British Columbia

Dawson Creek was our first stop in the province of British Columbia.  We traveled 260 miles to get to the Mile 0 RV Park. Mile 0 refers to the starting point of the Alaska Highway. The gateway arch shown above made a perfect first photo for this British Columbia Blog.

Buck and Janet at Mile 0.

The Dawson Creek Visitor’s Center manager spoke with our group about the history of the Alaska Highway.  The manager’s father was one of the army engineers ordered to construct the road.  President Herbert Hoover considered building a road from the lower 48 states to Alaska as early as 1930.   But the threat from Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941 created an urgency for the connecting road.  Construction began March 9, 1942 and was completed 8 months and 12 days later.

Built by 11,000 American troops, including 7 regiments of engineers, 16,000 civilian workmen from Canada and the United States, and 7,000 pieces of equipment, the construction was an unbelievable task of penetrating the 1500 miles of mountains, lakes, rivers, and gorges.

The highway served its purpose for the use of the military to defend off Japan’s military attacks from the northwest sections of Alaska. The highway was open to the public in 1948 and since then has been improved upon many times.

Curved bridge made of wood built in 1942
on the Alaska Highway.

At Dawson Creek we stayed four nights which gave us time to unwind, do laundry, and enjoy our caravan members while sightseeing and eating out.  Also, time to wash our tow!

From Dawson Creek we journeyed to Ft. Nelson, BC, a distance of 282 miles. In route we passed a sign, “Suicide Hill.”  It commemorates one of the most treacherous hills on the original highway, noted for its ominous greeting:  “Prepare to meet thy maker.”  

The next day we left Ft. Nelson, BC for Liard River, BC, only 189 miles away. The Liard Hot Springs location was a great attraction as our caravan members soaked their sore bodies in the hot springs.   The second night a buffalo graced our campground with his presence.  He grazed the green grass without blinking an eye as we all shot pictures of him.  As we left the campground the next morning, the buffalo had attracted an audience with several members of his herd, I suppose.

Big Boy!

Bears and caribou were also spotted on the Alaska Highway as we headed to the Yukon Territory.  We even stopped so that a bear cub could cross the highway to get to his mom.  Amazing!