Slow Going

Today was a pokey trip up over the passes from Fort Nelson to Muncho Lake. The going was made a little slow by the road being quite bumpy in places but we were also taking our time a bit because we did not have far to go and because we were hoping the sky would clear up a bit. Fort Nelson was a total rain-fest. The campground was one, big puddle. Jordy always came in totally soaked.

From there we climbed up into and over some of the clouds. The tundra was various shades of green but it was still overcast which meant stops for picture taking were skipped. We did not stop until we reached the Tetsa River Outfitters lodge and a promise of cinnamon buns. Yum!

We did start to see a little bit of clearing as we climbed higher and stopped off along one of the many rivers for some quick pictures. Our next big stop was at the Toad River Lodge for a look at their hat collection and lunch. The service was a little slow bu t they had internet and we were able to get a quick look at Facebook and our email before going back into the wilderness.

When we got closer to Muncho Lake, the sky actually started to clear a bit and we saw some sunshine. The decision was then made to park at Strawberry Flats Campground on Muncho Lake for the night. No hookups but a nice view of the lake and the surrounding mountains.

Into the “Wilderness”

Relatively speaking, that is, as phone service and wi-fi are spotty and DirecTV reception has disappeared. Today, we have it to a degree in Fort Nelson, BC, at the campground where we are staying. Last night, we were at a more primitive campground at the Sikanni Chief River, about 157 miles out of Dawson Creek. We have 20 amp electrical power only and that was from a generator. Cell service was non-existent, and Ken could not get satellite access from his big Motosat system. It was a little rainy but the sun came out for a while and Geoff got the chairs out so we could sit by the river. We also walked down the river a little ways to see the bridge pilings which were still there from the original Alaska Highway bridge over the river. It was wooden and destroyed by fire.

In the morning, Ellyn and Jordy went out for a walk and Ellyn took a picture of this foot print, proof of bears in the area. On the way into Sikanni Chief, we spotted our first moose. Shortly after that sighting, there were two more crossing the road in front of us and we were able to get a picture this time.

Today we got to Ft Nelson and decided to camp for the night because it was rainy and the forecast for tomorrow is slightly better. There are supposed to be some nice views between here and our next stop at Muncho Lake and today was not very photogenic. We did stop into the towns Heritage museum, which was started by a local gentleman and then taken over by the town. There is a lot of memorabilia from the days of the building of the highway, as well as stuff from the local oil industry. It was worth the $5.00 admission fee, especially when we got to get in out of the cold and rain in a wood fire heated log cabin.

Evening entertainment was watching a video on Alaska which chronicled many of the sights we hope to be seeing as we continue up the highway. Keep watching here and on Flickr for our photos.