Alberta
3rd August
Crossed the border into Canada at Sweet Grass, a really easy crossing, interestingly they didn't want any info on the bike that was on the back, just the truck? Continuing on, we stayed the night at Lethbridge Casino carpark, along with a lot of other RV’s. Like the US, it is OK to stay in the carpark of some of the casino's here.
4
Drove to Fort Macleod, and took a photo of the Head Smashed In Buffalo Jump sign, (where do they get these place names???), then up to the outskirts of Calgary, and across towards Banff. It was the friday afternoon of a long weekend, and the traffic was a nightmare, so we found a quiet side road and parked near a dozer behind some trees, to brave the traffic the next morning.
Gotta love these names up here.........
5
Traffic was much better today, drove to Banff, only a small town, had a walk around it, then drove up a hill with a great view of the town and surrounds. Really pretty area. From there we headed up to a campground called Mosquito Creek, just passed Lake Louise, where we met up with Don and Julia Lamb again, the first time since Zippolite in Mexico. Really good to catch up again, spent hours talking about where we had been and probably drank too much again.
Traffic was much better today, drove to Banff, only a small town, had a walk around it, then drove up a hill with a great view of the town and surrounds. Really pretty area. From there we headed up to a campground called Mosquito Creek, just passed Lake Louise, where we met up with Don and Julia Lamb again, the first time since Zippolite in Mexico. Really good to catch up again, spent hours talking about where we had been and probably drank too much again.
Sitting in the big red chairs overlooking Banff
Mountain panorama showing the scenery in this area
6
A nice scenic drive up to Jasper the next day, to catch up with a couple who had stayed with us in Australia when they were riding around, but unfortunately we didn’t meet up as planned as Doug was held up on a tour, so we spent the night wild camping near a lake.
A nice scenic drive up to Jasper the next day, to catch up with a couple who had stayed with us in Australia when they were riding around, but unfortunately we didn’t meet up as planned as Doug was held up on a tour, so we spent the night wild camping near a lake.
The glacier between Banff and Jasper
A quiet drink at the end of the day, overlooking a lake. The scenery on the way here was spectacular, reminiscent of Norway.
British Columbia.
7-9
From there we drove to Prince George, a decent sized town, where we caught up with some laundry, and had a look at the truck, which was having trouble starting on the cold mornings. The glow plugs weren’t working, so I rigged up a by-pass wire to hook onto the battery to solve the problem. We ended up staying in the Casino carpark that night. From there we continued west, where we wildcamped near Burns Lake, and the following day at Meziadin Junction.
7-9
From there we drove to Prince George, a decent sized town, where we caught up with some laundry, and had a look at the truck, which was having trouble starting on the cold mornings. The glow plugs weren’t working, so I rigged up a by-pass wire to hook onto the battery to solve the problem. We ended up staying in the Casino carpark that night. From there we continued west, where we wildcamped near Burns Lake, and the following day at Meziadin Junction.
The worlds largest fly fishing rod, in Houston, BC.
Totem poles at Kitwanga, in BC. Just a small village, with nothing else there really.
Not a bad haul of salmon! These guys would only have their net in the water for about 1 minute, then bring it out like this. On the day we were there, they were after one particular type, either sockeye or chinook, and the others would be thrown back in.
10-11
Just after we left the camp, Lyn spotted something swimming in a lake near the road. Did a quick u turn, and went back for some photos, and it turned out to be a grizzly bear. It didn’t hang around, disappearing into the bush next to the lake, before we could get some good shots. Stayed at Morchuea Lake, in a free campground run by the local council, really nice, with good facilities.
Just after we left the camp, Lyn spotted something swimming in a lake near the road. Did a quick u turn, and went back for some photos, and it turned out to be a grizzly bear. It didn’t hang around, disappearing into the bush next to the lake, before we could get some good shots. Stayed at Morchuea Lake, in a free campground run by the local council, really nice, with good facilities.
The bear swimming in the lake, photo taken in a hurry, he was out of there and gone in seconds!
We decided to do a quick in and out detour to Hyder, in Alaska, just over the border, on the west coast of BC. There is only one road in and out, so you have to come out the same way as you go in. There was supposed to be good bear spotting, and also a salmon spawning ground, (which attracts the bears). It meant crossing the border into the US, but it is a very small crossing, and pretty casual, it is not like you can go anywhere once you get in. As it turned out, we saw plenty of salmon, but no bears..........
The border crossing at Hyder, pretty low key
Salmon in the river at Hyder. These have spawned, and just wait around to die. Downstream from these ones, there were dead ones everywhere, laying in the waters edge. It was starting to get a bit smelly.......
We continued north, heading for Watson Lake in the Yukon, where we planned to meet Andy and Tammy. They had arranged to stay with a guy from the ADV Rider website, so we wanted to find out if he had room for us to park the truck near his house or not. Unfortunately he didn’t, and when Andy and Tammy arrived, they found out the sleeping arrangements didn’t suit them either, so they found a hotel room for a couple of nights. We ended up parking in their hotel carpark for the night, there are some advantages to living in a delivery truck.....
12
Spent the day looking at the signpost forest, then a leisurely afternoon with a couple of drinks down at the park talking travel with Andy and Tammy. Dinner there, then we stayed, while the other two walked back to their room for the night. It had clouded over, so we did not get to see the promised northern lights.
12
Spent the day looking at the signpost forest, then a leisurely afternoon with a couple of drinks down at the park talking travel with Andy and Tammy. Dinner there, then we stayed, while the other two walked back to their room for the night. It had clouded over, so we did not get to see the promised northern lights.
Andy and Tammy outside their hotel, Watson Lake
Signs from all over the world, put up by travellers and tourists, at Watson Lake
13 - 14 August
Andy and Tammy headed south after breakfast, we used their room for a long shower after they left, and then headed for Whitehorse, the weather looked threatening, but it was not raining. It cleared up as we got going, and more blue sky came through. The road was good, nice and wide, a few frost bumps, but not many. The blue sky disappeared as we approached Whitehorse, and the temperature plummeted, as well as the wind picking up. We checked out a campground at the edge of town, but it was too dear, so we ended up in the Walmart carpark, with a heap of other RV’s, not much room for customers cars! Time to do some laundry, top up LPG, water tank, and do a small welding job on Lyn’s pannier rack on her bike. Andy had found a place where he could do a repair job on his bike while he was here, and teed it up for me to borrow the welder at the same place, thanks mate. We took a walk to the fish ladder, very interesting, and managed to get wet in the rain on the walk back to the truck. A lot of places up here are only accessible by air or river, there are no roads to them, so there are a lot of floatplanes around, and our walk took us past a lake that is used as an "airport" for them.
Andy and Tammy headed south after breakfast, we used their room for a long shower after they left, and then headed for Whitehorse, the weather looked threatening, but it was not raining. It cleared up as we got going, and more blue sky came through. The road was good, nice and wide, a few frost bumps, but not many. The blue sky disappeared as we approached Whitehorse, and the temperature plummeted, as well as the wind picking up. We checked out a campground at the edge of town, but it was too dear, so we ended up in the Walmart carpark, with a heap of other RV’s, not much room for customers cars! Time to do some laundry, top up LPG, water tank, and do a small welding job on Lyn’s pannier rack on her bike. Andy had found a place where he could do a repair job on his bike while he was here, and teed it up for me to borrow the welder at the same place, thanks mate. We took a walk to the fish ladder, very interesting, and managed to get wet in the rain on the walk back to the truck. A lot of places up here are only accessible by air or river, there are no roads to them, so there are a lot of floatplanes around, and our walk took us past a lake that is used as an "airport" for them.
Our home in the Walmart carpark, with all the other Walmartians...........
The road to Whitehorse
The Klondike, an old paddle steamer that used to ply the Yukon River to Whitehorse
Salmon inside the fish ladder they use to get them up past the weir at Whitehorse
15
A late start to the trip up towards Dawson City, as we still had a few things to do while there were some facilities, so headed north around lunch time, and made it as far as Stewart Crossing before we found a old gravel pit beside the road next to the Yukon River, and decided to call it home for the night. The only wildlife we had seen on the trip were a couple of squirrels crossing the road, no bears, moose, or elk, a bit disappointing, but that is the way it goes.
16
Drove to Dawson City, and saw the green Iveco 4x4 truck we had seen in Watson Lake, and met JP and Iona, the Brazilian and Romanian couple travelling in it. We ended up having a meal and drink with them, and went to a show after, a sort of old time wild west can can saloon show, very touristy, but quite good all the same. Dawson has been refurbished in the same theme as it was when it was founded, very wild west looking, and it suits the area. The colours are a bit bright, but it is easy to imagine how it would have looked 100 years ago.
A late start to the trip up towards Dawson City, as we still had a few things to do while there were some facilities, so headed north around lunch time, and made it as far as Stewart Crossing before we found a old gravel pit beside the road next to the Yukon River, and decided to call it home for the night. The only wildlife we had seen on the trip were a couple of squirrels crossing the road, no bears, moose, or elk, a bit disappointing, but that is the way it goes.
16
Drove to Dawson City, and saw the green Iveco 4x4 truck we had seen in Watson Lake, and met JP and Iona, the Brazilian and Romanian couple travelling in it. We ended up having a meal and drink with them, and went to a show after, a sort of old time wild west can can saloon show, very touristy, but quite good all the same. Dawson has been refurbished in the same theme as it was when it was founded, very wild west looking, and it suits the area. The colours are a bit bright, but it is easy to imagine how it would have looked 100 years ago.
The view from the top of the lookout over Dawson, with the Yukon river flowing past it
If you continue through Dawson to Alaska, you have to cross the Yukon River, and drive the Top of the World Highway. This free ferry is the only way you can cross the Yukon.
