The long road across Alberta and British Colombia to the North May 10 - 14/2012

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Once we have left Edmonton in Alberta the long road to the Yukon starts. It begins with highway 43. There is a strong wind and it is hardly possible to keep the car under control. The landscape is gradually changing from agriculture to hilly forests. Neither is particuraly interesting. After a full day driving we stop at Grand Prairie.

Next day we pass Dawson Creek, where we hit the famous Alaska Highway. It is signposted by Mile 0. We read that during World War 2 the Americans realised that Alaska is halfway between Tokyo and New York. America worried about an invasion by Japan. That is why they planned the road across Canada to Alaska. The road was finished in 1942 after only 10 months working. The first road had only one lane and big cars could not pass. But in 1943 the road was all year open for all traffic. And now tourists like us can use it. The wind is still very strong. Driving is tiresome at the moment. That is why we stop already after 4 hours at Fort St. John.

Next day we continue our trip over the Alaska Highway. We pass the Rocky Mountains again, but now from East to West. The landscape has become more beautiful now. Everywhere we see snow. The rivers and lakes are still covered with ice. There is hardly any wind. The hills are covered with firs and birches. Now and then we see animals like mooses and elks. For the second time I see a black bear and again I was too late to stop to take a picture. We see some stonesheep and muledeer. At Toad River we stop for the night and see how some beavers are busy to make a dam.

We leave Toad River next morning and hit the Alaska Highway again. After a while we pass Muncho Lake. It is said that it is one of the most beautiful lakes of the world. Now it is completely frozen, it is really enchanting. A bit further we stop at Liards River. I have pain in my back of driving and take a bath in the hot sulphur spring. Because of the high temperature there are tropical plants around the spring. After Liards River we see lots of animals along the road. It is called the Serengeti of the North. And indeed it feels as if we are doing a gamedrive. We see caribou's, stonesheep, woodbisons, elks, mooses, a sandcrane and indeed 5 times a black bear, which make a nice show just in front of our camera. We stop at Watson Lake, just across the border. Finally we are in the Yukon.

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