Day 12: Alaska Highway part 1

From: Dawson Creek, BC

To: Muncho Lake Provincial Park, BC

The first sight we saw was in downtown Dawson Creek. It was the mile marker post for “Mile 0” of the Alaska Highway. This highway begins in Dawson Creek and runs NW all the way to Fairbanks, AK. It was built in 1942 taking just 8 months to complete through a combined effort of US military workers and Canada providing supplies.

Heather, once again, took the first leg of the drive. The weather began foggy and overcast, but quickly cleared up becoming one of the prettiest days we’ve had.

Today was the first day we saw snow up close. We’d seen it on mountaintops previous days, but it was now situated sporadically on the side of the road. Later on, we began driving over shady portions of road which were covered with compacted snow and some ice.

We drove over a mountain pass during which the temperature dropped several degrees quickly. We passed through Summit Lake, where a lake is sitting at the top of several mountains. There was snow everywhere, and everything was white and beautiful. Back down from the pass the temperature went back up to upper 30s.

As dusk approached, elk started appearing all over the road. We stopped 5 or 6 times to view or to let them pass. Elk are far smarter than dear. The difference in brains is similar to the brain difference between our dogs. Elk see a car coming and run away. Dear just run: at the car, away from the car, who knows. Dakota sees food and goes for it with tenacity. Lola sees food, whips her head around, knocks it on a table, and the table says, “ouch.”

The mountain views are so different when they’re covered in snow. Definition between peaks becomes clearer, but the sky can sometimes smear into the mountaintops blurring the lines. When snow is on the mountains the sky seems bluer and crisper. We’d better get used to snow; we’re going to see lots of it in the next years of our lives. So far, we love it. One of the coolest parts of the day was driving along a lake surrounded by mountains shooting straight up. 

Our original destination for the day was Watson Lake, Yukon. However, near dusk we passed Muncho Lake and a little log cabin hotel called the Northern Rockies Lodge. It overlooked the lake and the wonderful mountains beyond. Heather’s heart was captured. We drove past but she kept talking about it and quickly turned around. She wanted the check their rates and pet policy to investigate the possibility of changing our plans for the evening. Nathan had no objections.

We calculated that stopping short wouldn’t really affect the trip as a whole, and Heather was excited about staying in a remote, romantic place on a whim. A few moments later we were checked into our room for the night at the lodge and excited about seeing the crystal clear lake provide foreground to some of Canada’s most awesome Rockies. Turns out, this lodge is probably one of the most desirable vacations spots. Hopefully, we will return.

Before bed, we took a short midnight stroll down to the water. The moon lit up just enough to see the white snowy ridges of the nearby mountains. Across the water, the sky was so clear we could see the outline of the entire range behind the cabins. It was lovely.