Photo by The Joneses Here we are with our friends Marty and Peggy in Dawson Creek, at the beginning of the "World Famous" Alaska Highway. — — — E-mail Gisela — — — SLIDE SHOW: Canada: A beautiful country
ARCHIVES: You wouldn't believe how beautiful Canada is! Wouldn't change a thing Who knew there was so much to see in South Dakota? Time is flying by — but at least we're having fun! I (heart) Hart Ranch, South Dakota Rallyin' in Goshen, Indiana A special day From friends to work to warmer temps, we're still having fun in Florida Traveling to Texas Finally, we're in Alaska! On the way to Canada Boise sure has changed a lot Escapees Rally in Wyoming Bittersweet trip through the southeast From Boy Scouts to ‘Stars on Ice’ Michigan is full of treasures Arriving in Florida Earning our ears Celebrating Christmas and New Year's in Florida and the Disney Parks Down in the Lowcountry Making our way through Minn., Wisc. and Ill. The holidays in Florida Our time in Lakeland has come to an end Couldn't have had a better time in Omaha! Arriving in Charleston A day with friends from Frederick 'Life is good' in Lakeland, Fla. Leaving Florida, and heading north Our final days in Kentucky Into the Keys Out of Charleston and off to Indiana Dreams come true in Vermont You never know what you'll see or who you'll meet in Alaska Leaving Indiana, but not before taking some of the state's best sites Idaho is full of natural treasures — and moon-like craters, too It's all about the theme parks From prairie country to beautiful views to grand 'ol Yellowstone Thunderstorms, flooding, tornados and a visit with the 'Duke' And so it begins ... Moving days for Greg and his family The gang's all here! Happy to be in Florida again Strawberries, and more strawberries 'The RV Capital of the World' From the beautiful Maine coastline down to southern Connecticut Training for our jobs at Disney World Chillin' out at 'Camp Monaco' Under the weather Back in Florida At long last, back in the area Lots to see in the 'Show Me' state With family and spectacular sights in Hailey, Idaho Look back, look ahead Back in the Lower 48 The cold weather is hitting Florida From Dallas to devastation Back on the road again Leaving Idaho and heading east Beautiful Alaska A memorable visit to Alaska's Kenai Peninsula Watch out for flying dinner rolls

For a week or so before crossing the border, we were drinking all the wine we had accumulated from the many wineries we have visited last year. Peggy and I had a bottle per night! So, at the border. we showed our passports and they waved us through! Go figure!

Our first stop was in Lethbridge near Calgary. We toured Calgary and went up on the Calgary Tower, the third highest building in Calgary. I didn’t realize how large of a town Calgary is — great view from the top of the Tower.

Our next stop was Canmore in the Canadian Rockies. The RV Park was surrounded by breathtaking mountains. We drove to Banff, a small town at the beginning of the Banff National Park and took a ride to the summit of Sulphur Mountain, elevation 7,486 feet.

I don’t have enough words in my vocabulary to describe the awesome scenery on the way up, down, and on the top. Mountains everywhere, many of them with snow on the top.

From Banff we drove through the National Park to Radium Hot Springs to relax in the mineral-rich hot pool. What an experience! The water was 104 degrees and we just sat in the water gazing up at rocky cliffs of the Canyon — called Sinclair Canyon. I could do this every day.

On the way back we saw our first bears — two black bears on the side of the road. That was exciting, because all we have seen so far on wildlife were mountain goats that w ere climbing up and down the mountains. Of course, we stopped the car and took pictures of the bears.

Our next stop was Jasper National Park.

On the way we stopped at the Columbia Icefield Glacier Experience. It is located on a very scenic mountain roadway— the Icefield Parkway.

On the route we saw several glaciers, many beautiful, turquoise-colored lakes and waterfalls. At the Columbia Icefield Experience we had a wonderful excursion onto the surface of the Athabasca Glacier.

The vehicles — called ice explorers — are massive and specially designed for glacier travel. During the tour we stopped and were able to walk on the glacier. It was quite cold there and we were happy to get back into the warm vehicle. The tour guide shared a lot of interesting and fascinating information about the glaciers and icefield. It was truly an awe-inspiring experience.

Unfortunately the evening brought some bad luck. Our friends, Marty and Peggy, had a problem with their jack, and it wouldn’t come down. Jacks are used to stabilize the RV while parked, and without them the RV does a lot of rocking.

They found a repair shop in Grande Prairie, which was our next stop anyway. However, it took several days to get a new part shipped and installed. So, for five days we explored Grande Prairie.

Grande Prairie is not much of a tourist town, but there are some very neat Canadian/European items, especially food. We found some good German sausages. They also had a Costco here – we weren’t bored and made the best of the situation.

We are now in Dawson Creek, British Columbia, known as Mile 0 of the Alaska Highway.

This is the actual beginning of the Alaska trip. The Alaska Highway was built during World War II by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineer. It had been in the plans for several years, but after the attack by the Japanese on Pearl Harbor it was considered a military necessity and was built in less than a year.

The highway stretches 1,422 miles to Delta Junction, Alaska. At the Visitor Center we saw an excellent film of the building of the Highway.

We’ll only stay here for one day — then on to Fort Nelson, British Columbia.