Quality Inn Northern Grand Fort St. John Fort St. John

... As we are welcomed in this beautiful home decorated with love of indigenous crafts and art, we are embraced by their open affection and immediate acceptance. We have left Charlie Lake enamored of the geography and the warmth of its people, a fascinating mix of cultures, nationalities, and interests, feeling totally connected to this family after only a day and a half in their company.

Reached BC (Back to Civilization?) and started meeting loads more vehicles on the roads; BC also paved the lower part of NWT’s road to Fort Liard to show those northerners how much more money they have to spend.

Bought supplies, including cheaper beer, in Fort Nelson but decided against staying in a motel at ridiculous rates. So we ended up staying at Andy Bailey ...

... putting them in the freezer. She said that she is feeling very domestic and Kristyn really enjoys helping her do this. We are now 2 hours earlier than home. We will be getting into more remote areas tomorrow, but also more scenic areas. We are camped tonight close to the Peace River and Charlie Lake is right behind our campsite so we can see the water from our camper.

No moose, but a herd of elk visited us from across the river last night.
We decided to take the long, but potentially more interesting route to Ft St John through Prince George and Hudson Hope. It was scenic in places and the roads were good. We visited Chetwynd to see wood sculptures carved using chain saws. Stopped at WAC Bennett Dam. Its one of the largest earthen dams in the world. We had a black bear run in the road in front of us and saw big horn sheep, elk and deer, but no moose.

Another day on the road. We made it into Fort St. John, BC about 1330 local. Put the canopy out and now just resting and relaxing.

There hasn't been much traffic. See the pictures of near empty four lane highway.

I have added some scenic ...

... It has a population almost the same as Decatur's, and even has a Wal-Mart.

The sky is overcast, with occasional light rain. Rain is not forecast overnight, which is good.

OK, now I'll try to upload pictures. the WiFi signal strength is low. No pictures this time. Sigh.

Til later!

Well, now it's later. I'm in a campground in the little town of Charlie Lake.. Let's try the pictures again.

Sue ..

... again- farmland, towns that are more than just a lodge with a few gas pumps out front, other cars on the road. I wondered through town for a hotel and found one for $69/night. I later discovered the "exotic dancers" sign on the far end of the same building, but the place was quiet, undisturbed, right on the road, cheap, and fairly nice. I even had a coffee pot, fridge, and full cable. Not that I used any of those.

... the Aurora Borealis - the Northern Lights - which are spectacular here in the winter. We camped for the night just down the road at Laird River Provincial Park where natural hot springs run into a creek in the forest just beyond camp. We poured a couple cups of wine and hiked down the boardwalk braving the mosquitoes. Ahhh... perfect water temperature, nice wine and clear, starry ...

... a busy GA airport 20 miles west of Calgary International. We refueled at the oldest flying club in Canada. We had planned to rent a car at the FBO but they were out of cars and not interested in helping at closing time on a Saturday evening. After striking out on the phone with rental car companies, we opted to fly to Calgary International for full service. Nice short flight, with a bit of ATC seriousness ...

... the park, in Polebridge, MT. It' a little hippy-wanna-be joint that had live music and a shocking number of people for a place in the middle of nowhere. The music was pretty decent, but the whole vibe felt like being at someone else's family picnic, so we didn't stay for long. (Here's a link to a website that paints a pretty accurate image of the place that leaves out the surprisingly-not-very-welcoming attitude of the locals - http://www.livelifetravel.com ...