Wednesday, August 4, 2010

The Alaskan Hwy- remote, breathtaking, and wild----

Our first hours on the Alaskan Hwy-  from Dawson Creek to Ft. Nelson- seemed almost unspectacular. But with every mile that passed under our wheels, we felt the ever increasing sense of ‘remoteness’. There was an established town here and there- but they were far between and not what you would really call “civilization” So- where is the McDonalds? Dare we ask for a Starbucks? And the ever important gas station was a 1 or 2 pump station at $1.45/liter – that’s PER LITER! or $5.60 per gal! And we spent Tues. night in another RV Park-ing lot in Ft. Nelson and felt good that we did not have to drive further down the road that day. (We had covered 420 miles on Tues.) You do what you have to do when you REALLY need a shower……

Wednesday’s drive saw more of the breathtaking views through the Canadian Rockies that we had been anticipating.

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Crystal clear rivers flowed – with the Rockies standing guard beside them.

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And the buffalo………

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………. and the caribou? roamed - right along side of the road!

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We did not abandon all civilization, however. We stopped for a soak in the Hot Springs at Laird River. And the springs were HOT! The water temperature was around 110 degrees! (air temp around 75 degrees) and crystal clear. Very relaxing. But, in case one was to forget the actual ‘wildness’ of this area, one of the springs was closed due to a “troublesome” BEAR.

We are in Watson Lake tonight.

4 comments:

  1. I am having so much fun following your blog - and seeing the same thing on Becky's blog (she had the obligatory picture by mile 0 too :). I am so envious - Alaska is the only state I haven't been in. I do love the Canadian Rockies tho. We were in Banff and Lake Louise in May (the lake was still frozen) and it was absolutely beautiful. I'm enjoying your trip with you!
    Babs

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  2. We talked to a guy who had been to Alaska in his pop-up. Said to watch out for the Bears. YIKES!!!! Said bears will claw right through them. Know what I said back very casually? We're talking about my sister, Sue,and her husband, Fred. They plan everything down to the finite detail. I'm sure they've thought of that and have worked it all out. Ha! You have- haven't you!!!!

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  3. Such beautiful scenery! Looks like you guys are having an exciting adventure complete with exciting wildlife - always my favorite part!

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  4. Yes, we are taking 'bear precautions' - putting all food and good smelling stuff in the car - and just praying that we won't have THAT close an encounter with the wildlife.

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