Update: 24 April 2015 – The Alaska Hwy

Dawson Creek, BC, Canada - Mile 0 on the Alaska Highway. That’s where we were on Monday afternoon. By Thursday evening we were almost 1000 miles away in Skagway, Alaska, US. It’s been a week of driving. By the end of the first day of driving (from Dawson Creek to Fort Nelson) I was wondering if anybody in their right mind would ever drive the Alaska Hwy. The scenery was just mile after mile of boreal forest, hardly any wildlife to see (at this time of year anyway) and some awful road surfaces that you really shouldn’t drive your RV on. However, the rest of the drive was a completely different experience (except for the terrible roads surfaces!). The views were often amongst the best we’ve seen through the windshield of our RV, at least. The wildlife was great. We’ve seen black bears, caribou, bison, stone sheep, porcupine, deer, eagles, falcons, owls and, very occasionally, human beings . On Monday and Tuesday we just boondocked in turnouts by the side of the highway. On Thursday, we got up and spent most of the morning playing and soaking in the natural hot springs at Liard River – which are free at this time of year.

Arriving in Skagway so early was a change to our original plan, but it’s definitely paid off. Almost everything is closed there right now and won’t open until May, when the huge cruise ships start coming in. For us it’s just a great opportunity to relax in one place for a few days and try to enjoy the more natural aspects of the area. Anwen spotted a sea otter just this morning as we walked along down at the harbor.

On Monday, we’re catching a ferry (RV included) to Haines where we’ll spend a few days and try to arrange a trip to Juneau (Alaska’s capital).

Dawson creek, BC: Mile 0 of the Alaska hwy