Entering Canada, Driving the Alaska Highway

Crossing the border into Canada went very smoothly.  They asked a series of questions, we declared our two rifles and made sure we had them stowed according to their laws.  Since we had filled out our paperwork for the rifles ahead of time, the process was simple and painless, and the officers who dealt with us were very pleasant.

Our first day of travel in Canada was uneventful.  We were still in fairly civilized territory, so the paved roads were in pretty good shape.

Once we got on the Alaska Highway – also known as the Al-Can – things changed gradually.  Going through towns, the road was obviously in better condition, but the further out we got, the worse the road was.  The cold climate creates frost heaves and other damage, and there were several long sections of road under construction for repairs.

We had purchased a book called The Milepost which details all the roads we would be traveling.  Once in Canada, the book was in my lap most of the time.  It proved immensely helpful, even telling exactly (to the tenth of a mile) where to look for various types of road damage, wildlife, points of interest, and anything else you could want to know about your location.  I would highly recommend it for anyone taking a trip in Canada or Alaska, and so would anyone else who has used it.  The Milepost is considered the bible of north country travel, and we benefitted from it more than we could have imagined.

Our first moose sighting was of this mother and her twins – very exciting, as neither of us has seen a moose before!

Throughout British Colombia the wildlife was plentiful, including mosquitoes! Suicidal bugs were also in good supply, graciously providing the splatter across the windshield you will note in some of the pictures. 

After a dozen or so black bears we lost count.

The Stone Sheep – very closely related to Dall Sheep – were a nice surprise, too.  They come down from the cliffs to lick minerals off of the road surface.

Hopefully drivers have to slow down enough for the tight curves that they see the sheep in time to avoid hitting them.  Of course, we had advance warning from reading The Milepost regarding exactly where to look for them, and it was right on the money.

British Colombia is truly beautiful, with no shortage of winding roads, mountains and lakes.

Once inside the Yukon, we didn’t see as much wildlife, but the scenery was breathtaking.  The Saint Elias Mountains appeared before too long, and were absolutely stunning.

The weather during the last portion of the drive to Fairbanks was rainy and foggy, so there was not much scenery visible other than the road lined on both sides with dense pine forest.  It was on this section of road that we had our second moose sighting.  As he calmly strolled out of the forest onto the road about a quarter of a mile away, the length of his body took up an entire lane!  I had put my camera away due to the lack of scenery, but I don’t think I’ll ever forget how massive he was!  A while later – while I was napping – Ken actually saw a wolverine cross the road ahead of him!

We arrived in Fairbanks, ate a quick dinner at Denny’s – The Northernmost Denny’s in the World, and got a hotel.  Ken needed to get caught up on work as much as possible, since we’d been a few days without cell service while in Canada.  My cell phone actually stopped getting signal somewhere in Idaho, even though it’s the same phone as Ken’s – but a newer version – and we use the same provider.  Go figure – newer doesn’t always mean better, but I digress.  We stayed at the hotel for a couple of nights doing laundry, getting supplies, etc.  We made sure everything was in order for the next part of our adventure – driving up the famed, unforgiving and very remote Dalton Highway to Deadhorse/Prudhoe Bay, Alaska.

I took a boatload of pictures - way too many to put in this post.  Many of them came out great, so take a look at them!