We start the day by preparing to leave the campground when Marsha spots a red fox trotting through the grass. Once that excitement passes, we check out a local birding marsh trail. It’s sweet to find this trail that is nicely designed for birders.
Next, it’s due west with our short term destination of Dawson Creek, British Columbia, Mile Zero of the Alaskan Highway. Just think, we drive over three thousand miles only to arrive at Mile Zero, the start of the Alaskan Highway. This road was hastily constructed during WWII over the fear Japan could gain a foothold in North America and a strategic advantage. The road has been continually improved, rerouted, and repaired since being built in less than two years. In theory it is paved it’s whole length now, but that is only half true. Areas impacted by permafrost and simply frost heaves require extensive repair. One should expect many construction zones and temporary gravel surfaces. The southern reaches of the highway do not take as beating from the weather so the rougher sections are further north.
Mile Zero includes a large parking lot, Visitor Center, Art Gallery, and the Mile Zero sign. Once we take the obligatory photo at the sign we check out the Visitor Center and Art Gallery. The Art Gallery is housed in a former grain elevator, the type that were common all over the small towns in the Prairie Provinces. From a distance one could know the size of the upcoming town simply by seeing how many grain elevators stood guarding the town. Most of these majestic buildings have been torn down and lost to history.
In the Art Gallery Wells meets a local artist who uses Golden Artist Colors paints in her paintings. What follows is a discussion on how wonderful that company is and that it’s in our hometown.
Time to head up the road. The first 50 to 60 miles shows lots of car, RV, and large truck traffic but the flow gradually subsides to more what one might expect on this world famous highway. Up the road maybe 100 miles we spot our first grizzly bear, which was in such a hurry as to pose for the camera. For the night we pull into a British Columbia Provincial Park and dry camp for the night.
This is what people see arriving at Mile Zero. The original Mile Zero Post is about a 4 block walk into the center of the business district.
Seeing North America 