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Re: Alaska - a trip to remember

Posted: Mon Jan 20, 2014 12:53 pm
by Lisbeth
That was a long first flight(s) :shock:

In which month(s) were you travelling?

Re: Alaska - a trip to remember

Posted: Mon Jan 20, 2014 2:18 pm
by 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 .

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And a pic of small motel where we stayed .

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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 .

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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 ?

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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 .

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

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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 .


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Re: Alaska - a trip to remember

Posted: Mon Jan 20, 2014 2:22 pm
by Duke
Enjoying this, thanks okie \O

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Re: Alaska - a trip to remember

Posted: Mon Jan 20, 2014 2:42 pm
by Lisbeth
There must have been a lot of water all over, but still coldish ;-)

Re: Alaska - a trip to remember

Posted: Mon Jan 20, 2014 2:45 pm
by okie
Thank you Duke \O 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 :-)

Re: Alaska - a trip to remember

Posted: Mon Jan 20, 2014 2:53 pm
by Flutterby
Just found this....sounds like a great trip. \O Looking forward to more. 0()

Re: Alaska - a trip to remember

Posted: Mon Jan 20, 2014 3:38 pm
by okie
Welcome on board Flutterby \O :

Continuing :

Dawson Creek - Alaska here we come !


And at last , here we are .
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And the marker for Mile 0 , is right in the middle of the town’s busiest intersection , but hey , who cares ?

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And SO also took the risk of standing there .


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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 ?

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


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And some deer grazing right next to the highway .

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The road wound along . First left .

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Then right


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

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And then , a frozen lake !


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


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Its cold hey ? Brrrrrrrrrr.....


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Re: Alaska - a trip to remember

Posted: Mon Jan 20, 2014 3:40 pm
by Flutterby
Stunning scenery!! \O

Re: Alaska - a trip to remember

Posted: Mon Jan 20, 2014 3:50 pm
by Lisbeth
^Q^ ^Q^ For the "0 mile" intersection \O

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 =O: =O:

Re: Alaska - a trip to remember

Posted: Mon Jan 20, 2014 4:48 pm
by 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 .


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

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

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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 ..


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Enough for now , more to come .