A Forest Unlike Any Other

Heading back into the Yukon from our short stay in Skagway, Alaska, we made our way to Watson Lake in the south-east corner of the Territory. The Alaska Highway goes right through the centre of the town and to one of our pre-trip destinations, the Signpost Forest. The 'forest' was started back in 1942 when a homesick U.S. Army soldier, working on the construction of the Alaska Highway, put up a sign indicating the direction and distance to his hometown. Since then visitors have been adding their own signs in the same spot, resulting in an expanding area that has since become known as the Signpost Forest. It now hosts 90,000 signs, with several thousand more being added every year, with the town erecting new posts all the time to accommodate the growth. I managed to find an old barrel nearby to assist me in attaching the sign we brought with us in a prominent spot higher up on a post. Good luck trying to find it in the forest though!

After a night in Watson Lake we drove into northern B.C. to the popular Liard Hot Springs Provincial Park. The campground was 'full' but we found a nearby site, allowing us to spend some time in the park at the lovely hot springs, which were in a natural river. Several of us attempted to get close to the underground source but the increased heat drove us further back where most people still found it very hot. We slept well that night. Following an overnight stay at another provincial park, near Fort Nelson (Charlie Lake PP), we will able to observe an interesting new dam being built on the very wide Peace River. It was in the early stages but signboards displayed all the phases of the project, with telescopes set up to observe the progress and the large trailer village set up to house the 1,600 workers.

Dawson Creek was our next stop, the official start of the Alaska Highway. The Alaska Highway House had an excellent museum and film, describing the construction of the highway in 1942, and the challenges faced along the way (Canadian Rockies passage, thick forests and abundant rivers, and -40C temperatures). The need for the U.S. to secure an inland route to protect Alaska from potential Japanese attacks at the outset of WWII drove the urgency and the task was completed in an amazing 8 months. Almost all of the highway's 2,237 km's resides in Canada (B.C. and Yukon) but the U.S. agreed to provide the army staffing and the necessary supplies in return for the land access. It was a good deal for Canada, allowing for a future transportation route through a challenging part of our country.

We are now in Grande Prairie, a return trip for Pocahontas from 40 years ago when there were no paved roads in the city. The population has doubled in the past 20 years thanks to the oil and gas industry. They also have an impressive, award winning Dinosaur Museum showcasing the numerous deposits of bones found in the area, but the museum is having trouble making ends meet due to it's remote location.

We will drive to Jasper in the morning where we will partake in a full day's worth of Canada Day celebrations going on there.

The Signpost Forest in Watson Lake, Yukon. A friend of mine put up a sign here several years ago but I had no luck finding it amongst the 90,000 signs already posted. Now our sign is embedded in the 'forest' for others to seek out. It was entertaining to walk around and observe the various signs from around the world.

While driving between Watson Lake and Fort Nelson we were warned to watch out for wild Bison along the roadway. This beast would incur significant damage to any vehicle that got in it's way. I have a humourous video of another bison wallowing in the dirt which is apparently either an attempt to ward off insects, or in mating season to advertise their physical condition to other males. He convinced me to move on.

The Liard River Hot Springs in the provincial park by the same name, the second largest natural hot springs in Canada. The park made it easy to enter the river with the decking and stairs. The left side of the picture is close to underground source so most people migrated to the right side which was a bit cooler but still hot tub hot.

Rock Sheep also made a deliberate display of their ownership along this section of the Alaska Highway. This mom had a lamb following behind, also right down the centre of the highway.....a training session I suppose..... forcing vehicles going in both directions to pull over to the side of the road while they sauntered by.

The picturesque Muncho Lake which we passed by on our way to Fort Nelson. With the wildlife, mountains and rivers / lakes, this was one of the scenic stretches along the Alaska Highway.

We made a quick stop into the Toad River Lodge after reading in our Milepost guide that they had a large collection of hats. Passers-by keep adding to the collection which now numbers 11,204 hats. The up-to-date count is written on a chalkboard and updated every time a customer adds a hat to the assemblage.

The Kiskatinaw Bridge, the only original Alaska Highway timber bridge still in use today. An asterisk must be attached though, since this one exists on the old highway.....requiring a short loop diversion from the current route. We doubt it will be in use much longer since it already has weight restrictions for vehicles. It was still an impressive accomplishment and sight.

The beginning of the Alaska Highway in Dawson Creek, B.C. The Visitor Centre, attached to the grain elevator, issued Mile 0 certificates, but for us it was Km 2,237 since we drove the Alaska Highway in reverse order, from Delta Junction, Alaska to Dawson Creek.

The back of the Alaska Highway House museum in Dawson Creek was painted to make it look like it would have been in the 1940's. The museum inside did a wonderful job sharing the construction and history of the highway.