Days 12 and 13 - On to Dawson Creek, British Columbia

Day 12
Saturday, July 01, 2017

Happy Canada day! Today, towns large and small celebrated Canada becoming a self-governing dominion of Great Britain 150 years ago. Several rvs in our campground were decorated for the holiday and we passed by festivals and even a parade as we drove to Grande Prairie, Alberta.

We passed stretches of lodge pole pine on both sides of the highway as we drove up and then down over the rolling hills. We also went by a large herd of bison grazing on the prairie grasslands. These were not wild bison, but bison being farmed for meat.

Day 13
Sunday, July 2, 2017
We arrived in Dawson Creek about noon. The famous Alaska Highway starts in Dawson Creek. After setting up our rv at

Mile “0” Campground (which is actually located at mile 1.5 on the Alaska Highway), we headed to the Mile 0 marker to take the iconic picture at the start of the Highway.

We visited the Alaska Highway House, which contains exhibits and memorabilia related to the building of the highway. This year is the 75th anniversary of the completion of the highway. The road was built by the US government to provide a better defense of the west coast during World War II. The 1,500 mile road was completed within 9 months. We watched a documentary which contained footage of the actual construction and interviews of some of the men involved. It really gave you a sense of the challenges and hardships the they faced.

All of 4 of us, dogs included, have been getting a bit discombobulated regarding the time of day. We adjusted our watches back another hour today, making it three hours behind Pennsylvania. Then there is the matter of daylight hours. Sunset last evening was at 10:30 pm and sunrise this morning was at 5 am. At “bedtime” we have been wide awake because it is light outside. I am sure it will catch up with us.