Al-Can Highway Mile Zero!!

We've been waiting for this day since we started to research driving on the Alaska Canada HWY. Construction began in the spring of 1942:

* 1,523 miles from Dawson Creek to Fairbanks
* 8 months 12 days to construct
* 11,000 U.S Troops
* 16,000 American & Canadian Civilians
* 7000 pieces of equipment
* 133 bridges constructed

It's weird, that the mile zero monument above, and the sign below, are a block apart. So where the heck is the start of this thing?

Today is a perfect sunny day in the mid 70s. We had a crack in the RV windshield repaired first thing in the morning. Thankfully a local company had a mobile service so we didn't have to move the RV and go through that routine an extra time.

Then we took a drive to the Kiskatinaw Bridge on the original Al-Can HWY. The road has been relocated and straightened out in multiple places over the years, and this stretch of road was done several years ago.
This is a wooden bridge, approximately 500,000 board feet of creosoted British Columbia fir, and it smelled like creosote.

 Yesterday we went to Tumbler Ridge and took a hike.

Wasn't a really long trail, but had lots of  good elevation changes, so we got some good exercise. There were a number of families out for the weekend, so several groups with children and dogs, not exactly the peace and quiet you might expect in such a remote place. 

These falls were nice, but once you have been to the parks in Banff and Jasper, it is hard to compare.

 Tuesday morning we hit the road to Fort Nelson, about 283 miles. We have spoken to a number of people who are on their way back from Alaska already, and they all report that the next two stretches of road are in pretty good shape. Word on the street is that when we get past Watson Lake in the Yukon, the roads will get much uglier. There is a place on the Yukon 511 website that shows all of the repaving projects, and the good news is that several of them between us and the border are already completed. It will be bumpy and slow, it is every year, but that is part of the experience and we are kinda curious about seeing the reality of the road versus the stories.

The next few RV Parks have spotty wifi, we'll post again when we can.