Three weeks ago we left Tagish, Yukon Territory and headed to south along the Alaska Highway wishing to see less snow and warmer weather. And after over 2000 km we are now in Prince George and ready to start the next phase of our Canada escape.
It has been one of a kind holiday, with limited residing space inside the car but endless space surrounding us outside. We have seen the season change from very early spring with snow still on ground to late spring with hints of green in trees to fully summer with burning sun. We have relaxed and enjoyed the luxury of doing basically nothing.
The route
Our Subaru took us from Tagish back to the Alaska Highway and we followed it until its end, Dawson Creek, BC. From there we drove to Tumbler Ridge and then followed a 60 km long forestry road to Monkman Provincial Park. We spent a few days there and did a 2-night hiking trip. After that we drove to Chetwynd and followed the Highway 97 all the way to Prince George, only taking a loop to visit Mackenzie.
Over 2000 km on the road. And well worth it!
Living in a car
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| And washing dishes |
We also took some advantage of the pools in some communities that we passed. It was great to go for a swim and a hot shower, sometimes just for one dollar. It wasn't that we didn't like the natural baths that we took. But hot water is usually more comfortable than the freezing river water.
We left our "winter coats" to Bear Lake May 23rd!
Holiday mode
So how do the days go by when you have nothing to do? To be honest it takes some adaptation to learn that you don't have to do anything. After than you can just sit back and relax. Read books, do crossword puzzles and sudokus, take pictures, take naps, playing hacky sack and so on.
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| Liard River Hot SPrings |
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| Sign Post Forest in Watson Lake |
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| A big thing in Mackenzie! |
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| Julien's relax mode |
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| A rainy day and night |
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| Chainsaw carvings in Chetwynd |
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| Start (or end for us) of the Alaska Highway in Dawson Creek |
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| Love boat ended up being a submarine |
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| Summer! |
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| Dinosaur tracks near Tumbler Ridge |
Highway landscapes
The Alaska Highway is definitely a road worth of driving along, especially the northern part of it. We saw gorgeous mountains, big glacier lakes and rivers and old handsome forests.
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| Still in Yukon Territory |
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| Landscape near Atlin, YT |
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| Landscape near Atlin, YT |
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| Mountains along the Alaska Highway |
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| A sunset at Liard River |
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| Muncho Lake, BC |
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| Trout River along the Highway |
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| At the mountains next to Summit Lake |
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| The mountains next to Summit Lake |
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| Summit Lake, BC |
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Along the Highway in BC
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The road wasn't full of tourists yet though we saw plenty of huge caravans and campers around. The road was clean most of the part and we also found lots of turnouts where to sleep for free, which is always nice when travelling with a low budget.
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| Getting ready for dinner near Liard River |
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| New snow on the mountains, May 21st |
Wildlife
We saw wide range of wildlife just besides the road. Many caribous, bison, moose, bears, elks, wood sheep, eagles and falcons.
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| Bison along the Highway |
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| Grizzly bear with two cups along the Highway |
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| Wood sheep along the Highway |
One day we were just relaxing and reading in a camping area and from the bush came out a black bear with three cups. Cups climbed to a tree, took a nap there while the mum was eating grass and whatever she was finding from the ground. And this happened just 30 m from us. You really feel the wilderness near here.
Hiking
Our goal on our road trip was also to train a bit for the big hike that we are doing soon. But since the spring was late this year and the trails were mostly full of snow, we couldn't train too much. We still went to a Monkman Provincial Park and did a 2-night hike in and around the park. Occasionally we were swimming in snow but since the conditions in our big hiking trip could be the same it was good for preparing. We saw very beautiful falls as well, so well worth of the trouble.
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| Julien fixing his shoes |
Scary bridges
Lots of snow and water
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| Hiking in Monkman Provincial Park |
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| Waterfalls along the Monkman trail |
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| Waterfalls along the Monkman trail |
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| A view from Devil's Creek Campground |
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| At Monkman Lake |
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| At Monkman Lake |
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| At Monkman Lake |
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| Landscape at Monkman trail |
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At Monkman Lake
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Kinuseo Falls in Monkman Provincial Park
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| We made it, but Julien's shoes did not |
We did a small hike up to the mountains near Summit Lake and did some climbing as well. Creek coming down from the mountains ended up being a perfect place for dinner.
And now it's time to leave the car in Prince George and continue to the phase two!
No question a Subaru Legacy isn't the biggest apartment to live in for two people, but surprisingly it worked out very well for us. 
