Finding the Prairie

We left our riverside campsite and began our journey to what, we would realize later in the day, was the outside world. The countryside was still rugged but the road was good- that should have been a clue! We passed through Fort St. John, which was a large town, dependent on the oil and gas plant as the area in general is. We stopped in Dawson City for lunch and to visit the Mile 0 monument of the Alaska Highway.


It made us look back on where we've been and to reflect on what went into making the road that got us there.


As I'm sure you know, the Alaska Highway was a major part of the history of this area, and everywhere you go there is another description of it's construction. Actually, it gets a little tiresome after a while, but it is interesting. Being at Mile 0 after traveling so far brought all that home. Dawson City is a pretty town, a nice combination of the old and new. The forestry industry is also big here. You drive by so many trees that you wonder how logging could even make a dent in them, until you notice that it has made a huge difference in the landscape. In some ways it's a bit sad. The region is also on the fringe of the agricultural area so ranches began to appear, with horses and a few cattle, and even some that raised buffalo for market.


When we left town, we were soon in Alberta, the beginnings of the prairie. We passed fields of golden canola, all in bloom. The land was fairly flat, with some gentle hills, and in some places the canola looked like a huge field of sunshine, rolling into the distance.


We camped for the night in the municipal park in the tiny town of Hythe. We're definitely on the prairie; the wind blows constantly. This park is quiet, and picturesque. The showers and toilets are housed in retired railroad cabooses.





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