Alaska 2011 – Fox Island, WA to Teslin Lake, YK
We started our trip north to the “Last Frontier” on May 10, 2011 and headed up I-5 to Birch Bay. Neither of us had ever been to this area, so we decided to spend our first night on the bay. Early the next morning we headed over the Canadian border, at Sumas, and had a very smooth crossing. We passed through Hope, BC and spent the night in Clinton, BC. We then traveled to Prince George, BC where we spent the night, in the parking lot, at the Treasure Cove casino. Departing Prince George, we passed through Chetwynd, BC which is known as the “chain saw carving” capital of the world. We arrived in Dawson Creek, BC, which is “Mile 0” of the Alaska Highway. This is where we met up with 23 other RoadTrekers who were seeking the same goal. The weather was beautiful and the town very accommodating. There was a terrible fire east of us at Slave Lake, Alberta and the smoke was very bad the 2nd day here. The forest fire destroyed over 40% of the town, including the high school, library, several downtown buildings, and many private homes.
Departing Dawson Creek, we headed north to Fort Nelson. This was an eventful night. Eleven of us decided to park alongside a frontage road for the night. About 11:30 PM, the town’s hired hand knocked on all of our doors and told us that we either had to move or pay a $50 fine to the city. Many of us moved across the street and parked in the IGA parking lot, only to be kicked out of the lot at 5:00 AM to make room for the delivery trucks.
We left Fort Nelson and headed to Toad River, where we camped at a pull-out spot along the river. You really start to get a feel of what lies ahead with the beautiful rugged snow-covered mountains, ever changing vegetation, wild rivers, frozen lakes, and wildlife. We had to make a short stop at Testa River RV Park to enjoy their world famous cinnamon rolls and freshly baked sourdough bread. We waited for an hour, sipping tea and coffee, for our hot rolls to arrive on the table and it was worth every minute. Our baker was a third generation member of a family that has owned and operated this facility for over 80 years. The family was originally trappers and gold seekers in this area. A night around the campfire at Muncho Lake, still frozen, was spectacular and very entertaining. Then on to Liard Hot Springs which is at the end of a ¼ mile boardwalk and well worth the plunge. This is a totally natural hot springs (102 to 108 degrees) surrounded by forest vegetation. After our soak, we head up the highway to Watson Lake where we stayed for a couple of days to catch up on laundry, TREK cleanup, and just relaxation. Here we visited the world famous “Sign Post” park, which was started in 1942 by an American soldier working on the Alaska Highway posting the first sign remembering his hometown. There are currently over 72,000 signs from all over the world in the park. Tomorrow we will leave for Teslin Lake, Yukon and then on to Whitehorse, Yukon where we will stay for four days and enjoy the history of this community.
CLICK HERE to see our picture slide show of our trip from Fox Island, WA to Teslin Lake, Yukon. Then hit the slideshow button in the upper left corner to watch the slideshow.
