North to Alaska Day 11 & 12

I wasn't able to post our blog yesterday due to technical difficulties - bad internet connection.  Our journey began when we left the Hartway RV Park in Prince George.  Not long after we left the park we came upon a mama black bear and her cub.  The cub was hanging very close to the mother, but they both continued to eat grass by the side of the road.  As we drove, the weather was sunny and bright and we saw more white tail deer than we could count. The further we drove up the mountain; however, the more clouds we were seeing.  Soon we came upon a male black bear eating grass by the side of the road.  All he did was look up at us while we drove by.

Soon, it was raining and we ran into a few little snow flurries.  As we came down the mountain, we could see a "lump" farther down the side of the road.  Roger started to slow down because the "lump" was moving.  Low and behold, as we got closer we realized it was a grizzly bear.

Grizzly looking at motorhome

He just kept on eating

We continued on our way toward Dawson Creek.  Not too far from the city, back in the woods, we spotted 3 more grizzlies.  When we got to Dawson Creek, we decided to stop for the night at the Mile 0 Campsite which is actually 1.5 miles out of town.  The actual Mile 0 marker that is used by the engineers and surveyors is located right in the middle of town.

Mile 0 marker

The Alaska Highway was built by American Soldiers.  They started in December of 1942 and finished it by July 1943.  It was quite the amazing feat.  Dawson Creek is know for being the "Start of the Alaska Highway".

Dawson Creek

We left the Mile 0 Campsite this morning to begin our 12th day of driving.  Soon after we left we saw a coyote, looking for his morning meal.  Again, we saw many white tail deer along the way.  The Alaskan Highway is in great shape so far.  Smooth, well marked, and nice and wide.  One of the best things that we invested in before we left home, is a book called "Milepost" which lays out our route and tells us anything of interest, gas stations, wayside rests, towns and anything unusual or interesting facts. 

As we were traveling today, we began to come across many "Moose Crossing" signs as well as "Deer Crossing" signs.  We kept hoping that we'd see a moose today, so at every slough we kept an eye out for one.  Well, as luck would have it, Roger and I spotted a black lump by the side of the road in the distance.  We were guessing that it was either another black bear or just a rock.  As we got closer, we couldn't tell what it was until we got right up next to it.  It was a moose - laying in the grass watching us drive by!  What a thrill - our first moose!  I was so excited that I took pictures with the lens cap closed - bummer!  I'm sure we'll see more soon.

We pulled into the Triple G Hide Away for the night in the town of Fort Nelson, BC.  Tomorrow, we'll be starting to cross the Northern Rockies until then....