July 7: Dawson and Beyond
I’m definitely heading east! In the last three days I’ve traveled over 1,500 miles through three time zones, one territory and two provinces from Valdez, Alaska to Dawson Creek, British Columbia and on to Grand Prairie, Alberta. I’m excited to be back on hard asphalt again and looking forward to visiting Newfoundland.
I’m not much of a morning person but I was extremely motivated to wake up early today. The weather forecasted rain and thunder and lightening starting at 8:00am and several guests last night had told me the road conditions south of the lodge I was staying at were worse than the ones I had just been on. Visions of traveling through muddy constructions sites on my Harley danced through my head and I was out of bed and on my bike earlier than ever before.
Thankfully, the early start paid off and I was able to get through two significant patches of road construction before it rained. Although I did indeed have to travel through miles of dirt and gravel it was more tightly packed than the worst section yesterday and not as challenging.
The first section of the ride leaving Muncho Lake was beautiful, with many views of the lake itself and the Northern Rocky Mountains beyond. I was struck again by the extraordinarily light jade color of the lake and nearby streams, framed by the surrounding evergreen trees, white-topped mountains, and blue sky.
As I headed south on the Alaska Highway past Fort Nelson, the landscape flattened out and I began to see more beautiful rolling hills, wildflowers, and evergreen trees. Rain clouds soon loomed on the horizon and for much of the rest of the ride I was either being rained on or splashed with mud from passing semis.
However, nothing could dampen my enthusiasm for reaching Dawson Creek, the southern end of the Alaska Highway. It was fun to get a picture at mile marker 0 and reflect on how many once-in-a-lifetime moments I have had on this road.
From Dawson Creek I headed east on highway 43 to Grand Prairie, Alberta to rest and prepare for tomorrow. The road was in very good condition, the rain stopped, and I was able to relax and enjoy the views of the surrounding fields, farmlands, and plains.
