North to Alaska .... the beginning

Day One started shortly after 12:30pm from Junction City, Oregon.  Instead of seeing some of the National parks on the way to the border, I had to cancel all those reservations due to my extended stay at the Winnebago factory.  I also had 4 more solar panels added to my roof, so the stay was very expensive.  I think it will be worth it.

The 400 mile drive to the Canadian border, with the crossing, took about 9 1/2 hours.  I spent the first night in the Costco parking lot in Abbotsford, BC.  The drive was I-5 all the way, so other than some traffic, it was uneventful.  Interestingly, the only produce they confiscated at the border were my potatoes. I would have thought the cuties or tomato, but all they cared about was the potato.

Day Two, however, proved more interesting.  Instead of driving Hwy 97, I chose Hwy 99 (Dumb!).  It is completely a mountain drive with winding roads and switchbacks.  Needless to say, the inside of my coach (as well as the outside) was a hot mess.  No matter how well you tie everything down, the back and forth/back and forth throws everything around.  I shouldn't have bothered cleaning the refrigerator before I left .... a container of baked beans got loose and thrown around ....I'll leave the visual to your imagination!.  To say it was slow going - I only drove 150 miles my first 4 1/2 hours.

The reader board over the highway said "In dusk, fog or rain turn on headlights and tail lights." My question is ....can you turn on one without the other?

I saw a lot of frozen lakes and other bodies of water along the road ... I guess I've never seen a frozen lake before.  They are kind of cool looking - like clouds laying on the ground. I definitely got to use my Jake brake; the  grades were 13%.  Diesel is about $5.50/gal.

BC has some well-trained deer; they patiently wait along the side of the road for you to pass before they cross.  That happened several times.  I didn't see any moose, although there were plenty of signs.

It took 13 hours to reach Prince George, BC.   I currently have about 16 hours of daylight, so at least I didn't arrive in the dark.

I know I'm heading north a little early, but I wanted to extend the season as long as possible.  Unfortunately, Mother Nature isn't aware that Spring is supposed to be here.  I feel like I'm in the frozen tundra.  It even was snowing on the drive through the mountain.

But I made it to Prince George and got parked in the campground.

 And as you can see, it's still snowing.

What I do is not "camping" ....I drive my home from place to place for the experience of being in a new place and seeing new things.  However, in this campground there was a group of young adults who were camping ... in a tent; in the snow and mud and ice; walking down the hill to use the restroom and showers.  I had to give them kudos.  They were having a great time.

So now I am in Dawson Creek, BC - Mile "0" for the Alaska Highway.  It is still snowing and I am "camped" in snow / ice / mud .... lets just say I changed my shoes for boots several days ago ... and more snow is in the forcast.  I'm not going to post a picture of this campground, but it is worse than the last one .... but here are the important pictures ...

And so the adventure begins ....