Day 10 - August 01, 2013

Day ten.  All is well.  Still headed north.

The morning started under bright blue skies in Edmonton, Alberta.  The forecast was for unseasonably warm temperatures and no rain for the ride to Dawson Creek.  The weather was forecast, with the temperature approaching 80 degrees at the end of the day.  367 miles.  This is more miles than I planned for most days this trip, but the roads are good, and the weather was more than cooperating.

It was such a beautiful day so I deviated from the most direct route to follow some of the secondary roads. The roads remained good, and straight (See the top photo.), and almost no traffic.  My cell phone was off and tucked away, but my guess there was no cell service either.  "Maybe I should have stayed on the main road?"  By the time that thought crossed my mind I was well into the belly of the beast (figuratively speaking).  So I pressed on.  And, I was rewarded with good roads, great scenery, and what I have come to understand is a form of barn art design that has been present all along my route.  I should have captured more of these picturesque, unique barns that dot the roadside, but I only got a few, and include two here.  I remember Wisconsin as a great source of old and beautiful barns.  Out of curiosity I did a quick internet search, and found that what I observed, in both Northern Canada and Wisconsin was observed by others. There are calendars, and books, if you are so inclined.

The long day was rewarded with another time zone change.  Pacific now.

And, at last, I am at the start of the Alaskan Highway.  It was built from march to September 1942.  1700 miles.  When it was constructed, after the attack on Pearl Harbor, Dawson Creek was the southern end.   The location was chosen because Dawson Creek was the terminus of the Northern Alberta Railways, and the Canadians of course said it was okay.

Prior to 1931 when the first train arrived in Dawson Creek this was the frontier.  The railroad brought a settlement, with a way to ship grain, and timber, so people came.  And then 1942 opened the overland route north....to Alaska, connecting the roads for travel for all of North America.  If that sounds storybook, it was, because the road conditions were so primitive that highway travel as we know it today did not exist.  It was not opened to the public until 1948, and even then it was difficult going.  But, again I digress.

Photo four shows the traditional "Welcome . . ." sign and the last photo is the obligatory "Bike under the sign" photo, which was made by a gentleman from Montreal, who was on his BMW motorcycle with his his twelve-year old son.  They had been traveling on their bike for the last seven days, and were, like me, headed up the Alaskan Highway in the morning.  Like Mecca, this is a destination of choice for those with the time and desire for that one great ride of a life time.

Another good day.