Whitehorse

We stayed in Watson Lake last night and walked around the Signpost Forest. There were many more signs than I thought possible. I took a photo of a sign from Blacksburg, VA in honor of my son.

Today we stopped at Rancheria Falls (pronounced ran-che-REE-ah) for a quick walk. Nice path, voracious Mosquitos and a small waterfall and rapids. Getting to Whitehorse won't be the same long day as yesterday. 

We stopped early to see the sights. I visited Bear Paw Quilts downtown and only bought a book. Thought I would buy fabric, but since we are coming through again in August I will wait. 

Watson Lake

We are heading to Watson Lake today. Last evening we ate in a local pub in Fort Nelson, Dan's Neighbourhood Pub. The food was good and the beer excellent. Most of the customers were men working in the petroleum industry. There are lots of them here in the north country.

The scenic views disappeared this morning due to heavy fog. We stopped at Testa Campground for their "world famous" cinnamon buns. Frankly, they lived up to the moniker! Then on to Summit Pass, at 4,250 feet, the highest point on the Alcan. Just past the lake we ran across stone sheep on the road. Next, we stopped at Toad River to see their hat collection and soon after we saw our first moose. I don't have a photo to post, but will be bringing one home. We ate lunch next to the blue-green waters of Muncho Lake. The view from inside the van was inspiring. 

After lunch we encountered multiple construction zones. They were seal coating the road and covering it with gravel. We waited for pilot cars and ended up behind an eighteen wheeler kicking up so much dust the only way we still saw him was by his shadow. Mike said the road was "paved gravel." I imagine we will see lots more of this. 

Once we left the construction zone we managed to see both bison and bear. 

Fort Nelson

We are heading to Fort Nelson today. We took a detour to the Historic Kiskatinaw River Bridge on the old Alaska Highway, which is the only original timber bridge that is still in use. The structure of the bridge was fascinating. We met a couple from South Carolina on the bridge - she is a quilter. We will both be stopping at Ye Olde Quilt Shoppe later today. Last night we met a couple moving to Alaska. It is interesting to find out why people are driving the Alcan. 

Dawson Creek

We reached Dawson Creek late this afternoon. We found the Mile 0 post in town and took photos of flat Michele and Melody and a selfie to record the event. We also visited the local museum, which had an interesting exhibit on the growth of canola farming on the prairie. We can attest that they are growing lots of canola. The museum also had information on the building of the Alcan. My sister reminded me recently that our Grandpa worked as a butcher on the highway build in the 1940s. So the exhibit was particularly pertinent for me. After we checked in at an RV park we walked over to the local pub and had a beer. Of course, we were both on our phones, as we found some wifi to use. Tomorrow we start the Alcan journey. 

Alberta

We are heading to Edmonton and then on to Dawson Creek, where the Alcan Highway starts. We stopped at the Alberta Visitor's Center where they had free wifi to check our email and post my earlier blog entries. 

Last evening we passed through Edmonton and stayed at the Glowing Embers campground. It is listed in Milepost so we thought it might be the best bet. It was adequate but certainly nothing special. Will try to post in Dawson Creek later. 

Saskatchewan

We drove through Saskatchewan yesterday and today. The landscape was relatively flat except for occasional glacial carve outs that we would suddenly come upon. We saw lots of yellow canola fields and so many grain elevators that I lost track. Most of the elevators were new and fancy, but we also found a few of the old style elevators. I stopped at a quilt shop in Regina and they had a pattern for an appliqué hanging of the old style elevators. I picked it up and will make an adapted version when we return home. 

Alaska Bound

We are leaving Minnesota today on our way to Alaska. Mike's bucket list includes driving the Alcan Highway - the whole way. We will take photos on the way. We purchased a new Nikon SLR to record the trip. If we have decent wifi we will post photos. The drive to Alaska from here will take 10 days.