Alaska Tour Days 1-5

On Day 1 June 22 we arrived in Dawson Creek, British Columbia to begin our 50 day RV tour with Adventure Treks.  It's a guided tour through British Columbia, Yukon Territory, and Alaska with 20 other rigs.  All of our campground sites have been reserved and all activities have been planned. Our group includes John and Judy, our trek masters who organize all travel and activities, and Eric and Julie, our tail gunners who follow the group to make sure everyone arrives safely at the next campground.

Dawson Creek is Mile 0 on the Alaska Highway. The Alaska Highway (or ALCAN Highway) was a military road constructed during World War II for the purpose of connecting the lower 48 states with Alaska.  The original highway was 1,700 miles long and was completed in only 8 months.  After the war the US Army transferred ownership of the Canadian portion of the highway to Canada.  The highway is currently about 1,387 miles long due to rerouting and straightening of the road after the war.

On Day 2 we travelled down the Alaska Highway to Fort Nelson.  On the way we stopped at the Kiskatinaw River Bridge. The bridge is located on a portion of the original Alaska Highway.  It is 534 feet long, stands 100 feet above the river, and was constructed of 500,000 board feet of creosoted British Columbia fir.

While in Fort Nelson we went as a group to visit the Fort Nelson Heritage museum.  This was a wonderful place to see antique vehicles and equipment, historical artifacts, and furnished buildings from the 18th and 19th centuries.

One of many animals on display

"Trapper" John in the trapper's cabin

Blacksmith shed

 Marl is 86 and is the man responsible for collecting everything on site.  He is also the mechanic who keeps all the antique vehicles running.

Marl taking his miniature car for a spin

Day 4 found us traveling 189 miles to Liard Hot Springs. It was a cool, rainy morning and it rained all day but the drive was still scenic.  Along the way we stopped at Toad River Lodge and bought one of their famous fresh baked cinnamon rolls.

We stopped at Muncho Lake to stretch our legs.  The presence of copper dioxide leached from the bedrock underneath gives the lake a jade green color.  Even on a rainy day the lake was beautiful.

We passed several creeks and rivers on our drive.  The rivers are very swift!

Not far from the campground was a herd of bison relaxing by the side of the road.

Our campground for the night was Liard Hot Springs Lodge.  It was very rustic.  It had no Wi-Fi, no cable, no cell service.  30 amp power was provided to each camp site by generators and the power kept going out due to campers' usage.

As we were preparing to walk to the hot springs a bison ambled through the campground.  He didn't seem to mind the people!

To get to the hot springs we walked 1/4 mile on a boardwalk.  The springs were warm and relaxing.  Worth the trip! There was a warning in our travel book to lookout for moose and bear in the area but thankfully we did not see any.

On Day 5 June 26 our drive to Watson Lake, Yukon Territory was a rainy one.  Our travel book lists stops along the way that provide photo opportunities or information about the area.

We finally saw a bear by the side of the road!  I tried to get him to look up by yelling and banging on the truck but he ignored me.

Here's a good picture taken by either Tom or Eric, fellow Adventure Trekers.

After getting set up in Watson Lake our group activity was a visit to Sign Post Forest.  In 1942, while building the Alaska Hwy, it was common practice for the US Army of Engineers to put up a directional post at their camps.  A homesick soldier decided to add his home town sign of Danville, IL and that started the tradition of what is now known as the World Famous Sign Post Forest. Visitors from all over the world have added their signs.

Over 72,000 signs from all over the world!

Eric, our tail gunner, made this RV sign that we all signed

What a busy 5 days we had!