We've arrived in Fort Nelson, BC this evening, nearing 1800 miles on the trip meter. Sunny weather continues to follow us around, although the past few days it has been joined by an occasional late afternoon thunderstorm, and hazy smoke from the hundreds of fires burning just south of us...tomorrow we take the Fort Liard turnoff (the Deh Cho route) which is mostly gravel; we should be in Yellowknife by Saturday afternoon.
Of course, from Whitehorse, we had to go to Johnson's Crossing via Ross River, mostly a gravel route-if ever you have the chance to go this way, take it! The Lapie RiverCanyon area at one end took our breath away, as did all the magical lakes and creeks along the way to the Teslin River bridge-ending in the heart of traditional Tlingit country.
Signs keep warning of nearby bears, but in the past two days, wandering the roads of northern BC, we have actually had to brake for mountain goats, stone sheep and caribou, and craned our necks to see wood bison in the nearby grassy fields.
Wild strawberries abound, ripe for the picking as were some red bearberries just off the trail near our cabin at Muncho Lake. Discovered strawberry spinach today-what a fun find!...
Fortunately, a quick soak in the Liard Hot Springs of northern BC yesterday soothed both the sore muscles and the very few bug bites we've sustained.
On the road from Ross River
Creek scene
Magic around every corner
On the road from Ross River to Johnson's Crossing
A glimpse of Lapie River Canyon
Gravel is small price to pay to take slow route to Johnson's Crossing
Absence of internet is both common in this region and remarkably relaxing (and probably more than a bit addictive)
Mobile blogging is not just a technical uncertainty with current equipment; it is cost-prohibitive once we crossed international borders and/or until we find some reasonable local alternative-stay tuned
Sun and wind keeps the bugs away....
And of course, photos only tell part of a story but here are few to give a sense of our travels in the past few days........arrived in Whitehorse today
Beauty still registers at 65 mph
and will be exploring southern Yukon and a very small bit of northern British Columbia over next few days enroute to NWT.
We are packing up the ol' Subaru Forester this weekend, deciding which tent(s) and sleeping bags to take, and what stuff to leave behind. Trying to travel light but well-prepared for any possible road trip mishap, not only on our way to Yellowknife, but also for our planned return over ice roads in the winter. One spare or two? How much mosquito dope? Small or medium ice chest? CDs or xmradio or ipod? Snow cables or extra rain gear? What kind of footwear? Optics? Border crossing documentation? How much space (and food and treats) will Lacey our yellow lab really need in the way back? What about us up in the front? Which maps? GPS or no GPS? Decisions, decisions.....
I have a thing for curvy cars-this one caught my eye in Yellowknife 2009
"The future is not some place we are going, but one we are creating. The paths are not to be found, but made. And the activity of making them changes both the maker and their destination". John Schaar
