Blogs from Watson Lake, Yukon, Canada, North America - page 4

After leaving Jasper, I drove to Grande Cache, AB and spent Friday night in a hotel. I knew that it was time to start racking up some miles and I was anxious to get to the Alaska Highway. The first stop on Saturday was in Dawson Creek, BC, the town where the Alaka Highway starts. I picked up BC, Yukon and Alaka maps there at the visitor center. I drove another 140 miles and decided to camp at Pink Mountain. At the camp, I shared the fire of 2 guys on motorcycles that were also headed to Alaska. One was driving a Goldwing and the other a HD Road King. They are from Holland and work for Holland America Cruise Line and currently live in Seattle. Their names were Arnold and Ronald and at first hearing ... read more

We've driven 605 miles from Milepost 0 to reach the Yukon! WOW! Shortly thereafter we found Dawson Creek, home of the Signpost Forrest. The town was named for gold seeker Frank Watson who settled here in 1898. The town became an important point for refueling during construction of the AK Highway. We stopped for the night at the Downtown RV Park and actually got to check our email with free wi-fi,! We have not had phone reception or satellite TV since leaving Fort St. John many miles ago, luxuries of the past. We found an excellent AK Highway Interpretive Center and saw a video on Yukon history and the AK Highway. The famous Signpost Forrest was started by a lonely Army soldier working on the AK Highway. Visitors are invited to add a sign (one was ... read more

Left Sasquatch Crossing this morning at 9:45. After the first hour or so the roads cleared and the sky cleared and it was a great day. I wrote this at the end of the day that day, I had trouble getting out of my room again today and did not leave until 9:45. One hour earlier than the day before!! That is progress! Tomorrow I expect to get on the road even earlier. No snow today or tonight! clear skies and mostly no snow on the roads. I went through a little snow on the road, but slowing down took me through with no problem. I had set a goal to get to Watson Lake before I left this morning and I made it!! I am proud of myself. Not only that, but I saw some ... read more

Greetings From The Yukon! North America » Canada » Yukon » Watson Lake By Lisa Ted and ChongJune 23rd 2007Well me managed to make it to the Yukon.(600 miles up the Alaska Highway) The last couple days have been amazing for wildlife viewing! We have seen bears (black and brown), caribou, stone sheep, bison and of course bird sized mosquitoes. Travel remains smooth, our health is good and spirits high. I ended my fishing career in Alberta batting 0%. However, I chated up some locals and they must have pitied me because they gave me two free Rainbow Trout which we gutted and grilled. Check out the sick p... read more

First, a little history lesson. At the outbreak of World War II there was no overland access to Alaska from the lower 48 or Canada. Fearing a Japanese invasion of Alaska (which actually did occur in June, 1942), in March 1942 the US Army undertook a crash program to build a road to supply military bases in Alaska. The road stretches 1,422 miles from Dawson Creek, BC to Delta Junction, AK, where it connects to the Richardson Highway, which runs from Valdez to Fairbanks. The project was huge, crossing rugged mountains, heavily wooded forests and swampy tundra, all under some pretty miserable weather conditions, but it was completed in eight months at a cost of $115 million, or $81,000 per mile. For comparison, the Boston Central Artery project (“the Big Dig”) cost about $1.8 billion per ... read more