Day 32 – Sunday, June 21, 2009
Start: Fort St. John, British Columbia
End: Prince George, British Columbia
Trip Miles Today: 293
Total Trip Miles: 7415
It was quite easy to get up early today as the fire alarm in the hotel went off about 5:30. Nice! It was, of course, a false alarm but it’s pretty hard to go back to sleep after listening to that screeching for 5 minutes. Nonetheless this was the start of my day and, it turns out, the only untoward part. I guess the odd numbered days must be the good ones because today was certainly good. Maybe even great!
At departure time it was already in the mid 50s and sunny so the weather part was handled, again! I almost actually felt a bit guilty about how good I’ve had it weatherwise after talking to two guys on BMWs from Nebraska in the hotel parking lot this morning. They basically said that they they had been in rain every day since they left Omaha. Whew, that’s tough. Anyway I’ll all the good weather days I can get and this was a really good one all day long!
The early morning route down to Dawson Creek was a little more of the same uninspiring prairie route that ended the day yesterday. This being the case I did take the opportunity, about 20 miles out of Dawson Creek, to jump off the main route and enjoy a short stretch of the old, original Alaska Highway. The 6 mile side trip also includes the chance to drive across the historic curved wooden Kiskatinaw River Bridge. This 531 ft long structure is the only original timber bridge, built in 1942, that is still in use today. A very interesting structure and there was the added bonus that nobody else was on the road, if even for that short distance.
Shortly after the Kiskatinaw Bridge I arrived in Dawson Creek for two items of business. One, to gas up, and two, to take the requisite photo at the Mile “0” marker and document having completed the round trip from Mile “0” to Alaska and return. Got my ticket punched for a round trip!
Then it was off for the 240 mile jaunt to Prince George. While this portion starts out with a bit more of the straight featureless stuff, two interesting things happened almost immediately. First the Mountains came into view to the Southwest. This instantly put me in a better frame of mind for the trip. Secondly I spied a momma moose and calf off the right side of the road. As momma mooses have been known to do, she ran right into the roadway and directly across the bow of the car that I was following. Based on his actions, I’m pretty sure that driver hadn’t seen her and was , shall we say, a bit surprised! Fortunately, no crash ensued. During all this commotion, baby moose elected to stay on the right side of the road and positioned perfectly so that I could cruise up , stop, get out the camera, and squeeze off a few shots. Which I did. While I was stopped it dawned on me that I was between a mother moose and her calf which is probably not a good place to be, so I buttoned up and went on my way. Never saw mom again and the baby just disappeared in my mirrors.
A short time later the road delivered me to the medium sized town of Chetwynd, the “Chainsaw Carving Capital of the World.” I wa sdisappointed to find that I had missed a huge Chainsaw Carving Contest just one week ago! It turns out that chainsaw carving isn’t just an art form, it’s a competitive sport! Who knew?
The best part fo the trip came following Chetwynd as the highway follows the Pine River Valley and makes it’s way higher and higher to eventually arrive at the Pine Pass through the mountains. There is unspoiled scenic wonder to behold around every corner and my pictures don’t do any of it justice. Near the top of the pass is Azouzetta Lake (shown in pic above), a setting that, in my mind, rivals Crater Lake for natural beauty.
Coming down the other side of the pass, the highway follows Misinchinka River Valley, then passes scenic McLeod Lake and follows the Crooked River most of the way to the lumber Industry Town of Prince George. There are great Provincial Parks and wonderful outdoor recreation opportunities throughout this area.
Looking for a bigger day tomorrow – ideally it will be solidly over 400 miles and leave me within shouting distance of the US border. The Canadian portion of my trip is quickly drawing to a close. I’m gonna try to get up early but hope to do so without the aid of a fire alarm ringing in my ears. Weather looks promising. Off we go. One last full day in Canada!
It’s great to have people looking in on this story!
There are many more pictures from the entire trip at http://jackb1.smugmug.com
The 2009 Ride to Alaska for The Austin Hatcher Foundation is supported by RevZilla.com , Philly's Premier Destination Motorcycle Gear and Apparel store and by Hermy's Cycles of Port Clinton, PA.
1 comments:
Keep on truckin'!
Really enjoying your trip, Jack. Like so many others have said, I wish I was there along with you.
Safe journeys, and looking forward to what tomorrow holds!
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