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Black Bear
Not interested in us! We arrived at Northern Lights RV Park on 28 June and decided to take “the day off”. Anyone knowing Tom knows that this means we (among other things) did laundry, got the oil changed, bought beer and wine, went to two museums, got our photo taken at Milestone 0 (to save time tomorrow morning) and planned the next 5 days of our journey. There are very few hiking or biking opportunities in the Dawson Creek/ Fort Saint John area, and if we were to do this again, we’d probably route ourselves through Tumbler Ridge, about 100+ miles from here. It’s a mining town that’s trying to improve its tourism in response to the closure of one of its mines.
By the way, diesel fuel was $ .98.9/liter in town, about 10 cents lower than out near the highway. We brought an oil filter from Tennessee, but bought oil in Dawson Creek -- $67 for 14 quarts of non-synthetic oil! Northern Lights campground is a staging area for the Alaska Highway, so was filled with a big caravan that will hit the road about the same time we will. We talked to many of the travelers , and found that
most are in their late 60s to 70s. The caravan is a 59-day one-way run from Washington State to Alaska and (we guess) is a good way to take a dream trip if you’re uncertain of your ability to manage a long road trip - but then what do you do when you leave the planned trip in Alaska? Suffice it to say that it’s not for us. The campground also offers minor repairs and on-site oil changes for $30. (A caution: the kids at Northern Lights changed our oil, but put in 13 liters (oil capacity of the truck is 12 quarts.) If you use this service, be careful. We were helped by an excellent quick lube site in Fort St. John, which took out the extra oil at no cost. We recommend you go there in the first place.) When we arrived at Northern Lights, both the water system and the WIFI were down, but luckily the water was fixed quickly. One thing we learned in town: go to the Milestone 0 parking lot and use the WIFI hot spot provided by the tourism bureau. Good place for lunch: Hug-a-Mug.
We saw four bears and two moose coming up the Yellowhead and Hart highways east and north of Prince George. The forests in this area look much like eastern Tennessee and western North Carolina: here the mountain and northern pine beetle have devastated the huge lodgepole pine forests. There are many clearcut areas and swaths of rusty brown trees amid the green.
Tom spent considerable time yesterday trying to convince me why the US should change to the metric system. Ah, well - I just like inches and feet.
30 June: We’re on the Alaska Highway, at Pink Mountain RV Park. (The provincial parks are still full, as it’s Canada Day weekend.) We’ve decided to drive only 150 miles or so each day, hoping to hike/bike/explore each afternoon, so that means we checked in here at 1100 and it’s pouring rain at 50 degrees (Fahrenheit!). The owner also noted heavy bear activity (2 killed already this year?), so we’ll stay in the camper, read, and play games. Tom’s bought some old classic TV shows to watch on the DVD player. For those traveling behind us, Northern Light’s WIFI is down and I’m not sure that Pink Mountain ever had WIFI, though they advertise it. We got a strange excuse about moving the phones from inside to outside and digging up the line. (?) Recommend you check ahead if it’s important. By the way, in this rain Pink Mountain’s campground is muddy and discouraging looking - bring a 30-to-20 amp adapter with you or buy one at the store. Water is highly mineral and the pressure is very low.
1 July: To get on the internet, we're sitting in the parking lot of the Blue Bell Motel and RV park in Fort Nelson, way up at the top of BC, almost in the Yukon and the NW Territory. No problems using this free site, but we did buy diesel ($1.19/liter). Highly recommended! They're staging a Canada Day parade across the road.
Today's drive up the AK highway was spectacular. There's nothing but miles of forest, mostly white spruce, as far as the eye can see. NO vehicles are in front or behind us. After two days of rain, we can see sun on the mountains to our west. The GPS has the local topo map loaded, but shows only an arrow on a tiny red line. The road is good, with only a few frost heaves. We encounter about one vehicle every five miles. There are not many highways where you can make a 3-point turn to go back and look at a bear! (Tom just announced that he noticed if he straddles the yellow line, he doesn't have to steer.) This highway was built in 8 months in 1942 -- we have a HUGE amount of respect for the men who built it.
Note for travelers: if you're using the KARO Northern MC map, Lum n Abner's at mile 233 is closed.
After Canada Day, we won’t be calling ahead for reservations until we get to the Alaska tourist areas.
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John & Michelle
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We're really enjoying following your adventure! Sounds like everything is going fantastically. Keep up the great writing and be safe.