Toad River Lodge

We were recommended to stop for fuel at the Toad River Lodge as it is the cheapest fuel before Watson lake. The cost of diesel has been steadily rising since we left Dawson Creek, but we decided to stay the night in their campground instead.  This was the ceiling of the General Store at Toad River Lodge.

The RV's  that we have seen on this trip since we left Dawson Creek  have on the whole been older and more rugged, with large pickup's with a camper on the deck, fifth wheels or trailer/caravan being towed. Many have extra trays on the back to carry ATV's, Small boats and extra gear needed for out in the bush.
Above is Dutchess and Granny and below a VW Westfalia camper.

Heading North

Some of the road vistas along the way from Fort Nelson to Watson lake as we passed back through the Northern Rocky Mountains.   Muncho Pass at 1100 meters and a rain/hail/snow system moving through. Km 710

 

The Alaska Highway has been very smooth and the bush and trees kept well back from the road. Wild flowers, mostly dandelions line the road verge.

Summit lake and Pass at 1295 meters and at km 598

Just some of the caribou on the road, they go after the residue of salt left on the road after the winter. These ones are quite young.

Had to brake hard and fast when this black bear decided to zip across in front of us.

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Fort Nelson

The top photo is at Wonowon Lodge which is at mile 101 of the Alaska Highway.
Above just some of the lovely flags along the main street of Fort Nelson.
Below the Fort Nelson Community Centre and Information Centre with the huge stands of petunias. There is an equivalent of eight hanging baskets in each stand.

Mile '0' Dawson Creek

We stayed two nights at Dawson Creek  at the 'Walmart Camp Ground' as the Alaska Hwy was closed west of Dawson Creek with a wash out from the heavy rains and bad weather that we had experienced as we left Vancouver. It was not any use pushing on up the Hwy at this times as any spare camping places or flat ground was taken by the 'rigs' ahead of us.

MILE O of the Alaska Highway.

Canada supplied the land and the American Corps of Engineers built the highway in eight months starting in 1942  when there was a threat of the Japanese invading North America.

North of Prince George

Sunday, June the 10th we left Prince George and took Hwy 97 North through the Rocky Mountains and a pass at 933 meters, good road and saw lots of wild life, Bear, Moose and Stone Sheep with the long curly horns. Crossed the continental divide and onto rolling prairies where the ground was just being prepared for planting wheat or canola.

Prince George

We spent two nights at a RV Park just south of Prince George and took Granny for a drive up to the ridge over looking the city from the University of Northern British Columbia, lovely campus but the roads around Prince George are in a very poor condition.  Some of the pot holes were too big to straddle with the car and at times were driving all over the road to miss them. 

Barkerville

BARKERVILLE,  a historic town 90kms east of Quesnel, a lovely drive up into the mountains.
Billy Barker's discovery of gold on Williams Creek in 1862 triggered a stampede of thousands to this part of the Cariboo.  Over the next eight years, these adventures traveled the Cariboo Wagon Road and converged on Barkerville and the gold fields.  Barkerville today is a unique streetscape of over 125 heritage buildings, period room displays and satellite museums.  The following speaks for it's self on the fire that leveled the town 16th September,1868.

We had a lovely sunny day, but in places there is still snow on the ground.