Alaska - a trip to remember

[Lisbeth]

That was a long first flight(s)

In which month(s) were you travelling?

[okie]

Lisbeth , It was Mid-May . And yeahh , long trip , long flights , but breaking it down into smaller sections , make it easier After all , we were on holiday So , Cape Town to London , where we stayed a few days before going on . Travelling Lufthanza required Frankfurt as a main hub for USA flights . But only to Denver , with a connecting flight the next day on another airline , I think it was Northwest airlines

Then northward by car , on Highway I5 , crossed into Canada , and first night spent in a small motel in the town of Hope , about 100 miles from Vancouver .
At this time , I think it appropriate to show a map so that you can see where we were going .



And a pic of small motel where we stayed .




Hope is a small town of about 7000 people , where a lot of people do chainsaw carving . The place is full of wooden carvings and totem poles , but unfortunately I do not have any pics there.

Next day , we took Highway 1 driving northwards all along the Fraser river . This river is huge , and is the main transport for the logging industry in British Columbia . It is also one of the main rivers for the annual Salmon migration upstream .



Overnighted at a place called Quesnel , a city of around 10 000 people , with logging as its main activity . It has a wooden footbridge built over the Fraser river . Quite something , don’t you think ?



British Columbia is green , full of trees , and every now and then , you come onto little gems like this small ranch . Beautiful , green , neat , groomed pastures and all .




And of course lots and lots of water , and waterfalls .




And pretty birds , such a this Stellers Jay , which came to say hello to us . Not a very good pic , but keep in mind , my camera was not very good either .

[Duke]

Enjoying this, thanks okie

[Lisbeth]

There must have been a lot of water all over, but still coldish

[okie]

Thank you Duke Still a lot to come , and I will need all the encouragement I can get

Lisbeth , yes , lots and lots of it , as you will see .........

Now , where are we – Day 3 ?

After Quesnel , we just continued on the road north to Prince George , the main centre for northern BC , and then further on to Dawson Creek . The road was very scenic , and relatively quiet , passing through a lot a small communities , road-side guest houses and motels , many of which were still closed , and only due to open for summer season in the latter part of May .

Dawson Creek is situated close to the border of BC and Alberta , and is where the Alaska Highway starts .

Hmmm... have to download some pics again first to continue

[Flutterby]

Just found this....sounds like a great trip. Looking forward to more.

[okie]

Welcome on board Flutterby :

Continuing :

Dawson Creek - Alaska here we come !


And at last , here we are .


And the marker for Mile 0 , is right in the middle of the town’s busiest intersection , but hey , who cares ?



And SO also took the risk of standing there .





And this is what it looked like once we hit the road . Miles and miles of flat , nothingness , just trees and trees , and ..... gee-whizz , what did we let ourselves in for ?




But hey ! What’s that ? Wow , a black bear ! A long way away ......




And some deer grazing right next to the highway .



The road wound along . First left .



Then right




Through endless forests and mountains , all still topped with frozen snow .



And then , a frozen lake !





There are some picnic benches there , but , .......
Its , wow man , its just too d..n cold to climb out at this time . .





Its cold hey ? Brrrrrrrrrr.....

[Flutterby]

Stunning scenery!!

[Lisbeth]

For the "0 mile" intersection

I thought it was a bit early in the year for Alaska ..... But a black bear helps The picnic spot must be very nice a couple of months later

[okie]

Thank you FB .
Lisbeth , it is somewhat early for Alaska , but once it warms up , and everything opens , then it becomes quite crowded . On the other hand of course , we only got back to Seattle on 10th June – that is three weeks later , by which time accommodation etc already became less available .

Continuing :

Back into the car , and........ another black bear ! Obviously then , they are out of their winter sleeps .





And then a small family of Bison . The calves were cute ......


But this bull was huge , standing about 1,8 meters high at his shoulders.




We crossed over provincial border from BC to Yukon Territory , and stopped off at a roadside diner and motel , where we had a cup of coffee and a cinna-bun ( cinnamon bun ) , steeped in a sweet cinnamon-and-chocolate sauce . Wow !!!! Amercans love it , and SO and I adore it too . Its like a sweet hot-cross bun , but much better ........... you should try it .
Any way , the couple ( owners ) had lived there , in the middle of nowhere , 100 miles from anywhere , for the past 45 years , running the place as a motel/guesthouse/horseranch , etc ..







Enough for now , more to come .