Alcan Highway - Day 1

L to R: Dan, Pam; Ann, Gary; Kathy, Roger; Dorothy and Tommy

Here we are in Dawson Creek - Mile "0" - on the Alcan Highway. We went to a movie about the building of the highway - what an amazing accomplishment! It was authorized by President Roosevelt as a military endeavor, after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, because of the proximity of the Aleutian Islands and the coast of Alaska to Japan. The road was to run from Dawson Creek to Fairbanks over mountains and rivers and through the wilderness. The Army Corp of Engineers, troops and civilians started the construction in March of 1942 and finished in October 1942. They endured the weather, the bugs, the permafrost and mud, poor living conditions and Spam to eat but, they got it done! It wasn't until 1948 that it was opened to the public. Thank goodness it is in much better condition now!

Kiskatinaw Bridge - Mile 23

The Kiskatinaw Bridge is the last of the original bridges along the highway. It is the longest wooden curved bridge in North America. We explored it with our cars and not the motorhomes!

I saw our first moose this morning - a female standing by the side of the road just watching the world go by!

We planned to spend tonight boondocking at Prophet Airstrip near Fort Nelson but it was being used as a "fire camp" or command station for firefighters and there was no room for us! We had hoped to "circle the wagons" and see some more wildlife but we ended up using "plan B" and staying in a campground in Ft. Nelson. They just came around picking up garbage because a bear has been browsing for food in the park! Yogi or BooBoo??