Each day we get up to read the latest road closure report. We’re starting to go through our supply’s and are anxious to move on but we’re not interested in going through anymore fires. The authorities reports are vague, they’re not telling us anything . We went for a hike in the boreal forest today, so different from our woods.
We awoke to a beautiful clear day, no smoke but the truck has ash on it from last night. We still have helicopters flying over but it seems oddly peaceful and serene. They have closed the road for another day so here we sit waiting it out.
The campground is filled with huge behemoth motor homes and giant travel trailers , our camper is tiny in comparison. We are in the minority with our setup and I’m baffled how these folks find it enjoyable driving those rigs up these rough roads. Many people have their Elon Musk Starlink satellite dishes out watching TV in this remote wilderness, odd….. We are fortunate to have workable Internet here, very rare
Fire update 6/8. 7pm
The authorities just announced the road north will NOT be passable tomorrow. Fires are not in control. They also announced the only road south, the one we arrived on , has been closed as the fire breached the road there. We are now trapped between two fires , there are no other roads out. The air is full of helicopters and some firefighters have passed through our campground . Oddly very little smoke. ?? Worst case scenario I’ll head to a large open area at visitors center nearby, away from trees, combustible stuff. People are nervous.
We’re trapped in this tiny remote town populated mainly by First Nation people (Indians) . Firefighters have been unable to contain the HUGE fire so the highway remains closed for the 3rd day. They might open up the highway for a few hours tonight as this road is the only supply route for Whitehorse Yukon , a big town up north. We stocked up on supplies heading up here so we’re ok but anxious to continue our journey to Alaska. This is bear country so caution is advised. Mosquitoes are bad.
We departed Dawson Creek and headed up the Alaskan Highway. The area fires have made it occasionally a bit smoky but it wasn’t too bad. This part of the highway goes through very remote areas, often a hundred miles between gas stations . We stopped at a store with 2 gas pumps, the place was off grid running on a noisy generator in the back yard. Gas was almost $7 a gallon. .
We drove through ever increasing smoke to our planned stop at a Provincial (State) Park. We’d been told of potential road closures but locals said don’t worry about it. Arriving at our park, the place was empty, deserted. The self checkin area had these posted warning. We were in an evacuation zone and in danger, we left. We discussed turning back but locals again said don’t worry about it so I voted to head on . We soon entered the forest fire sending choking smoke across the road, visibility down to 100 yards, it lasted for several miles. We then came out into clear blue skies, whew !! We’re spending the night in Fort Nelson, huddled together with other RVs waiting the opening of the Alaskan Highway. Apparently the fire has crossed the road forcing closure. It’s been quite a day.
We’re spending our 3rd night in British Columbia and entering the Alaska Highway. We spent last night camped on a small salmon river and sat on the bank watching the wildlife. Signs warned us that wading in the river was ok but to avoid swimming and splashing as it disturbs the migrating Chinook and Coho salmon. We passed through the Hart Mountains, a series of lined up 7 thousand foot peaks in the Northern Rockies. We soon passed by a forest fire being fought along our highway, helicopter were dumping water on the flames. We’re are spending the night in Dawson Creek, the air is thick with smoke. We head north tomorrow on the Alaskan Highway, potentially heading into another burning area. The north woods are on fire.
We camped the first night in British Columbia by a salmon river and were told not to swim in it as it would disturb the migrating Chinook salmon. We drove through a beautiful mountain range further north and emerged in foothills where fire fighters were battling a forest fire. Multiple helicopters were dumping water on the flames trying to bring it under control, quite a sight. Dawson Creek, our evening stop, is very smoky from another distance fire. They are short firefighters as there are numerous fires out of control. Western Canada is burning 🔥
We’ve arrived at out friends farm just over the border from Idaho in Western Washington. We’re staying in a beautiful farm yurt which is sort of like a giant tent. Elk are grazing in the fields and the owners say cougars, bears and 175 pound wolves roam the property. We’re spending 3 days here taking a break from our long transcontinental drive. We’ve covered over 3000 miles so far. We head north tomorrow crossing into British Columbia.
We approached the Rockies from the Great Plains, the mountains came into view from an 80 mile distance. We stopped and watched locals go for an afternoon of rafting on the Glacier River. They recommended we stop at a nearby historic Inn for lunch , a great suggestion. The hotel was originally built to house the railroad workers putting in the new route through the mountains. It has been renovated to a high standard . We’re spending the night in Idaho and heading to our friends farm in the mountains of Eastern Washington tomorrow for a 2 day break in travel before we head North into British Columbia.
We’ve been on the road for a week now averaging 400 miles a day. The first 4 days were interstates and traffic, Chicago was a nightmare. We drove out of the Minnesota woods and entered the High Plains sticking to State roads across North Dakota and Montana. We’re driving parallel to the Canadian border about 50 miles south of it. We are spending the night within sight of the Rocky Mountains and will drive to into them tomorrow. It was 91 today but didn’t feel oppressive like our humid Vermont weather. The humidity is near zero and the wind always blows on the Great Plain making it pleasant. We’ve been climbing in elevation for 2 days and are approaching 4000 ft. Lots of cool wildlife out here.
We depart for Alaska 5/24
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