Along the Alaska Highway

Sunday, June 07, 2009, Liard Hotsprings to Watson Lake

We traveled from Liard to Watson Lake through the area where the fire was burning a few days ago.  It was still smoldering with lots of smoke in the area.  The smoke has spread to where we are tonight, about 75 miles north of the burnt area.  It is not bad here but you can see and smell the smoke.  We visited the Sign Post Forest this afternoon and put up our own sign.  We also visited the Northern Lights Centre and the Lake Watson Airport.  The airfield served as one of the  stopping points during WWII for aircraft flying to Russia as part of the US war effort to supply airplanes to Russian allies.

Saturday, June 06, 2009, Fort Nelson to Liard Hotsprings

The highway north of Fort Nelson is now open.  The forest fire is contained so today we traveled from Fort Nelson to Laird Hotsprings Provincial Park.  Along the way we saw a mother moose and her calf as well as sheep and a group of bison.  The bison were grazing along the road side and crossed the road stopping traffic.

We stop for lunch munchies along the road near Muncho Lake.  It seemed appropriate.

I think we are close to the last of the Canadian Rockies for the north bound trip.  We had some of the longest grades, both up and down, of the entire trip.  I often found myself in third gear doing 35-40 miles per hour.  There is very little traffic.  The roads are, for the most part, in very good condition. 

We took a nice long soak in the hot springs and enjoyed the boardwalk out to the springs and back.  This is the first Provincial Park in which we have stayed.  There are no hookups so it was a “dry camping” day.  In this remote area of BC there was in no TV, cell phone coverage or internet.  It makes for a quiet evening and early bedtime.     

 Thursday, June 04, 2009, Dawson Creek to Fort Nelson

We stayed in Dawson Creek for two nights then drove to Fort Nelson.  Just a short distance north of Dawson Creek we took side trip on a part of the Old Alaska Highway to see a curved wooden bridge over the Kiskatinaw River. 

When we arrived in Fort Nelson the road north was closed due to a forest fire that crossed the Alaska Highway.  We decided to stay two nights at the Westend Campground highway.

Last standing wooden bridge on the Old Alaska Highway

Liard Hotsprings

Buffalo along the road

More mountains

World famous Watson Lake Sign Post Forest started by a GI building the Alaska Highway in 1942

It’s official. We were here.

WWII hanger at Watson Lake. This was one of the bases used to ferry aircraft to Russia

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