go, they had me find a cemetery....again on the old Alaska hyway.  I don't understand this at all, but it has something to do with a cache...geocaching.  M was all excited,  because he found the treasure.  I am sorry about having such an appetite for fuel, especially since it comes to about $5.50 a gallon.  Oh my!  Now I heard rumblings that we will leave early tomorrow, about 6:00.  It will be a long day.  So I think I will say "Good night!"

Today you are getting two posts. (I always have to put in my 2 cent's worth.)  When Mo read the blogs I wrote he reminded me that the wood carvings were chainsaw carvings.  This gives me a chance to show you one more carving.  I am not a particular fan of chainsaw wood carvings, but the one of the eagle was impressive.  In the center there is an inscription that says: 'On Eagles' Wings' (Isaiah 40:31)

A wonderful verse to read, by the way.   Nell

Nell said that it's my turn to blog (is that a verb?).  It was interesting for me to be here in Dawson Creek again.  The last time was in 1952 on my way to Alaska with three other Calvin College freshmen.  We had hoped to work there for the summer.  We spent a little time in Dawson Creek.  In my archives I found an old edition of the Milepost, a photo of Milepost "0" in the middle of DC, (remember that, Ray?) and a pennant with Dawson Creek printed on it.  At the Visitor Centre a woman asked if she could help us.  She got so excited when I showed her my souvenirs of 60 years ago, that she took pictures of them, and said that she wanted to write a story and put it on Facebook.  The museum attached is very good.  You can watch a PBS dvd about the construction of the Alaska Highway. Later Nell and I went for a walk along a trail by a creek.  She is a bird lover, so when we came upon some kind of a sparrow that let us walk right up to it, and actually touch it, she was ecstatic.  I bought some fresh sweet cherries, then found out that they were from Washington.  We ended the day with Nell photographing me by the Milepost.  Mo

On the way to Dawson Creek

On the road again today.  Three highlights come to mind:  the first, a selfish desire, not necessary, but much appreciated....Starbucks coffee! The first coffee on this trip.  The second highlight: the wildflowers in bloom along the side of the road.  I could not stop to take a photo, but the color palette was one only God could create.  Purples, reds, whites, yellows, pinks...at times one color was highlighted, then another, and then they formed a mixed bouquet.  I wish I knew all the names, but three of them were wild foxglove, Indian paintbrush, and wild rose.  How great is our God!  The third highlight was the sight of a black bear cub running on the side of the road.  I think he was in the wrong place, and mama was calling him back.  He vanished into the woods.

  We stopped briefly at Chetwynd, which is known for wood carvings.  There were some amazing carvings, all displayed along the road. Nell

It was a rather uneventful day of much driving.  We went through rain and sunshine, cold and warm weather.  The tree covered mountains, waterfalls, many long, narrow lakes, rivers, clouds and blue skies  were beautiful scenes of God's creation.  We saw 3 deer, one of which was ready to cross the road as we rode by.  Thankfully he changed his mind.  We are very near the Fraser River in Quesnel, BC.  We walked across the river on the wood foot bridge.  Spent a little time geocaching, but no success.  After a 'gourmet' meal of cheese filled raisin buns and soup from Safeway, we are ready to relax.   Nell

As some of you already know, sixty years ago, in the Spring of 1952, four of us Calvin College freshmen drove to Alaska in a 1947 Ford 4-door sedan pulling a little fold-out trailer.  We went seeking work for the Summer.  That didn't pan out, so we stayed only long enough to get our car repaired (transmission and rear end).  The ALCAN highway was in poor condition, to put it mildly.  We had a 4th edition of Milepost, the bible of Alaska and how to get there. It cost $1.00.  I found it again in a box of memorabilia.  Now we have a copy of the 63rd edition.  It is much larger, and cost $29.95.    Mo

Two weeks from today, we will be on our way.  So much to do, and so little time left to do it.  We have begun to put things in the guest bedroom that we want to take along...everything from sleeping bags (for our AMHS ferry ride home to Bellingham), to food snacks, personal items, clothes, tools, cooler, binoculars, and of course the duct tape!
   Since we have been planning this trip since December, '11, we are wondering if we have covered all the bases.  Will our grandson take good care of our home while we are away?  Will all the bills be paid on time?  Will we have all the paperwork we need?  Will we remember where we stay each night?
   Below are some books and reference materials used in planning.

(Please note:  This post is a practice one, so I will know how to write our travel posts and add photos, without much of a hassle.)  

Ford Pickup with us.. almost ready to go.

     Three weeks from Tuesday, we plan to leave for Alaska.  Our drive will take us through British Columbia, Canada, to Dawson Creek, where we will get on the Alaska Highway.  Much preparation has gone into this trip.  We found out in January that we had to reserve the Alaska Ferry System very early to reserve a spot for our pickup on the way home.  Purchasing The Mile Post, gave us a wealth of information for lodging, wildlife viewing, sightseeing, road conditions and more.  Preparation for a trip is half the fun some say, so we are ready to enjoy the rest of the fun and adventure.