Big Berland, AB to Dawson Creek, BC (6/21/2017)

Day 8
1964, the Plan: Fort Nelson, BC to Rancheria, Yukon Territory (YT).
1964, the Actuality: On Friday, July 24, the Explorer Scouts traveled from Big Berland, AB to Dawson Creek, BC. Kent reported via postcard that in Dawson Creek he bought a pair of Indian moccasins for himself, and he was going to bring something for all his family. He also stated they had two flats in two days on the shortcut road (Highway 40).

Wednesday, June 21, 2017
We departed from the Crestwood Hotel in Hinton, AB, and started up Highway 40/AB-40, the "short cut."

1964: Crossing a bridge on Highway 40 (Dr M)

2017: Crossing a bridge on Highway 40

Very soon we saw caribou, moose, and what appeared to be a wolf that ran across the road.

We startled a couple of Rangifer tarandus caribou/Woodland Caribou

1964: Big Berland River, perhaps? (Dr M)

2017: If you switched the 1964 picture horizontally,
it would look like this photo of the Big Berland River

1964: Entering Big Berland Campground (Dr M)

2017: Entering Big Berland Campground

Lady moose in the road

Large moose warning sign

Highway 40 has many logging trucks (at this time of year,
usually carrying equipment to the logging areas)

Highway 40 also has many oil trucks

Several steep descents gave us great gas mileage!

This bridge still has a wooden surface

1964: The first tire blowout on Highway 40
(fortunately, we did not re-create this scene!)

A stop at the Grande Prairie, AB Visitor Centre to see
the Millennium Sundial (2000)

The flags show the stiff wind that was blowing

A view of the "city" from the cupola
of the Visitor Centre

This Visitor Centre is known for "Piper,"
the animatronic dinosaur representing a Pachyrhinosaurus,
which was discovered in this region

See? He/she moved its head!

Northern-style tipi

A covered sled instead of a covered wagon!

It was Welcome Wednesday at the Visitor Centre, which meant free beverages and snacks!

The cooks at Fatburger, where we had lunch

At Grande Prairie, we turned west onto Highway 43/AB-43.

The Giant Beaver (2004, 4.6 m/15' tall) at Beaverlodge, AB
(a Roadside America attraction)

Sudeten Heritage Park, outside of
Dawson Creek, BC, has a plaque explaining
how many displaced Germans migrated
to this area after World War II

Sudentenland-style picnic shelter

1964: Camping in a field near Dawson Creek, BC? (Dr M)

2017: A flat field near Dawson Creek, BC

1964: Zero Mile Marker of the Alcan Highway (KSS)

2017: Zero Mile Marker of the Alaska Highway

1964: The Explorer Scout bus at the Zero Mile Marker (Dr M)

2017: Our transport at the Zero Mile Marker

The Alaska Highway House has a museum telling
the story of building the Alaska Highway

This display in Alaska Highway House shows a member
of the 97th Army Corps Engineers, an African-American unit,
in his muddy jeep on a section of corduroy (log) road

Dawson Creek Grain Elevator (1948) is now an art gallery

A Canadian postal box

The Surveyor, a scrap iron statue, points northwest,
the direction the Alaska Highway takes

Kent & Tamiko at the Historic Milepost 0

The main street of Walter Wright Pioneer Village, with
buildings from the early 1900s, just outside of Dawson Creek, BC

Cheap Coca-Cola!

One of many vehicles at the Walter Wright Pioneer Village, a 1942
US Army Chevrolet truck, like the ones used to build the Alaska Highway

A mobile cookhouse

Inside the mobile cookhouse

Lupines in the Mile 0 Garden
at the Walter Wright Pioneer Village

Dawson Creek has multiple murals depicting local heritage
(2001) by Calvin Kruk (KSS)

Part of a historic street scene (2000) by Inez Demuynck

Since we were not allowed to camp on any field, we stayed at the Pomeroy Inn & Suites in Dawson Creek. It happened to be Guest Appreciation Night, with free pizza, beer and soda!