Day 6

DAY 6

I think I’m wearing out the Dixie Chicks CD Alison got me for my birthday. Seriously, though, if you’re a country fan at all and can drive out west without listening to “Cowboy Take Me Away” and “Wide Open Spaces” over and over…well, I just don’t get you.

We left the campground at about seven this morning, after heating up last night’s leftovers for breakfast. Last night it was FREEZING! And I’m not sure I’m exaggerating. I didn’t check the weather, all I know is that I don’t remember the last time I was that cold. I think tonight I’ll sleep in, oh, five layers of clothing maybe? That and the blankets should keep my organs from completely shutting down. Brrrrr! Don’t get me wrong, I adore cold weather. But I don’t think I have the appropriate clothes. I tried to pack warmer clothes, but it’s so hard to even picture needing them when it’s 100 degrees when you’re packing.

Northern Alberta looks suspiciously like Alaska, minus the mountains. The trees and vegetation is pretty similar, though. We stopped at a roadside bathroom, which my mom was not thrilled about. If you haven’t had the pleasure of using a Canadian “rest stop”, they’re basically glorified porta poties. It’s a real building, but inside is a metal “toilet” over a pit in the ground. Ah, Canada.

I got super exciting at the rest stop because now it really seems like we’re on our way to Alaska. I blame it on the cold, but I was so excited I ran circles around the parking lot. I only ran for a minute, so it’s not like it was a full workout, but I’d forgotten how fun running is when you can breathe without a snorkel and you’re not about to pass out from heat exhaustion.

When we finally got to British Columbia I was really, really, REALLY excited and in Dawson Creek, where the Alaska Highway officially starts? Well, I was downright ecstatic.

The beginning of the highway must’ve undergone some improvements since we were up here last, either that or we didn’t remember it well. It’s a beautifully paved four lane road. Don’t worry. We weren’t fooled, we figured it would get worse. And it did. At one point we were up against a hill on one side and a gradual drop off on the other. There was a river of water (not one that was supposed to be there) running off along the side of the road working on eroding it. We also drove over a narrow bridge over a river that started with a ‘K’. The bridge was narrow and was made of that metal grate stuff, so we went slow. My dad says if you drive too fast on that stuff, it jerks the car around. The view of the river from the bridge was awe inspiring, seriously. Gorgeous. Gorgeous. Gorgeous. No pictures of that to show anyone—my camera batteries need to be charged AND I was too busy looking. I’m documenting a ton, which I really want to do so I can remember all the details of this trip, but I also have to remind myself to make sure I experience it and don’t just take pictures of it.

AND I saw my second bear (in the wild). This was on the side of the road and I was the one who spotted him. I thought at first that it was a moose (we were far away, okay? It was big and dark). Then I decided it was just dirt or something. Then I decided it was a moose. And then as we got closer I realized it was a black bear! He couldn’t have been terribly old, we’re guessing last year’s cub, maybe? He was feasting on a moose kill on the side of the road and ran off with a strip of moose in his teeth.

We stopped for dinner at The Shepherds Inn at Mile 72 of the highway. The food there was delicious and the owners were Christians, judging by the books they were selling. My parents and I got strawberry rhubarb pie for dessert. Why oh why can’t we grow rhubarb in the south?

We ended up stopping for the night at a campground on the Sikanni River. There was a construction crew there, too. They had been working to dislodge some trees that had caught under the bridge and formed a dam that was making the river rise (pretty significantly). Despite the fact that John and Josh were the only ones not a little worried about the river flooding in the night, even though the problem appeared to have been fixed, we were fine and got to enjoy the views of the river.