ALCAN Highway Heading South

Fairbanks at 12:07 A.M.

Well it finally came time to leave the land of the midnight sun (as seen in the picture of David) and start for home.  We left Fairbanks on July 1st and started down the ALCAN highway.   We heard all kinds of stories about the road and hopefully were prepared.   Frost heaves, gravel, busted windshields, blown tires, construction, wildlife encounters were just some of the things we were told.   Some of them came true as you will read about below. 

Delta Junction, AK

We started backwards with our image of the ALCAN Highway sign in Delta Junction showing the END of the highway.   We will get to our pictures at the other end in Dawson Creek, BC a little later in the blog.

S. S. Klondike

S. S. Klondike in Whitehorse, Yukon Territory

Spent a little time in Whitehorse, Yukon because we had to get out furnace fixed.  Only blew cold air.  $400 later we were ready to continue south. (Yes, we still needed heat at that point)

In Watson Lake, BC we encountered the Sign Post Forest.  What a place.   Over 72,000 sign post put up since the beginning of the construction of the ALCAN Highway in 1942.  That's when one lonely construction worker decided to put up a sign to his home town.  

Sign Post Forest in Watson Lake, BC

Our sign in down by my right hand

We, of course, added our sign.

After our stop at the Sign Post Forest we had the WILDLIFE ENCOUNTER of a lifetime.   Saw 1 grizzly; 8 black bears; 6 buffalo; 4 caribou; 2 moose; 1 deer; 1 stone sheep and a marmot all in ONE DAY!

Grizzly right on the side of the road

Black Bear IN the road

Buffalo on side of the road (they are really huge)

Caribou running down the road

Stone sheep licking the road (who knew???)

Ended our ALCAN Highway trip in Dawson Creek, BC.   That's where the road actually starts.   Construction of the highway began in 1942.   Of course the part we were on was a whole lot better than the original highway.  Wonder what the road was like 41 years ago when my mom, dad and sister took the same trip.   We actually found a section of the old highway with a wooden bridge near Dawson Creek.   Mom and Dad must have had a hard time on a mostly GRAVEL road for thousands and thousands of miles.   We had it easy compared to that.

Mile "0" in Dawson Creek, BC

Old section of ALCAN Highway (have picture with me of WHOLE family - mom, dad, Debby & my kids & grandkids)

After Dawson Creek we continued on south towards Jasper and Banff National Parks.  We followed the Ice Field Highway.   The scenary was beautiful, mountains, glaciers, mountain lakes and very LITTLE wildlife.

Athabasca Falls Jasper National Park

Bow Lake

Columbia Ice Field

Stayed in Banff National Park campground and it was nice, but the town of Banff was WAY too crowded for us.  Guess we got used to the wide open spaces of Alaska.   Too many tourists milling around (other than us).   Left the Jasper-Banff area, drove through Calgary, Alberta and headed to Drumheller site of the famous Royal Tyrrell Museum.   The most famous fossil museum that I've ever heard of.  Located in the Alberta Badlands it is quite impressive.   Lots and lots of dinosaur fossils for the science nerd in me along with fossils of many, many marine organisms, plants, other reptiles, & mammals. 

"Black Beauty" famous T-Rex skeleton

Whooly Mammoth

SCIENCE NERDS UNITE!!!!

Drumheller was our final stop north of the "Lower 48 States".   We are now in Montana and headed to Yellowstone National Park, Grand Teton's and points elsewhere.   Don't know exactly which route we will take to get home.  Still have about a month on the road before we get there.   Boy what an adventure so far.  Have put over 14,000 miles on the truck and we are STILL in Montana.  More later.  Hope you enjoy this latest blog.  Love to all,  Felicia and David (aka Mom & Dad, Nana and Papa)