As many RVers are beginning to plan their summer travels, I'd like to suggest a trip through Canada to Alaska. It's a terrific adventure with beautiful scenery and nature. We made this journey several years ago, and here are some of the things we learned along the way.
We crossed the border with Canada into British Columbia at Sumas, Washington, and traveled north toward the mighty Fraser River. Our destination was "The Last Frontier" — Alaska. It is 2,033 miles from Sumas to Tok, Alaska, through some of the most magnificent wild and beautiful country of Canada.
At the start of our journey, we found the highway between Hope and Cashe Creek no different than in the lower 48 states. The most noticeable change occurred north of 150 Mile House on Route 97 approaching Williams Lake. The road follows the raging Fraser River where it narrows and curves like a snake into Prince George.
This is a land of wonder and beauty, and the people who live here are kind and friendly — helpful in many ways. We began to understand why some people have fallen in love with the remoteness and made their home here.
It is a beautifully green forested country with aqua blue lakes and crystal clear streams where rainbow and steelhead trout run free. It is a land where native salmon swim among the rocky rapids and beautiful creatures roam nearby, all a part of nature and God's creation.
We spent our first night in British Columbia at the Big Country Campgrounds just north of 100 Mile House. In the morning, we drove our Jeep to visit Lac la Hache, a huge watery impoundment along BC Route 97.
In conversations, several travelers suggested we drive to Greeny Lake and observe a unique annual event. We were not disappointed.
We witnessed an astonishing act of nature by watching huge rainbow trout (six to seven pounds) spawning in the rocky shallow. It was so interesting watching this one beautiful fish guide his ladies over the nest where he would fertilized her eggs. The spawning beds and rainbows were so close one could almost reach out and grab one. During spawning season, trout and steelhead fishing on the lake is strictly prohibited, and fishing is limited to a few other species.
Our travel route into the Northern Rockies took us into river canyons and vast green forest, past deep blue aqua lakes and over snow-capped mountains. The scenery was so remarkable; it was such a pleasure to the eye and senses. Around every turn and over every hill was a new sight to behold, jaw-breaking scenery — we were viewing the many faces of British Columbia.
Surprises? Yes, we discovered between the mountains miles of arid land — a high-country desert and vast valleys with great herds of beef cattle, fields of grain and fruit trees and hard-working people.
Beyond Bear Lake and the Valley of Chetwynd lies Dawson Creek. Dawson Creek is the staging ground for all who travel the Alaska Highway (the Alcan). In Dawson Creek, like the miners and prospectors before us, it is a place to "get ready" as one prepares for the journey ahead. We learned from experienced travelers the road north is not a drive in the park. They told us of cities and towns being miles apart.
We were ready to embark upon our journey. (Photo: Diane Owens)
We spent a few days replenishing our store supplies, double-checking our equipment, and listening to stories around the campfire. We heard tales of close encounters with grizzly bears, caribou, bobcats and wild truck drivers. Stories of roads suddenly washed out by raging rivers and landslides all the more heightened our expectations of travel in the wilds of the northwest.
Then, one morning after a good night of sleep and just after sunrise, we joined a small caravan, the "retirees' migration." We circle the highway marker once — this is zero-mile point on the Alaska Highway — and like a school of salmon headed north into the wilderness.
The zero-mile market signifies the start of the journey on the Alaska Highway. (Photo: Diane Owens)
There are no highways in the United States I can compare to the Alaska Highway. Subsequently, any road travelers should plan carefully for their journey. It is a great distance from Dawson Creek to Tok, Alaska.
Before entering Canada, we purchased a copy of "The Milestone," an excellent directory that provides mile-by-mile description of all major highways and roads in Alaska and Northwestern Canada. On the Alaska Highway, you will discover the "Serengeti of the North," a vast wilderness area with extraordinary vistas and an amazing variety of wildlife from song birds to huge wild beasts.
We were told once we left Dawson Creek it would be miles and miles before we would see any service amenities — or civilization, for that matter. Our next refueling destination was 872 miles away in Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, a midpoint oasis of shops, repair facilities and restaurant dining.
Once we journeyed past Fort St. John, we began to see the foothill and snow-capped tops of the Northern Rockies and the wilderness below it. That's when you realize you are no longer in Kansas.
As the caravan separated, we were alone and on our own. We drove at times for more than 100 miles without seeing a house, a store, a gas station or a pot to pee in.
Wild animals? Yes, plenty of sheep, black bear, moose, bison, caribou and elk all standing on or near the roadway daring you to pass them. Animal-to-vehicle accidents are very common in this area.
Wildlife is abundant along the Alaska Highway. (Photo: Diane Owens)
And then there were the stones! As we journeyed farther north, the highway was made of stones, big stones, little stones — and flying stones.
Beast was hit twice with stones to the windshield. I can't imagine how many stones Beast threw back at others. It's just the way it is on the Alaska Highway. We found plenty of places to stop and rest for the night — half were quite primitive and wild, and the other half were unpretentiously civilized.
We found comfort resting the night just off the highway in roadside rest areas. The price is right (free is good), but don't expect electricity and water. Fortunately, Beast is a self-contained home on wheels, and we find contentment and relaxation anywhere.
With darkness came quietness and some eerie sounds from the forest around us. The sky has a billion stars, and you realize we are just part of it all, and a small part at that. Sleep came easy.
This was more than a trip, more than a journey — it was an adventurous experience. People told us, "It's not the condition of the road; it's the surprises along the road." Diane and I found that to be true. Every day was unexpected, exciting and spirited.
