Alaska Highway – Page 2 – Wandering Dawgs

Day 27: Tuesday, June 11, 2013. Triple G Hideaway site 87, Ft. Nelson, BC. 290 miles traveled.

I read this book as we go along to warn Henry of steep grades and to see what is up ahead

Our journey on the Alaska Highway has finally begun! The Milepost is a must have book when you are making a driving trip to Alaska. It warns of steep grades, shows where places of interest are located, and tells where to look for wildlife! It also has the campground phone numbers which makes it useful to call ahead when we have cell service. We haven’t had cell service since we left Dawson Creek.

We drove along looking for moose and bears all day. No luck today.

The only bad part of the drive was a couple of areas with 10% grades. The worst one was a downhill grade on a winding part of the road as we approached the town of Taylor. I could look down into a gorge as we drove.

We passed by several oil fields

More beautiful views along the Alaska Highway

Along the Alaska Highway

Triple G Hideaway Site 87 Ft Nelson, BC

We arrived at the campground about 3:00, got fuel and spent the afternoon watching the RV’s arrive.

One of the most fun things about RVing is meeting people in the campgrounds. Everyone we met was going to Alaska. We were parked between a couple returning to their home in Anchorage from Seattle and a family with two boys who have been traveling the country since February, 2012. We also ran into some people from Savannah we met in Dawson Creek. So far on our journey we have met people from Georgia, Alabama, Louisiana, Michigan, Nevada, California, and various other states.

Day 26: Monday, June 10, 2013. Northern Lights RV Park, Site 3, Dawson Creek, BC. 240 miles traveled.

Our destination for the day was to reach Mile Zero of the Alaska Highway. As we drove along the highway we searched for wildlife, especially moose. There were no wildlife sightings, but we continued to have spectacular views.

Beautiful views on the highway from Prince George to Dawson Creek

When you see one of these signs warning of a frost heave, be prepared for a bump

Snow melt cascading down one of the mountains

Our campsite in Dawson Creek

After arriving at the RV park, we drove downtown to see the beginning of the Alaska Highway which begins in Dawson Creek, BC and ends in Fairbanks, Alaska. The highway construction by the US Army Corps of engineers began in March of 1942 and was completed in November, 1942. The purpose of the road was defense and resupply of the Alaskan air fields.

We met a local woman in one of the shops in Dawson Creek who asked us if we were going to Alaska. When we replied yes, she told us “Those soldiers built the highway. God Bless Em.”