A moose called Dandelion

Dandelion the moose

As we pull in to the Sikanni River RV campground I spot a moose. She was feeding on some trees in a ditch and we photographed her before she moved on. Jackie, the owner of the campground greeted the news with pleasure. "Oh you've met Dandelion," she says, and tells us this female moose visits the area every summer when the dandelions are in flower. Great, not only have we caught a moose on camera but it has a name.

Baby bear chows down

 As we approach the final stretches of our 900 mile journey on the Alaska Highway from Whitehorse to Dawson Creek we see a baby bear eating flowers at the side of the road. We pull up along side him and he gives us a glance but continues with his eating. We watched him in silence. The only sound was him munching on the flowers. I felt incredibly privileged to see a wild creature like this.

Bear food

So what can you do on the Alaska Highway when you are not driving or taking photographs ? Well in some areas old gravel pits have been turned into fishing ponds. We pulled off the road and tried our hand at a bit of fishing in the sun. Hard to believe the highway is just yards away from this peaceful spot. Suddenly it's really hot and we see lots of butterflies.

One of the fishing spots along the highway

Earlier we had met one of the characters of the highway. Marl (never Marlon) Brown, 79 and his wife Mavis, 73. Marl is curator at the Fort Nelson Heritage Museum, a collection of old artifacts and especially cars which he built up himself. When you ask him why he bothers he simply replies, "It would be lost forever otherwise."

Highway character Marl Brown

His pride and joy is a 104-year-old McLaughlin Buick, complete with mother-in-law seat in the back. You guessed it - it tips out the passenger. Marl worked as a mechanic on the highway in the 50s and still gets his hands dirty tinkering with his impressive collection of vehicles. 

Bonnie the Yorkshire terrier from Ohio

At Sikanna we view the site of a bridge built by black American soldiers during the highway construction. Attitudes changed over the eight months of highway construction and army camps which started out segregated eventually integrated black and white troops. Near the bridge a couple from Ohio are parking their Airstream trailer for the night. They are on their way to Alaska and are walking Bonnie the dog.

The Canadian Tiger Swallowtail butterfly

Tomorrow: the end of the road.

If you want to know more about the Alaska Highway try these links.
Northern BC Tourism
Yukon Tourism
Tourism Dawson Creek
PBS - great history of the Alaska Highway
The Milepost - tons of info here