Week 620 - Best Day Ever! - 07-01-2018

Best Day Ever!

When you travel the Alaskan Highway your best day will be between Fort Nelson, British Columbia and Watson Lake, Yukon. Years after this fantastic day we learned that most travelers have the same experience we did. This was May 2009.

Most of the photos we choose as our favorites are beautifully fabulous through no fault of our own. We pick out photos chronologically and sometimes we need to add sub-standard photos to complete the story line. That is the case for this collection as we just could not leave out any of the animals.

Moose are shy. We captured these photos while moving, and from quite a distance. There are only seconds between the first and second shots. As soon as the moose heard us coming, he/she ran.

These caribou appeared just 30 minutes later. Do you know the difference between a caribou and a reindeer? A fence!

We studied motorhome trips to Alaska for two years. Most advise you to enter British Columbia around May 15th. At that time all the RV parks are open. We came across the border on April 30th. Weather varied from hour to hour. This looks a little cold but inside the MotherShip we were toasty.

Leaving ahead of the crowds gives you the chance to experience the roads with little to no traffic.

On this particular day we only remember a single vehicle going our way and just a handful coming toward us.

The Alaskan Highway was built in 1942. It was dotted with "road houses" every 75 to 150 miles. Most of today's structures are old and show it. The Northern Rockies Lodge was built in 1996 and looked new in 2009.

Liard Hot Springs is a real treat. Just a few hundred feet off the highway. The surface temperature of the water varies from 108 to 126 degrees Fahrenheit depending on the pool you are in.

And the MotherShip was happy to sit in the sun just 2 hours after we had snow on our windshield.

Next up? Bison. As you see they are near and on the road. The animals come to the road for food. This is why we recommend you get into Canada as early as you can.

Having the road to ourselves we spotted the bison far ahead. We coasted and rolled to a stop as quietly as possible. With no traffic in either direction we took pictures until we got bored. Then slowly moved on.

This bear was just a few feet off the road. Again, we had it to ourselves. If you travel with someone else we recommend a spacing of perhaps 30 minutes. That way both groups might have chance to stop and get photos.

The Liard River frozen over. Start your trip a few weeks later and you miss this fabulous artwork of God.

Another bison.

This bison group was 90 minutes after the first. Just enough time for us to once again enjoy.

A group of wild horses was just 20 minutes beyond the bison.

Reaching Watson Lake 10 hours after we left Fort Nelson. We drove 323 miles in 10 hours. That is further than we normally travel but seeing all the animals and stopping half way at Liard Hots Springs made it the Best Day Ever!

The Sign Forest is wonderful. It is estimated today to have over 77,000 signs. We did not know about the forest and we were not prepared. So on our next trip we will add sign No. 77,001!

Nisultan Bay Bridge near Teslin, Yukon.

Albino moose are rare. But, everyone between Teslin and Whitehorse sees this one. This statue is very realistic as moose will hide their face behind a few scrawny branches and feel secure. Like a child, they think "you can't see me".

But, we can see you and would love a visit. We estimate being home in Atascadero until the end of August or perhaps even September.

With love, Pete, Ellen and Mandy

Photos from May 2009