Thursday 10th April, Toad River, British Columbia. 8.30pm

Well, I came to see the Rockies, mountains, trees, snow. I wasn't disappointed. Today has been an awesome day.

We set off from Stony Plains - just outside Edmonton - at about 6.40am, in rather heavy fog. That didn't bode well, and we made slow progress, but the fog lifted after about an hour, and left us with clear blue skies, and a few puffy clouds. The weather forecast offered a 40% chance of rain/snow, but we just had sun all day!

It did get colder, though, as we headed relentlessly northwest. Gradually, the grassy and stubbly uplands we had seen south of Edmonton were punctuated with more and more trees. Not many were evergreen, so right now they were pretty brown.

Soon after mid-day, we reached Dawson Creek. Mile zero of the famous Alaska Highway. Fuel and burgers got us ready for the big adventure, and we got some Canadian Dollars, too, just in case we encountered places along the road that didn't want to take plastic. [Aside: what is it with Canada and Mastercard? There are almost no Visa-friendly ATMs.] The exchange rate between the CAN$ and US$ is more-or-less 1:1 at the moment, which was a surprise.

So the highway began - with a roundabout, of all things! That's a traffic circle or rotary, for the American readers - a rarity indeed in North America, but a common sight in England. The highway began with a few pot-holes, just to get you in the mood, but thereafter, the road was really quite excellent: another fear largely laid to rest.

We brought along a copy of The Milepost, which proved a great guide. Not only does it tell you where you can buy fuel along the way (important news when the gaps can be as big as 100 miles, and we're getting on the order of 200 miles from a tankful!), it also warns of gravel, steep inclines, scenic overlooks, and the like.

You know the hill is going to be steep when there is a large parking area at the top for trucks to install compulsory snow-chains (thankfully not needed in April!) and to check brakes. There were quite a few of these. And that means a steep incline on the other side, too. The vehicle was certainly put through its paces today. At one point, late in the afternoon, it seemed as if there was smoke coming from the back, but we think it was dust thrown up from the road. Tomorrow will tell.

The first part of the highway was fairly busy - not crowded, but with plenty of traffic. After the two major towns - Fort St John and Fort Nelson - it thinned out a lot, and we got to the point where we'd go 20 minutes without seeing a car or truck.

There's a heap of photos on the Picassa site now. Sorry they're not edited, cropped, enhanced, etc. I fear that kind of thing will have to wait for when I have more time (maybe in Alaska, at the present rate of progress!). They convey something of the spectacular scenery, anyway. The Milepost kept warning of wildlife (moose, caribou, deer, horses) on the road, but we saw none. Finally, towards dusk, we saw some caribou (probably) in a field beside the road: they do exist!




Statistics

Miles covered: 732. 1119 to go.

Fuel purchased: 107 gal. at a cost of $520.

Listening: Newsboys, Phil Collins, various compilations, Top 25 UK worship songs, Nicole Norderman