Alaska Highway

July 18, 2022 Monday

We leave Jasper National Park and spend the night in the nearest larger city in Hinton. There we also restock our supplies. After the work is done, we go to the next water park to cool off. Almost every playground also has free access to a water playground. In such hot weather, it is the perfect way to cool down.

After lunch, we continue towards the Alaska Highway and spend the night in Grand Prairie.

July 19, 2022 Tuesday

Our goal in North America is to travel to Alaska. In Dawson Creek, we are getting closer to this wish, as the Alaska Highway starts from Kilometer 'Zero' there.

But for us, it also means that the driving distances during the day become significantly longer and civilization gradually disappears.

So now we are in the middle of the wilderness and we hope to discover a lot of animals in addition to the great nature.

July 20, 2022 Wednesday

Today we are going from Fort St. John to Fort Nelson. We have to overcome almost 400 km today. So we start well-rested. Before the boredom sets in, I start a craft project with the children. Benedikt is currently really into dragons, so we are making a volcano and some dragons flying around it. We paint, cut, and glue. I think the artwork looks great.

This way, we quickly pass most of the route.

The rest areas along the highway are lonely and some are beautifully located in green areas or by the lake, where we take breaks.

Unfortunately, no fish 🐟 bit even in the midday sun. But we stay persistent and keep trying.

We spend the night in a smaller town. Here, too, we have to read signs over and over again that say 'no overnight parking'. It is not always easy to find a good and free parking space, but so far we have always found a side street where parking is allowed.

July 21, 2022 Thursday

Our drive takes a little longer today. The highway is being built in the serpentine sections, and then we easily spend a quarter of an hour at a construction site before we can continue. Afterwards, we are guided through the construction site by an escort vehicle. Everything is somewhat different and bigger here, but it works.

There is a lot of traffic on the roads, especially trucks and other RVs. Suddenly, cars are parked on the roadside, which can only mean one thing: 'animals in sight'. And indeed, a large moose stands in the water and enjoys the lush grass.

The further route takes us through bare rock mountains and wide gravel beds. One can only imagine how the melting water rushes through the valleys in spring. Today, we only see a small trickle.

For a change, we spend the night at a campground. The Strawberry Campground at Muncho Lake invites you to stay. True to the motto 'first come, first served', we secured a camping spot. We spend the rest of the day directly by the lake. In a dreamlike setting, we throw stones into the water and try our luck at fishing. But even the experienced anglers who were out on the lake in canoes had no luck.

July 22, 2022 Friday

Today we start our day at 5 am. Another long stretch lies ahead of us, and we want to make it as comfortable as possible for the children. They sleep peacefully in the first hour of the drive, and then it's cuddle time.

The time of day is also perfect for spotting wild animals. It starts with a moose, followed by a Canadian porcupine, a hare, and then finally what we have been waiting for forever. A herd of bison blocks our way. We are amazed. The male leader stands in the middle of the highway and observes us. Meanwhile, the mothers graze with their children on the side of the road, and the young bulls measure their strength in a small fight. There are an estimated 50 animals in this herd.

We stared at the wild spectacle for fifteen minutes. Then many cars came and made their way through the herd.

Happy and satisfied, we continue. It doesn't take long until we see more black bears.

We have never seen so many animals in one day before.

We stop in Watson Lake and admire the sign forest like all the tourists do.

A little further along the highway, we take a look at the Rancheria Falls. We walk a short distance through the forest, where we see a grouse with its offspring.

Just before Teslin, we finally call it a day. Tired and exhausted, we go to bed early.

July 23, 2022 Saturday

In the morning, we reach Whitehorse, where we want to spend two days. For us, this is the northernmost point of our journey.

We had breakfast overlooking the S.S. Klondike.

Afterwards, we walked along the river to the Visitor Center. The children were equipped with banners and expedition booklets.

We have a plan for the next few days. We want to go hiking in the nearby wildlife reserve. There, we should encounter many animals. Unfortunately, when we arrived at the parking lot, we were disappointed. It turned out to be a zoo with a proud admission price. Moreover, we would have only had about 2 hours left to explore the 8-kilometer trail. For this reason, we gave up and went to Miles Canyon instead.

A beautiful walk through the forest and along the rushing water.

We take a break at a boat launch and watch people getting into their canoes and motorboats passing by us.

July 24, 2022 Sunday

It started raining at night and it will continue all day. The best weather for us to go to the museum.

We start with the Yukon Beringia Interpretive Centre. We learn a lot about the mammoths and the ice age.

After lunch, we continue with the Yukon Transportation Museum. The focus here is on rail transport and aviation.

Many interactions and play areas for children make it interesting and exciting.

So we spent the whole day protected from the rain.

Tomorrow we will continue to Alaska. We are excited and full of anticipation for what awaits us there.