The Adventure has Begun!!

We left Dawson Creek right at lunch time yesterday. We got a late start as our check oil light came on before we got to there, not wanting any problems on the Alaska Highway we had uhual send someone to check. With much confusion we finally got someone to come out and add some oil to the truck so we got a late start.

Dawson’s Creek starts milepost zero of the Alaska Highway. The Highway was constructed during WWII to provide a supply line into Alaska for troops. It was nicknamed the “Alcan” Highway (Alaska-Canada Military highway) by the military at its completion in 1942. While many of the main towns were already established by natives, traders and miners for the Gold Rush there were no direct roads to get through the wilderness until the highways completion. The highway travels north from Dawson’s Creek British Columbia to Whitehorse, Yukon Territory then west into Alaska by way of Tok Alaska. It is now approximately 35miles shorter than the original highway however it still totals around 1800 miles from Dawson’s Creek to Anchorage. Even with the many advances and improvements to the road, conditions range from poor to excellent. So far the road has been MUCH better than I expected, as there were some states that had worse roads. However, as I type the roads are getting a little bumpy and we’ve had several tell us that the worse section is between Whitehorse and Tok, Ak, which we should hit tomorrow. Towns are an average of 100-150 miles apart so we fill up every time we see an open pump.

Leaving Dawson’s Creek the first surprise we got was when the road suddenly disappeared. We saw one sign warning of a steep grade ahead then the road was gone as it dropped then turned to follow the mountain. It reminded me of the first hill then turn of a roller coaster!!

This rollercoaster brought us into Ft. St. John. It overlooked a wonderful river with gorge. The gorge was the reason for the sudden deep and turn.

Shortly after, we came to a lake on top of a mountain appropriately named Summit Lake. None of the facilities were open and the lake was frozen over however it made for a very scenic drive along the lake front.

We traveled a whopping 400 miles (approximately) in 7hours which put us pulling into Toad River in time for dinner.

The towns restaurant, motel and gas station are located in one building ran by the same person, she was our gas station attendant, motel clerk, waitress, cashier and cook. It was very interesting! Finishing dinner we decided we still had a couple of hours of light so we would continue driving for a little while.

The sun finally set around 10pm and we reached Liard Hotsprings (aka: mineral springs) about 10:30. Being exhausted we decided to head to bed and check out the springs in the morning.

Wanting to get a head start and not let enjoying the spring put us behind, S woke me up at 5:30 to head down to the water. While I wasn’t thrilled about being woke up, ya’ll all know I’m not a morning person, the springs were definitely worth it. The temperature ranges from 108-127degrees, with a children’s wading pool that is much cooler. The spring actually consist of a hot spring (shown above) where water is carried underground heated then brought back to the surface, carrying with it several minerals. Where this spring comes to the surface it meets with a stream of melting ice from up the mountains. This stream cools the water to temperatures that are just right for everyone. Those that enjoy much hotter water simply sit closer to the Hotspring. Those that want it cooler sit closer to the stream and every one in the middle sits anywhere downstream from the two. It was interesting watching the two mix, while the water only came to about your middle standing up it was so clear that you could see your feet and the rock in front of you. The colder water settled at the bottom of the pool, making your feet chilly, with hot water around your shoulders. If you have ever dropped ice into a glass of HOT water you know the waves that go through the water that look like heat waves, you could those waves in the water. If you've never seen those heat waves before it would make an interesting science experiment so you could kind of see what we saw sitting in the Hotsprings.

Another interesting thing about the Hotsprings was its ability to knock you out!! While I had slept fine the night before I don’t think I have ever been so tired and I didn’t get in the hottest spots! We were in the road by about 8 this morning and I think I fell asleep by 8:30. I took a morning nap, an after lunch nap and then another nap with S around 2 when he couldn’t stand it anymore and finally fell asleep. I don’t know how he lasted so long!! One of the truckers we talked to at the springs said that it is believed that the minerals cause you to become sleepy so truckers will stop just to get in the springs then get a good night’s sleep. I don’t know if it has to do with the minerals or the heat but it definitely puts you to sleep! Finally waking up enough to finish the drive we have arrived at Whitehorse the capital of the Yukon Territory.

We decided to go ahead and get a hotel tonight so we can get the sulfur smell off from the springs. We also enjoyed a wonderful dinner and I am about ready to fall asleep again, S already has. So far we have averaged about 500miles every 8hours so hopefully we will make Tok, Alaska tomorrow and then finish the last few hours to Anchorage on Friday.