So we were at Day 10 on the road. As we awoke in the morning in Dawson Creek- we saw our new overlanding friends had already hit the road for Alaska. We had a small chore list of things to do before we left the city and headed on South.
We fixed the fender flare on the vehicle on the driver’s side- it had a few screws that had worked loose from the roughest of the roads we had been through. We then headed over to a local laundry mat to generate some greatly needed fresh clothes while I did last times blog post update.
Before we left town we had one more thing to do- we went to the local park to get in a workout for the day!
Right by the park was the 0 mile marker post for the Alcan. Since we had driven the whole thing we figured we should take a look at it to commemorate our victory of the Alcan Highway!
We exited Dawson Creek back into the surrounding rolling farm lands…
On our way along we came across the town of Chetwynd, where we decided the Ohana was due for another spray down. Here I got to try out an even BIGGER semi wash bay! Look how long this thing is!
While there, the wash bay attendant told us about an event going on in town at the rec center. It turns out Chetwynd is known for its extensive love of chain saw carving- and right then the annual chainsaw carving competition was going on! So we decided to head there and check out the festivities. As we drove through town the main street was lined with beautiful chainsaw works, and the contest was in full action when we arrived.
After watching some carving, Laura was excited to take full advantage of the showers at the rec center.
After a nice rinse off and a quick dinner we were headed back down the road. We were slightly disappointed as we once again went into a constant up and down hill drive of mountains, and the fauna once again resumed the familiar varieties similar to Alaska.
Eventually we ran into heavy rains and the sky grew dark. With our running light issue still going on, we were forced to pull over to the side of the highway for the night. We slept slightly unsoundly to the constant passing of semi Jake-brakes throughout our slumber.
The next day we were back up and at ’em- and since we hadn’t quite reached our goal of Prince George we just cruised straight on past it.
On Our Brakes! Barely Missed This Little Deer.
Along the way we pulled over to have our weekly meeting with our friends and caretakers Mike & Jenni back at home. It seemed like all was well on the home front!
Afterwards we realized the Safari was ready for a charge. ⚡ Not too bad; we had been using it for power for 10 days now- so it deserved a fill up. I hooked up the inverter to charge it and we cruised on…
We continued on through the ups and downs of more mountains.
So many mountains… 🙄
Eventually as we cruised down into our current goal, Cache Creek, our jaws hit the floorboards of the cab as we noticed a strange change in our environment. One side of the road looked like what we had been seeing, while the other seemed like… desert?
As we drew closer to our destination the landscape completely changed; we had entered a high desert climate. Surrounded by red sands and rounded mountains we arrived at the town of Cache Creek. We stopped at their visitor center, which looked like a 50’s diner, to find it closed; but saw that the town was having a big weekend event which contained drag races!
We decided to try and go watch them, and drove waaay to the top of a mountain to the local airstrip where they were taking place.
Unfortunately we arrived too late, the drag races had just ended and they where full up on camping spots for the night. We decided to try out the IOverlander app and find a spot a little down the road for the evening.
We decided to try a community campground in the small community of Spence’s Bridge. Here we pulled on in beside the river, and chose a spot a bit away from the river’s edge.
As we began settling in for the night we heard a loud truck pull up and honk. Worried we might be in for trouble I opened the camper door to find a couple of locals in a slight panic. They proceeded to warn us that we were in a bad spot, and that the river often floods up to 10 inches where we were parked!
I thanked them profusely for their kindness 💖 and the heads up, and we battened down the hatches to move up to a higher ground. Already on our way out we had to drive through some water filled pathways! Once we found a safe spot at a higher location we where able to get some much needed sleep.
The next morning we awoke to the a warm and beautiful sunshine beating down. We were surrounded by sage and flowers, which Laura picked some for our camper. 😊 Also we where greeted by one of my favorite, yet very seldom and unfamiliar to me, sounds; the chirp of crickets! Maaaan do I love the comforting sound of crickets chirping in the brush!
So that day we planned to hit the border back into the United States. As we sipped our morning coffee and prepared ourselves…
…Well, that’s the story for next time! 😉
Geoff Murphy 6/12/2022
I saw some sidka roses in one of those pictures. I 🥰 them!!
They are beautiful!!!
Did you try poutine. Canadians seem to have a little different taste for food but poutine is a good taste.
We did! It was definitely an interesting combo. 😊