Tuesday, June 21, 2022 - We drive to Dawson Creek, BC. The seven hour trip took us through Grand Prairie where we stopped to fill up our fuel tank. We have been told by several people that when you say the Province of "BC," the "BC" stands for "bring cash!" Supposedly, everything is more expensive in BC. The cost of fuel is twenty cents a litter more in Dawson Creek than in Grand Prairie which is only 60 miles away, but in Alberta. Alberta is a very oil-rich province with lots of wells and pipelines. They just don't have the refineries to process the crude. That is why they want to send it to the United States through pipelines like the Keystone. That would even bring down their fuel costs. Anyway, we have fuel tanks and may be able to go all the way to Alaska without refueling.

Note; The park has two "caravans" of RVers who are traveling to Alaska. One has 24 participants (we think it is the same group that we encountered on the Icefield Parkway) and another with just five members. We are glad that we are not tied to any group. We have much more flexibility to do what we want on our own.

Notes on the drive to Dawson Creek: First of all, nearly all people obey the speed limits. They stop for red lights and do not try to rush through. They are also much more courteous in Canada and will likely wave you through first. It is very nice. Also, there is virtually no litter along Canadian highways. I did see two large pieces of trash over the 300 mile trip, but they were both white five-gallon buckets that must have blown out of pickup trucks. They are not perfect, but they do a better job then we do in the US. Overall, in our experience, the Canadian people we have met have been very friendly and anxious to help us it we need help. In stores, the clerks are very polite and try to help you as best they can. Very nice and refreshing.

Note; We went to Costco in Grand Prairie to get fuel, but again, they would not accept our credit cards. Seems that up here in Canada, they accept MasterCard, but not Visa. In the states, they accept Visa. We disconnected the RV near a hotel so that we could more easily drive around town. We ended up paying $192 per liter for diesel. That worked out to $7.30 per gallon in Canadian dollars. After converting the Canadian dollars to U. S. dollars, the cost was $5.76 per gallon. Lisa also seems to think that there are quite a few liquor stores in each town. You can find some wine at a supermarket, but the selection will be very limited. You have to go to liquor stores to get what you want.

Wednesday, June 22, 2022 - This is our day to look around Dawson Creek. Dawson Creek is the beginning of the Alaskan Highway and Milepost "0" is in the center of town. We are going to check it out. There is also a Pioneer Village here that we might check out and the Visitor Center is a must for people traveling up to Alaska. We can get great, up-to-date information about the route and the availability of RV parks along the way.

We went to eat breakfast at the local airport restaurant. It cam highly rated. The food was very good and plentiful. While there, we started a conversation with four gentlemen who promptly helped us plan our route and itinerary when we return from Alaska. They were super-nice people who knew the entire region "like the backs of their hands." We are looking forward to seeing a different part of the Canadian Rockies on our return trip.

We visited the Visitor Center in Dawson Creek and I bought a hat and a shirt. We took some photos of the monument signifying the starting place of the Alaska Highway. You can see them in the photo gallery. We also visited the Pioneer Village and stayed there for two hours checking out all the buildings and artifacts. We then went to have the oil changed in the truck. Cost was $40 with me providing the oil and filter. Then it was off to Subway for lunch before returning to the RV. It was a fairly busy day and it gave us a great chance to see the town.

Thursday, June 23, 2022 - We departed Dawson Creek for Fort Nelson.