ALCAN, Taylor to Fort Nelson

The Good, the Bad, the Ugly

I spent last night here beside the Peace River Bridge, the longest on the ALCAN. When planning this stop, my theory was that it wouldn't be too noisy due to being well below the bridge surface - a good theory except that the bridge deck is metal, & trucks ran by all night. The good was this huge lilac bush whose fragrance wafted into the trailer.  The bad was the noise from the bridge. The ugly was a gazillion caterpillars. But it was fine for a quick overnight.  


The Fort St John North Peace Museum

This is a lovely museum with both indoor exhibits & a half dozen buildings outside. Not dedicate to the concept of peace, it's about the history of the Peace River Valley area of northeastern BC. 

On arrival, it was clear that I would not be alone here.  


The indoor exhibits gave a compressive history of the area from pre-history onwards & included some natural history as well. The big feet on the Canadian Lynx are outrageous. 



The outdoor exhibits were all from the last century. 



 

Along the ALCAN

About every 50 miles or so, there is (usually) a "lodge" similar to this. It's a combo basic hotel & small restaurant with a gas pump or 2 out front & often some campsites out back. They are generally quite basic as their appeal is that they are the only option along that stretch of road. As indicated by the truck out front, the food here was pretty good. 


There are a sign or signs every few miles with a picture of the animal(s) to look out for. So far, the signs have been for deer, moose, elk, & horses. I saw a couple of deer, a beautiful horse, & this elk in the last 2 days. No moose yet!


The land along the sides of the road is kept open so that drivers can spot the animals in time to stop. The unusually "fuzzy clouds" just behind the hill in the first pic turned out to be smoke from a wildfire, which can also be seen in the second pic. 


Unless a sign says otherwise, one can camp at any of the pullouts along the ALCAN. This one is beside the Muskwa River Bridge. Being well past busy Fort St Johns, I'm hoping for fewer trucks tonight. 



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