Days Inn Dawson Creek

... Just an hour after Beaverlodge, we crossed into British Columbia, where the highway number changed from Alberta 43 to British Columbia 2. Then we were quickly at the traffic circle in Dawson Creek. This is where the East Access ends and the Alaska Highway (BC 97) begins. As you go around the traffic circle you see the rock cairn and arched marker for Milepost 0, the beginning of the Alaska Highway. We parked in the visitor center parking lot for some pictures ...

... adjourned, Beverly, Casper, and Joan, the third woman in the 3-female rig, invited me to play a card game called "Hand and Foot." It's a game that uses six decks. Art returned to our rig to go to bed. He has been having some pain in his abdomen where he injects his Enbrel and hasn't been feeling up to par.

We played cards until about 11 and figured that we'd better get some rest for the drive tomorrow.

... been piling up for five days. Everyone had the same idea. Art and I worked on the rig together for a while, and then we lugged the heavy things like jeans and towels to the campground laundry room. We have a washer/dryer combo in our motorhome, but it handles small loads and takes a while to dry heavy items.

At 7:00, we carpulled to the George Dawson Inn where we had a private meeting room. We got to meet the people from the two rigs ...

... We ate lunch at an old time cafe. The lunch was great.










Walter Wright Pioneer Village
This village depicts Dawson Creek before the highway was built, when this community was on the edge of the frontier. We enjoyed the old schools, churches, homes, antique vehicles and vintage farm machinery.

... if I lived by a highway I would put a sign in my front yard that said, "If you don't like my place - go home." I'm glad we live on a short little cul de sac, and we know all of our neighbors so they are not too critical. We drive through great boring distances without much to do so I mostly just sleep. I'm snoozing away in my doggie bed in the backseat when Val starts laughing and says, "Dave, did you see that? That sign says that is is a crime watch area." The funny ...

... enthusiasm for shopping and food at a benchmark of 10 - Vancouver would be about a 5-6 but a lot more scenic and spread out. Vancouver is like a European/USA version of Sydney, designed gridlike like Melbourne. After Robson Street, I walked through to the West End (small suburban area near downtown Vancouver) to English Bay Beach. (Again, thanks Vee for stitching me up with photo stitch on my Canon.) The beautiful ...

... town and then go up Grouse Mountain. As Warren had done these excursions a number of times he decided not to come with us. So off we set with good intentions, but never got any further than a good coffee shop next to a fantastic bookshop, which is basically where we ended up spending the whole day!!! We just got comfortable with a nice mocca frappucino cappucino smoothie skinny latte, and a good book and before we knew it, it was approaching evening. Another ...

... thawed oot by watching a couple of short films. The first was aboot a couple of grizzlies that they're keeping in captivity to test oot an electric fence system that they could possibly use in the wild to protect and rehabilitate wild bears withoot any human contact so they can be released. The other film was a promo of British Columbia and just lots of nice looking aerial shots. After those we went back and saw the end of the competition and enjoyed the snow ...

We've had a very busy week. Ben's been at work and is flying out tonight to Ottawa for a 2 day conference so it begins already! We bought a car on Wednesday. Very exciting. Its a Toyota Sienna and its a somewhat huge 7 seater minivan. We love it! I've really been clocking up the mileage too. The area that we are ultimately hoping to buy a house in, is over an hour's drive away. This city is LARGE ...

So this is it. It is fitting that it is raining on my last day in Vancouver, 18C today at YVR and so it is London too. I am flying with British Airways (the best way to fly to the UK I should think) and I should arrive on Wednesday afternoon (I hate overnight flights). Heidi has the day off and has graciously agreed to drive out to get me! I'll try to keep everyone updated and try to throw a few pictures in too! Ciao! (See the Italian lessons are paying off already).