April 26, 2013

Yesterday we pulled out of Calgary at 7:20 am on our way north.  Temperature was +3 C.  Our first stop was at Gordon's uncle Roy's in Wetaskiwin, Alberta.  We visited with them, went to the Legion for a steak sandwich for lunch and then said our goodbye's and were on the road again at 1:06 pm.  It was overcast and windy.

As we headed west we passed large farms.  Oil and farming are the major industries in the area.  Got to Whitecourt, Alberta at 3:50 pm still fighting the wind.  At 4:45 pm we arrived at Fox Creek.  We changed drivers there.  Saw a field of Elk, but the camera was not at hand.  Stopped at Bezanson, Alberta for soup and left there at 7:02 pm.  Got to Grande Prairie around 8:00 pm.  The road from Edmonton was very bad and we are thankful we are not pulling the 5th wheel.  Spent the night at my nephew's.  We visited until 11:30 pm.

Friday morning came much too soon, but after breakfast and a short visit with Mark we left at 10:05 am  - in the wind.  We are thankful, again, that we are not pulling our 5th wheel.

Grain storage bins

Beaver Lodge, Alberta

More farm land

Farm equipment on highway

Arrived Dawson Creek, British Columbia at 12:15.  Dawson Creek is Mile 0 of the Alaska Highway

Mile 0 Alaska Highway

Curved Bridge on old Alaska Highway

We took a detour down the old Alaska Highway, build in 1942, to see the curved bridge.  The whole road was very curvy to inhibit enemy planes from bombing convoys travelling to Alaska

Change in landscape

Blue Sky

 This afternoon we finally ran into a break in the gloomy cloudy weather.  There really is blue sky and sunshine behind those clouds.    Fort St. John was behind us by 1:35 pm.  The weather got worse.  We were meeting oncoming vehicles with packed slush on their vehicles.

Mountains in the distance

Winter wonderland

In the distance the mountain are covered with snow.  It is the 26th of April. I really hoped that spring would be making an appearance.

We stopped at the Esso at Wonowon where I purchased Laura Beatrice Berton's book "I Married the Klondike"

North of Wonowon, Mile 101 on the Alaska Highway, we ran into a

WINTER WONDERLAND!

Fort Nelson, BC came into sight at 5:30 pm. Gordon was glad as he had driven all day.  Checking into the Ramada Inn we had to wade thru snow to get from the truck to the room.  For $140.00 per night one would have thought we could at least have had a cleared path.

The current weather is -6 C.  Forecast:

Friday:  -6 C few flurries

Saturday -  snow 1-3 cm

 Sunday: 5-10 cm snow
Monday: close to 5 cm snow

We stopped in the Visitor's Centre in Fort Nelson and were told that some motorists turned around at Muncho Lake because the roads were so bad and returned to Fort Nelson.

 It is 968 km (601 miles) from Fort Nelson to Whitehorse, Yukon

Hope spring has sprung wherever you are!


Be back on the blog soon!

In front of Ramada Inn Fort Nelson BC