We didn’t ever establish a method of telling you who was writing, is this a mistake we should fix now? No. You just have to guess! This morning, after another soak in the hot springs, and what we hope is the last time we have to ready the trailer for travelling, we take to the road. This road is the site of the largest construction zone and stop we have encountered on our entire trip. Isn’t it funny that it happens on our very last day on the road? Almost half an hour wait and then about 15 kilometres of dodging monster dump trucks, packing trucks, graders, and various other machinery too bizarre to name.

Our longest construction stop yet!

And the weather forecast is often wrong, but not today, they called for snow and guess what it is doing … snowing. I could exaggerate and say it was a blizzard, but I won’t, it is just coming down in a steady all day type of fall. The road is not in nice driving shape, so Lawrie is taking it easy at about 60 to 80 km an hour. A few hills get the four wheel drive treatment and finally at noon we arrive in Watson Lake. We make a lousy choice for lunch … they still let people smoke in this restaurant! Yuck! However they do have a unique forest.

… at Watson Lake

The forest

Shortly after Watson Lake is the turn down the Stewart Cassiar Highway. This is the highway we took when we started our trip. That means we have just completed a circle inside Canada, travelling mostly south on the way east and mostly north on our way west and now on the last day making the connection and closing the loop. The snow fall gets lighter and lighter, until we get to Teslin where it quits completely and the sun shines. We stop for gas as we have been running on fumes for the past while. Unless something goes terribly wrong with the fuel system, this should be our last fill up and we will have managed to never run out of gas. This is another good thing! And while we are counting our blessings, we haven’t had a single flat tire, nor any mechanical malfunction that has left us stuck anywhere. More good things!

And so winter has arrived in Yukon

White Mountain near Jakes Corner, Yukon

The scenery is wonderful on this highway, but as we travel towards home the feelings are mixed. We are looking forward to being home, but are very sad that the time exploring Canada has come to an end. In the gathering dusk, at the end of a very long day, we arrive at home, happy and sad at the same time.

We are hurrying home hoping to stay one step ahead of the weather. There is lots of snow here in Ft. St. John, about five inches and the weather is cold (-13c) for this time of the year. The weather forecast does not look too overly promising but we have a ‘window of opportunity’ today and we mean to take advantage of it. There are only a few little dips and dives in the highway today except for the climb up Steamboat Pass to Summit Lake and then after that Muncho Lake and Stone Mountain. I am worried about Steamboat. It is a long, high climb and if the road is snow packed, it will be interesting. Nothing else gives me any cause for concern today in our quest to reach Liard Hotsprings. Our concern that the highway would be snow covered is unfounded. Thanks to some great highway work, the road is relatively bare and dry. Thank God! We are able to make good time and by the time we arrive at Steamboat the sun has loosened up the snow pack and we have no problems at all, we even stop to take some pictures!

From the top of Steamboat

Pretty scenery!

The section of the Alaska Highway (it’s original name is Alcan Highway), from Ft. Nelson to Liard Hotsprings has some of the best scenery in Canada. It differs than the highways through the Banff/Jasper area in two ways. One, there is not the volume of traffic and you have more time to gaze rather than concentrate on driving. In other words is less stressful. Secondly, you are right in the mountains. There is no big ditch or distant vistas, you are literally driving right on them. This is great country!

Just past Ft. Nelson

Really?

Approaching Summit Lake

Yukon Panorama

Oh one hazard you should be aware of are the caribou and stone sheep that are on the highway licking at the road salt. Watch out around the bends!

Where’s the sleigh?

Caribou and road salt

Stone sheep and road salt

A small herd of Stone sheep

The hotsprings area is famous around these parts for its springs of course, and its resident herd of bison (okay buffalo, whatever you like). We manage to find a herd of about fifty just before we arrive at Liard Hotsprings Park. Unfortunately, we manage to botch the pictures and not one turns out very good … sorry. The B.C. parks branch is keeping half of the park open so we have a campsite for the night. It takes us no time at all now to set up and in the gathering dusk we find ourselves off to the hotsprings for a great soak! Well into everyones life a little rain (in this case snow) must fall. We are expecting to have the springs all to ourselves but there are about twenty people already in the pool when we arrive. There’s a road crew working on the highway and they are camped just down the road and believe it or not, they too like this natural hot tub. Can you believe that! Also, it takes me about fifteen minutes to find Lynn in the crowd and the steam and the dark, as we didn’t arrange a rendezvous point once we left the change rooms. It is still a great soak though as we manage to find a little corner all to ourselves. Do not miss this place if you ever find yourself driving to Yukon!

On the way to the springs

The place to take a soak

This hoare frost will get to be 6 inches thick

This is a ‘Find Lawrie’ shot

At the marsh near the springs

There is one other couple in the campground, (in a tent - we used to do that) so the dogs are let loose to ramble about at will. They are very happy about this as they have not been getting the amount of ‘free time’ they have been used to. Our trailer is nice and cozy and is handling the cooler weather very well. After a great supper, a few games of Rummikub and a quick walk with the dogs, we pack it in for the day. Next stop, home, we hope.