Beginning of Alaska Trip

After spending the night in a motel in Grande Prairie I went to Fleet Brake and visited with staff that I had only ever talked to on the phone. Also Marty from Calgary had just flown in that morning and I got to say hi to him. I then got on the bike and headed for Dawson Creek and Mile 0 of the Alaska Highway.

This giant Beaver oversees the town of Beaverlodge.

Mile 0

There is a wonderful tourist information place here and the people who work here are great for information. They gave me gas stops, motels, campgrounds and all kinds of information I needed. They have a museum there and a movie on the building of the Alaska Highway. Very interesting.

 

They were getting all fixed up because Google was coming to do an expose'.

 

 

The tall plant is a castor bean. It made a nice centre piece in the flower arrangements.

I left the center and headed out stopping at the Mile 0 Campground Where the UMCI rally would be on my return. I was delighted to find that there was a Pioneer Village there and in one of the old buildings a family was trying to make a go of the Mile One Café. They were working 2 jobs and I think the motorcycle club really overwhelmed them with their patronage. The food was great and here is the cook and Leha the young lady trying to make a go of it.

Following are some of the other old buildings in the village.

 

 

The Cafe' is in the white building next to the church.

 

One of the beautiful flowerbeds in the village.

After having a nice lunch of hamburger and fries I carried on to start my journey to Hyder. I found a really nice campground just north of Ft. St. John at Charlie Lake.

I got set up in the campground and went to this Pub next door for a lovely dinner served to me by a lovely waitress from Australia.

 

Some of the beautiful terrain I was riding through.

The gorgeous fields of fireweed I mentioned previously. Gorgeous gardens all along the road. My next stop was Liard Hot Springs and despite warnings of the numbers of bears near here I put up my tent across the road from the park and then had to walk this boardwalk to get to the springs. I had to do it twice however as the first time I did not take my camera.

I was taken by the gorgeous vegetation surrounding this place and could not believe how hot the water was. I did however get some horrendous insect bites. I now have a sticker on my bike that says. There is not a single mosquito on the Alaska Highway. They are all married and have raised very large families.

To the right is the HOT end. Not many people make it that far and those that do take a rock off the bottom and throw it up on the shore. The temperature is almost boiling at that end and then as it travels down it goes over a divider and gets cooler around the bend.

 

Changing room

Neat old tree by the boardwalk

Beautiful white flowers in the marsh

The next morning I stopped just down the road at Coal River for fuel. This is a Coal River Frisbee courtesy of the bison who roam the area. There are several herd who can be found along the road.

Riding on one passes into the Yukon and the next major attraction is the Watson Lake Sign Post Forest. I remember when it was a single post with signs and mileages to major places like San Francisco, but no longer as it has grown into a veritable forest.

 

 

 

Just west of Watson Lake I turned south off the Alaska Highway onto the Cassier. and will continue on from there. Happy to finally be catching up on my journies.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Icefields Parkway

One of the many glaciers that captured my attention as I rode up the Icefields Parkway. I am sure I traveled this route before but in a car and it seemed all new and fresh to me. I stopped at Saskatchewan River Crossing and paid $20.00 for a hamburger, fries and a pop????? I met a man on a BMW and it seems he had become separated from his Eagle Rider tour as he had to go back to his room to retrieve something he had forgotten. His fearless leader was Steve Feather. I tried in vain to find him to say hello but I believe I passed his group leaving the Columbia Icefields as I was pulling in. Steve was my tour guide and I keep in touch. I was also taken by the many beautiful flowers on his trip. The hand of God in the many gardens along the way. Here are Indian Paintbrushes in profusion and later the fireweed really captured my attention and the photos do not do it justice.

                                          Note the beautiful waterfall below the glacier

 

Columbia Icefield. It is certainly receding at a rapid  rate. At one time it used to be down by the road.

The river above Athabasca Falls

Took more pictures of the falls

 

 

I love this picture. It would make a great screen saver.

 

Beautiful fireweed

And finally that days destination in Grande Prairie. I stayed overnight and then visited the staff at Fleet Brake

 

Next episode I visited that staff at Fleet Brake and then headed to Dawson Creek and checked out the rally campground before moving on up the Alaska Highway.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lunatic Fringe Rally

 

I arrived home from the gorgeous trip to Kamiah, Missoula, Panquitch just outside Bryce Canyon in Utah. Up through Cody Wyoming just in time for Fleet Brake's annual stampede luncheon as was promptly invited to the Supplier dinner at the Wainwright Hotel in Heritage Park. It is always a great time and so I attended and took the wagon ride around the park and this gentleman was giving us some of the history. Every time you learn something new and it was a great evening.

The following weekend was the Lunatic Fringe BMW rally at the Beaupre Community Hall just west of Cochrane. I went out early because I knew some would be arriving early. I put up my tent and was just sitting relaxing when a car pulled in. It was a man from Pennsylvania (Jim Oxley) looking for Brooks sawmill which was supposed to be around there somewhere. We chatted for awhile and of course I told a few jokes and after he found the place he came back and took my picture with the motorcycle and now we communicate by email with he sending me jokes and I sending him a few. It sure was a great way to pass the time. Then I got a call and Tim arrived in time to go to Cochrane to dinner with Turk and Joe and Ron from PEI. Together again.

Friends all.

That evening we enjoyed this beautiful sunset

Ron Clark from PEI

A sea of tents springs up on the grounds

Clarke and Larry and Ekke and Audrey. Clarke did a great job on the observation ride this year.

Enjoying the camaderie. This is what it is all about.

Just enjoying one another's company before dinner. It was a great rally as always although attendance was down somewhat and the Community Hall upped our rent for the weekend so much that we did not break even and we cannot afford to go here again. So I am researching other venues so we can still have a rally and once again enjoy all these beautiful friends who come to share their stories and adventures from far and wide.

I left here on Sunday morning and headed up the Icefield's Parkway towards Grand Prairie and Dawson Creek. I had forgotten how truly beautiful this ride was. Will share some of the glorious scenery I took on the way in the next episode.