Wildlife and Dawson Creek, BC- We Arrive at Alaskan Highway Milepost 0

We were going to have a long day driving some “scenic” routes (which really are about the only way to get from place to place in these parts), so we got up early, checked out of our really great motel, and hit the road.

A great place to stay in Jasper

It was a cold 33° when we started, but the skies were clear and it looked like it was going to be another great day when the temperature eventually warmed.

We leave the mountains

Driving early in the morning gave us a chance to watch the sun come up over the mountains to the east and to see some wildlife foraging along the roadside. We turned onto a “scenic” road that would take us north to Grand Prairie and immediately saw a sign that warned of no gas or services for the next 95 miles.

These trailers are really long

It was going to be a lonely ride. It is times like these that we are glad that we have satellite radio and can listen to U.S. newscasts or stations to pass the time and keep abreast of what is going on in the states. We went through a pretty long stretch where caribou cross the road as well has heavily loaded logging trucks. Signs are posted that warn that when these trucks turn the logs may come into your lane! We came to the town of Grand Cache and stopped at the visitor’s center to take a break.

At the visitor's center

A coal mining company is based there and operates a huge coal burning electric generating plant. Grand Cache is a quaint little town that seems to sit in the middle of nowhere. We pressed on toward Grand Prairie and thrilled to see 8 deer, 3 dead deer, and our first moose. Unfortunately we didn’t get a picture of the moose, because our first impression was that it was just another deer.

And we complain there are no road signs!

It wasn’t until we got close that we realized what it was. We started to slow down to go back and get the picture, but the really steep shoulders at the side of the road kept us from easily turning around, and we were below the crest of a hill and blind to any car approaching us from the rear. But the real wildlife highlight of the day was when we spotted a wolf. We both saw it bouncing through some high grass right at the edge of where the woods meets the mowed roadside. At first we both thought it was a fox, but as we got close we saw that it was as big as a full grown German shepherd or Lab, and foxes don’t grow that large. We stopped the car, but the animal had slipped into the woods.

We arrived at Dawson Creek, BC, the starting point and mile 0 of the Alaskan Highway. The original 1,422 mile highway from Dawson Creek to Delta Junction, AK, is regarded as an engineering marvel.

Mile 0

Where the highway starts

It was built and funded by the U.S. as a defensive move to any threat of invasion by the Japanese after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, even though most of the road passes through Canada.

Dawson Creek Mile 0 Intersection

The engineering and construction was performed by the U.S. Army. There are a lot of interesting facts about the highway that you can read by following this link http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alaska_Highway or Googling the highway for other pages.

Railway museum- guy doesn't say much

We went to the Dawson Creek visitor’s center and took pictures at the Mile 0 marker, toured an art, railway, and natural history museums, and watched a video with original footage about the construction of the highway. All of these brought us up to speed on the Dawson Creek area and the highway in a short time. After leaving the visitor’s center, we drove through the historic downtown area of Dawson Creek and then found a park with a walking path that we could use for some exercise, before returning to our room to get ready for tomorrow’s next leg of our trek to Alaska.

Sign on our motel lobby door

 

It gets results!

An Extra Day In Jasper, AB

We spent an extra day in Jasper to take it all in and have a rest day from the fairly hectic pace we had been moving. We slept late, had a really great breakfast and started the day's activities with another walk through town and the residential areas. We got back to the motel and decided to go shopping (and Lord knows, not together!). Capt. Larry dropped Jane off in downtown and went to the grocery to pick up a few items, and then to a gas station to top the tank off. Jane was happily on her own for a few hours

We want to digress here a moment and make a statement about shopping in Canada. Transacting business here is nothing like in the states, because you never know how the final bill is going to turn out when you use American money or debit cards. For the past several weeks the Canadian dollar (CAD) has exchanged at around 96-98 cents for one USD. That's an exchange that favors the Canadians by 2-4% when they receive a USD. But of course any change that is made is in CAD so they reap a little more depending on how much is exchanged.

Totem pole in Jasper, next to train station

We anticipated this and made it a point to bring along a wad of small bills and change, so that we could exchange on a 1:1 basis and just eat the exchange differential. But noooooooo! We went to a McDonald's and ordered an Egg McMuffin and two senior coffees. The bill came to $5.50 CAD. But, when Jane went to pay with USD, the clerk said she had to recalculate, and it came to $6.05 USD. That's a 10% rate that McDonald's is charging to exchange USD to CAD at the point-of-sale. Plus they get the additional 2-4%, when convert the USD to CAD at the Canadian bank. That, our friends, is what is called a racket! Not every retailer does this, even though the probably could, for possible fear of pissing off the purchaser. Then there's the taxes. One of our lodging invoices shows the room charge ($124.95 CAD), and then the taxes. There's the DMF charge of $3.75, the GST charge of $6.43, and the PST charge of $6.43. We know that this also exists in the states with bed taxes, sales taxes, etc., but just wanted to point out that on this invoice that represents and additional 13.3% added to the already exorbitant room rate (this was a Travelodge) which brings the bill to $141.56 for a one night's stay in what in the states would probably go for $89-99 USD. While we have similar rates in the states, when you calculate these taxes on much higher room rates you tend to get "checkout shock." We've inquired what the additional charges would be, knowing that they vary somewhat among the provinces, but are always told that it can't be calculated until the final bill is tallied (baloney!).

Then there's the apparent sales taxes (called GST = Goods and Services Tax) and ecological container taxes on anything that is recyclable (Canada is big on recycling, which is a good thing, but we don't know if this is refunded when you do recycle or this is what you pay for buying aluminum cans, glass bottles, or plastic bottles).

Anyone know what an 8-way stop is on an intersection with 2 two lane roads?

So, we go to the Saskatchewan provincial liquor store. We purchase a 1.75 L. bottle of "cheap" vodka for $49.00 CAD and a 15-pack of "cheap" beer for 20.74 (it was the manager's special!) totaling $69.74. At checkout there's an LCT tax of $6.97 (i.e. 10% sales tax, we think), a GST tax of $3.49 (another 5%), and a "container deposit" of $1.70 (add 2.4%), bringing the total to $81.90 for a bottle of vodka and a 15-pack (not 18 like in the states) of beer. Plus, we're paying with a credit card that we know will pay an additional "exchange fee." That's 17.4% in charges added to our beer and vodka purchase. We guessed that the Canadian government does this to make the drinkers (and probably smokers- Jane said she thought cigarettes were going for $8/pack) pay more for these vices, because they add to the medical costs. All we can say is there must be a lot of sober, non-smoking Canadians who will immediately volunteer how wonderful their healthcare is! We Americans can't wait for Obamacare to fully kick in so we will be more like our Canadian brethren!!!

But all of that is nothing compared to what you're going to hear next. When Capt. Larry checked out at the grocery, the cashier said something about a bag. Since he didn't understand, he asked to repeat. She mumbled something again about a bag, but he didn't get what she was asking, so he asked her to repeat for a third time. Apparently frustrated with this stupid American, she clearly said, "do you want a bag?" Dumbfounded he thought, "well hell yes, I want a bag. I've got 11 items that I've got to get to the car, and I really don't feel like make 3 or 4 trips you st....". As she was putting the items in the bag she asked, "will one bag be enough?" "Yes, one bag will be enough. (even though at Wal-Mart back in the states he'd be walking out with a minimum of 4 bags!)." So, he got his bag and headed back to the motel. Jane arrives shortly later with her purchases and relates that at one shop, the said that they would (grudgingly) "give" her a bag today, but they were going to start charging for plastic bags next week. Folks, this is a big tourist town. The prices are already high and tourists typically don't carry around those ecologically friendly cloth bags. Bottom line, if you come to Canada, pad your budget big time, so you can support their Obamacare. Step down from podium.

Rockin' in the Rockies- It's Not Oz, But Pure Awe!

We left Calgary, AB on our way to Banff National Park and the Canadian Rockies. We were in the Rockies only about 1½ hours out of Calgary and were immediately impressed. We had been to the Grand Tetons and Glacier Nation Park in the U.S. on our motorcycle trip, but this was mind boggling. Since we had a few hours to kill before we checked into our motel, we decided to drive up to Lake Louise and check it out, before heading back to Banff for the night.

Goofing off with the bear

We arrived at Lake Louise, after seeing some awesome mountain displays along the way, and headed for Lake Louise Village so Jane could do her thing at the various shops.

Jane, phone home!

We first went to the visitor’s center (pronounced CENTRE!) and viewed the exhibits about the formation of the Canadian Rockies. We wanted to watch the movie about the park, but it was in French and we would have to wait too long to hear the English version. Never understood why a united country would choose to be bilingual. We left, the centre and moseyed through the village shops so Jane could drop off some more USD’s on stuff she thought was “cute.”

Lake Louise in the rain

By now it was lightly raining, but we went to Lake Louise because this is what you do when you’re up here. Even on an overcast, rainy day Lake Louise may have been the most beautiful sight we’ve ever seen.

At Lake Moraine

The sky, mountains, snow, trees, and lake water were indescribable. We took so many pictures here that our hands got tire handling the cameras. We liked this so much that we decided to go view Lake Moraine, a 20 minute drive away.

Happy to be here

Like Lake Louise, the view at Lake Moraine was absolutely stunning. The rain was a little more persistent so we took our pictures, grabbed some hot coffee (it was 46°) and had some sandwiches in the car. We drove back to Banff and found a lodge overlooking the Bow River for the night.

Lawn furniture still under snow

We felt we needed some exercise so we walked through the Banff business district (mostly through the shops Jane wanted to see) for a couple of hours.

Downtown Banff

We visited the Whyte museum which featured the paintings of an artistic couple that were prominent in the area and community history and focused on the area’s development.  We then found a pasta restaurant that looked good and had dinner, before retreating to our room for the night.

The next day we headed for Jasper, AB. The rain and cloudiness had stopped and the skies were beautiful.

At Bow River Falls

On the way to Jasper we passed Lake Louise again, and because the viewing conditions were so much better than the day before, we decided to stop and see it again.

Breathtaking scenery

It was even more breathtaking than the day before. We took our pictures then headed for Jasper through some of the most awe inspiring vistas we had ever seen. It is really had to describe the grandeur of these mountains.

Finally, we photograph a bear

We stopped at several places along the 200+ mile drive for photo opportunities, but every shot was worth it. The trouble is, when we arrived in Jasper and reviewed our photos, we were slightly disappointed. We left with a brand spanking new camera that we were still trying to learn the intricacies of.

Ice still on Hector Lake

We’ve been snapping a huge number of shots ad different settings, hoping to have everything figured out by the time we arrive in Alaska. So if some of these posted shots aren’t quite up to snuff, that’s the reason. Along the way we were able to catch to special moments. We saw our first black bear foraging along the roadside and watched him/her for about 10 minutes. He seemed oblivious to our presence.

She's mine, asshole!

The next wildlife encounter was with a herd of 6 Dall sheep that were right beside the road. As we approached and started to shoot some pictures, two of them reared back and started to butt heads in a fighting gesture. We were so close that we thought this might possibly spill into our car, so we quickly drove away to avoid any damage. We checked into the Malinge Lodge in Jasper and were upgraded to a suite, since we were staying for two nights.

Columbia Icefield

We had a bedroom, a full kitchen, bath, and sitting room with fireplace for about the same price as a single room. We were really happy with this outcome.

Nature calls at the pit toilet!

We needed some exercise, so we put on our tennis shoes and walked through town so Jane could find the places to go tomorrow to spend our (really the kid’s) money. We came back to the lodge, had happy hour by the indoor pool our room overlooks, and a great dinner. It was an awesome day.

Our Canadian Gravel Back Roads Adventure

We came this far north to Prince Albert to see a part of Canada that many probably pass up.

Ya betcha dey grow big wheat,eh?

We have been visiting many of the American national parks, so we thought it would be interesting to see some of the Canadian counterparts. Prince Albert National Park was about an hour’s drive north of the town of Prince Albert, so we thought it deserved to be checked out.We headed up and thought we would first go to the park headquarters thinking  we would see some exhibits about the park.

Northern forest birch stand

We looked on the map and figured out how to get to where we wanted to go. However, Canadian roads are not well marked by our standards (maybe the Canadians are just smarter), and we missed a turnoff to the headquarters. Instead, we drove about 20 miles further north to another entrance that we found after stopping and asking a First Nation native Canadian how to get there.

We thought that we could drive a loop through the park that would bring us out to a road that would start to take us toward Edmonton, Alberta, our next planned stop.

Pretty little town

We had very coarse maps of the park, so we asked the agent at the entrance for specific directions when we entered.

Wakesiu business district

Unfortunately for us, he seemed unaware that the park had a southern entrance that was clearly marked on our maps. We paid our fees and entered the park, and the adventure began. We followed the park maps which did show the route we wanted to follow, but the roads were so poorly marked that we got lost. After realizing that we were lost and reassessing our situation, Capt. Larry started to follow the compass and map to get us to Lake Wakesiu. This is a community that is located within the park, complete with businesses and a host of cabins and lodging facilities that we assumed are used as vacation or second homes by nearby Canadians.

Deer droppings everywhere

It was a beautiful area and someplace we thought would be worth future visits. We left Lake Wakesiu and the real fun (translation- Jane's angst) began.

A doe and fawn by the road

We followed a road that we assumed would take us to the park’s southern entrance. Along the way we saw some deer grazing by the road. We stopped the car and were within 10 yards of them.

OK, I'll pose for you

They just kept on with their business so Capt. Larry guessed that there was no deer hunting in the park. But the highlight of the day was when we spotted a black bear along the road. We stopped and tried to get a picture, but the bear sensed something was up and headed off into the woods before we could capture the moment. Gotta learn the new camera better.

We finally made our way to the southern entrance and the park’s headquarters. Shortly after exiting the park we came to an unmarked fork in the road. We went left following the road back to Prince Albert. But we were 50 miles from where we started, and wanted to head west of where we’d been.

Beautiful Wakesiu Lake

After thinking about this, we realized that the other fork would save us substantial travel time. We turned around and took the other fork which immediately put us on a gravel road. With the GPS and roadmaps we were given, we followed a route that we thought would take us to the main roads headed for Edmonton, AL.

Artistic marker

We were doing OK until we came to unmarked crossroads along the route where we had no idea as to where we were. At this point, Capt. Larry realized that we had map detail that would indicate where we were on either the park maps or the GPS, so once again he decided to start following the compass. We picked a southern direction and followed that for a considerable distance. Jane was beside herself and almost hysterical. We came to several crossroads and at one point stayed on the compass bearing at a bend in the road. After about a half a mile on a deteriorating roadbed we decided to go back. We had to turn the car around on a very narrow road that had no berm and standing water and mud at the very edge. Jane was now cursing (and not to herself). Capt. Larry kept reassuring that we weren't lost (after all we navigated the Loop) and all of these country roads would eventually come out to a main one. It's how the farmers go into town for shopping. We followed our compass bearings and, after traveling over some of worst gravel road we’d ever been on, we found the major highway for Edmonton and were out of our hellish maze. We estimated that the "shortcut" didn't save either any time or distance, but it was an  adventure and one that a relaxed Jane started posting on Facebook as soon as we had wireless service.

  Once on the highway, we proceeded toward Edmonton, but experienced some road construction delays.

Tall boundary marker

We had lost a lot of time throughout the day and realized that making it all the way to Edmonton was going to be impossible. So we landed at the town of Lloydminster, SK. Lloydminster is interesting as it sits right on the Saskatchewan/Alberta border which appears to divided the town right down the middle with half of the town in each province. We checked into a motel and settled in for the night. It was a hell of a day!

We've been shopping at the faux one

The next day we arose late thinking that when we went to the other side of town we would gain an hour due to a time zone change. Turns out we went into the Mountain Time Zone about 40 miles east of where we were. So we were behind schedule.

The road sign did show just one table

We decided to not stop in Edmonton as we originally planned, but instead drive down to Calgary and get ready to see the Canadian Rockies. Calgary is Alberta's largest city (about 1.1 million) and there are lots of attractions, but we could only stay one night if we wanted to spend time in the Canadian Rockies and still stay on a schedule that would get us to Alaska in time for our tour (it's a really long distance up there). So far we have logged about 4,500 miles since we left Louisiana on May 15. Jane is starting to complain about the pace, so we will try and slow down as we can.

Hang your clothes up here