A New Respect

We drove downtown today to check out a little Dawson Creek history. We had a brochure with a self-guided tour of various points of historical interest. We made it through number 6 out of 17 and decided that since the town wasn't all that big, and we were spending more time trying to decipher the brochure, that we'd just walk around and take a few pictures of the many murals depicting the 1940's and the start of the Alcan Highway.

In the Alaska Highway House they have displays, including a 1942 US Army Willy Jeep, that relate the incredible story of the Alaska Highway. They also had an hour long PBS film documentary: The Building of The Alaska Highway. After watching that film I have a whole new respect for the men who completed this "Paul Bunyan sized feat". They built, through vast untamed wilderness, a 1528 mile road, which included 133 bridges and more than 3000 culverts, in a little over 8 months. They battled mountains, mosquitoes and muskegs (a swamp or bog formed by an accumulation of sphagnum moss, leaves, and decayed matter resembling peat) to finish this vital artery.

Since it's completion in 1942, a continuous program of upgrading, widening and straightening has been underway. Virtually 100% of the Alcan is now paved except where there is ongoing construction. On September 28, 1996, a ceremony was held in Dawson Creek in which the Alaska Highway was designated as the 16th International Historic Civil Engineering Landmark in the world.

I feel privileged and honored just to be able to experience it as it is today. I will remember those very brave men and what they experienced as I drive through what they lived almost 70 years ago.

Mom and dad - ready to travel the Alcan!

Mile Zero!

6.2.10

We are here and we plan to stay - well, at least for the next four days! After casing out four RV parks in the area we finally settled on Mile 0 RV park. Vern, the manager, gave us a nice rate (for Canada) for 20amp/water hook ups. It will be nice to settle in for a few days, make my little nest and all!

This afternoon Cooper and I decided to walk the Dawson Creek trail, which starts just outside my door. How could I not go? It's 4.5 km one way, which is about 2.8 miles so round trip we went just under 6 miles (seemed longer!). It's very pretty, winding through wet lands, parks, crossing Dawson Creek numerous times.

There is one section on the trail where they have a senior community park. It's an outdoor facility that has everything you would expect to find at a professional gym, but it's outdoors and it's free. I briefly tried out a few things but Cooper thought it was a big game and kept biting my feet. I think it's a fabulous idea though and, in my opinion,  every community should adopt it. I think the object is to get more seniors to stay or become active and this makes it easy, convenient and affordable! The sign at the entrance says, "Every Move Is A Good Move." Since I'm getting darn close to the senior age (or am I already there?)  I want to go back, this time without my playful pup!

We left the trail at one point and walked to the center of town to Milepost 0 to take a picture but by that time it was spitting rain so I didn't beg someone to stand out in it just to take my picture. There's always tomorrow! It was great to finally see it in person since I've seen it on paper for the past year while planning this trip.

On the way back home we spotted a small fox in front of us. I took his picture from a distance. He kept crossing the trail in front of us and at one point I got close enough, with him looking right at us, to take a really good picture but since I didn't really want to stop, dig the camera out of my pocket, while hoping the fox stayed put instead of pursuing us or Cooper pursuing him (my crazy ground-sniffing dog on the hunt), we decided to keep on moving!

See that little fox on the trail?

Cooper and I were both a bit wet from the rain (or drizzle as we would call it in Oregon) when we finally go back to the motor home, but it was a great walk. Maybe tomorrow we'll run it!  :-)