Date: November 25, 2005 - Kilometers Traveled: 800 Weather: Cool and Sunny

We started this morning at Dawson Creek “Mile Zero” of the Alaska Highway. We made 750 kilometers so I now have enough time on it to form some impressions.

One thing I can say about the Alaska highway is that it is not a sterile highway. Unlike the highway in the rest of the country (that we have seen so far at least) attention is required to drive it without crashing. The highway in northern Ontario is like that too, I guess – the difference being that there is, at least, something to see on this highway… and the something to see is really something!!

The mountains on the Alaska Highway are probably not as high as the Rockies, but are impressive in their own right, probably because of the fact that they are so close to the road. I said they weren’t as high as the Rockies, but maybe some of the higher peaks are, it’s hard to say. There are some curiously dangerous curves that are devoid of the normal guardrails. One that we stopped at overlooks a presapous that has to be 200 metres deep. I can only imagine the horror of coming around that curve on some snowy winter’s day and sliding slowly toward towards the edge, unable to control the Jeep, sliding ever so slowly towards the edge, and then like a rollercoaster that has reached the top of the manmade mountain, begin to careen down the other side. Because the ravine is so deep you would have plenty of time to imagine the impact at the bottom before it actually happened.

Among the animals we saw in our travels today were about a dozen deer (most of them together in one group), a lone coyote, and half a dozen sheep, not sure what type – there are at least four different varieties here. There seems to be no end to the wildlife, that’s for sure. We also saw a road sign warning of buffalo on the road, but we didn’t see any of those. Here is a picture of the sign at least!



There were some awesome sights, and as usual we took some pictures. Here are some of those. As always they were taken with a small digital camera and the quality is a little off. We have been taking some shots with a film SLR camera with a high-end telephoto lens on it. When we get settled up north, we will buy a scanner and post some of those pictures.




So we arrived in Liard Hot Springs at about 4PM. The hot springs themselves were a bit of a bust for us. Dogs weren’t allowed in the provincial park, and we have a funny idea about that. Any place that doesn’t want our dog, doesn’t get us…simple as that.

The place we are staying is called a “Lodge”. It’s a simple log cabin-style structure that is finished inside and out with raw wood. It has a rustic quality which is inviting. It is the first place that we stayed that has any amount of character. Lodge - that’s a fancy word for more expensive than a hotel or motel but with less services. Our room doesn’t have a TV or a microwave or a small fridge, or even a telephone. It has the basics though…a clean bed, a shower and a door. It’s nicer than the place we stayed in last night and I suppose I has it’s own sort of charm. Its log cabin style, stark, clear-finished pine furniture and sloped ceilings all lend a rustic charm to this place. It kind of reminds me of the sort of lodge that well-to-do hunters would stay in after being helicoptered to a remote wilderness. It will do.

At this “Lodge” we asked where we could run the dog. They told us that we could run the dog at the area out behind the Lodge, as long as we kept him on the leash. We are about 500 kilometers from anywhere and one has to wonder how far one has to go into the wilderness to allow the dog to run on his own off leash.

We went for dinner at the Lodge and Lorie spied buffalo burgers on the menu for $9.99. Of course, you know me, I had to try it!! As I write this now, I have just ordered the buffalo burger and I am waiting for the folks at the lodge to cook it for me.

You may notice that the entry of today is both longer and later in coming. This is due to two simple facts 1. the room we are staying in has no TV, and, 2. the room we are staying in has no internet access. So I guess the old adage that “good things come to those who wait” is true! Actually that’s both presumptuous and arrogant of me to assume that this drivel that I write is actually good! Well, it’s good enough for the internet at least, and we all know that the quality standards to post something on the internet are so high!


Cheers for now!