Day 7 - June 20th, 2010 Jasper, AB to Dawson Creek, AB

We've been on the road for a week now and finally feeling like we're getting somewhere.  We go to bed when its light out and get up when its light out.  Did take this Dawson Creek picture in the middle of the night during a scurry to the bathroom to show it still does get a little dark. 

Plus now that we're north of Canada's tourist belt, the campgrounds have a higher percentage of seasonal construction workers in them.  Prices for food and gas are also on the rise.

Plan today is to make it to Dawson Creek, the start of the Alaskan Highway.  I give Tammy the choice of routes today, one 300 miles and the other 400 miles.  She actually chose the longer route thru Prince George.  She believes this is the route her grandparents took when they visited Canada and Alaska in the early 1970's with a pickup camper.  Her grandfather Nile Brower had worked on the Alaska Highway back in 1942.  I always enjoyed bringing up the topic of Alaska with Tammy's grandmother Helen; her eyes would sparkle and her voice would flow with memories from Alaska, almost like she had just returned from the trip yesterday.  We had the pictures from their trip on our laptop and actively sought out the places and sights they had seen.  Their pickup camper and picture from Milepost 0 in Dawson Creek:

The weather gave us our first completely rain-free day of riding.  The Canadian Rockies lessened as we got closer to Dawson Creek.  Simply flowing roads thru endless trees, lakes and rivers. 

For the first time on the trip, our campground choice in Dawson Creek was full but then we were arriving after 6 PM that night.  Found a little "rougher" campground a block away.  A quick trip to the Alaska Hwy mile marker zero, a couple loads of laundry, a burger, and we were ready to head up the Alaska Highway to the Fort Nelson tomorrow.