On the Alaska Highway, At Last At last, we are on the Alaska Highway, headed north to Alaska. We departed Saturday morning about 7 AM, and stopped for fuel about 20 miles into the day to top off our tanks. This particular section of the highway is similar to good two-lane highways at home, except with wider shoulders. There were some rough spots, but again, not to dissimilar from home. We drove by the visitor center at Fort St. John, but it was not open, so we continued driving, stopping up the road for HUGE cinnamon rolls—and they were good! It was an uneventful travel day, for the most part, but we did see two solo black bears and a sow with two cubs. We were so close to the sow and two cubs that Kay was ready to roll her window up to avoid personal contact! This part of British Columbia is marked by oil, gas, and timber resources, and there are oil and gas businesses everywhere. Just before arriving in Fort Nelson, we crossed the Muskwa River, lowest point on the Alaska Highway at an elevation of 1000 feet. Arriving in a warm, sunny Fort Nelson, we again filled-up with gasoline, drove to the West End Campground, and then toured the Fort Nelson Heritage Museum. As an aside, we’re now on Pacific Daylight Savings Time.

Our Recommendations for Fort Nelson, BC The Fort Nelson Heritage Museum was definitely worth seeing; otherwise, Fort Nelson doesn’t offer much for the tourist.

Kay’s Take For the most part I included my take in the other journal entry for this leg. One aside, the mosquitoes here are definitely competitors with the ‘East AR mosquito population’. Danger to be outside without Off Defense! We did find another rig from AR as we were walking the campground. Of course, I stopped and talked to them. They were from the Russellville area.

Campground West End Camp Ground, Fort Nelson, BC. Electric, water, sewer, cable, and wi-fi. Tight, austere parking, but adequate. There were better sites, but our caravan was parked in back-to-back spaces, forcing most of us to unhook our tow vehicles. Wi-fi wasn’t good. We would stay here again, IF facilities were not available at Muncho Lake, a bit farther north.

Driving Statistics
Beginning Mileage: 12,014.4
Beginning Time: 7:00 AM PDST
Ending Mileage: 12,295.7
Ending Time: 1:30 PM PDST
TOTAL MILEAGE FOR THE DAY: 281.3
CUMULATIVE MILEAGE: 2,902.