Day Four - May 29, 2009
Summit Lake, BC to Grand Cache, Alberta
Daily Didactic
We woke alone in the icy and snowy Summit Lake Provincial Campground. It is a pretty spectacular location, but a little chilly and without the accommodations that make modern travelers happy (hookups, free wireless, arcades). We like it though, and the temperature got us on the road at an uncustomary 8:30.
We hit the NAPA in Fort Nelson for a replacement chunk of gas line for what will become the cheapest repair the bus has ever needed on the road at 3.59 cents. The drive from Fort Nelson to Fort St. John is not only long and lacking in scenery, it is occasionally really smelly. The Canadians call this part of British Columbia the "gas patch", with a lot of of it being refined and smelling up things. We don't care for it, but it leads to Dawson Creek which is "Mile 0" of the Alaskan Highway. While still a thousand miles or so from the states, Dawson Creek feels like you've accomplished something. We slowed down long enough to find a suitable extension cord (for powering the bus at campgrounds with electrical hookups) and get a push start from a lovely couple, the first one we've needed in a few days. This is a little odd, while the starter has had issues in the past they have never gotten better and worse.
We moved on into Alberta and through Hythe and Beaverlodge (where there is an awesomely large fiberglass beaver), and eventually settled on the Grand Cache Municipal Campground for the evening. Initially skeptical as we rolled in past trailer courts and large ominous burning piles of something, we found a very cute little campground with free showers, electrical hookups and internet in the air. Brian spent the rest of the evening getting the road trip website in order and Theresa hit the hay.
Today's Photos
