Wednesday morning I did some more work, then re-packed the car and bid my friends farewell. I shared about the wonders of figure & fancy skating, and then we were off!
I high tailed it to Edmonton then shopped for food and gas. I stumbled into a brand new shopping area: and overall I would say Canadians like their big box stores (especially Canadian big box names). I found a Safeway either everything I needed and restocked with salads, bread, fruit, shrimps, snap peas, asparagus — pretty much anything I could eat without cooking, plus Indian food leftovers from Monday. The fridge works so well., this should have me stocked for at least a few more days, at which point I will have to face slim pickings on the Alaska highway.
All this shopping takes time but it is well worth it, to ensure smooth operations on the road between cities. I filled up on gas as well, of course., and finished it off with a burrito for lunch, so I didn’t have to deplete my provisions while still in town.
Soon after leaving Edmonton I saw my first sings with “Alaska” on it, as in “This way to the Alaska Highway.” Thats right… I’ve traveled over 5 Megameters (5000 km) just to get to the START of the Alaska Highway at Dawson Creek. And here they were telling me Route 43 will take me to Dawson Creek. It’s like the night before Christmas as Eve.
Anyway…
We headed toward Grand Prairie. The road went through hills and forest for a while, but thing settled back into prairie before we got to said town. Along the way we stopped at a beautiful lake for picnic:
It’s in a small provincial park surrounded by Cree land. A local family was picnicking, and even preparing kindling for a fire. They had two grandmas, a bunch of kids and two young adults. The kids were swimming and I thought, yes it’s hot again, maybe I will swim a bit after picnic dinner. Bella and the kids both wanted to meet each other so I introduced them.
Then one of the young adults reported a bear sighting. I asked what kind of bear, he said black bear. Grandma made a decision to pack up and leave, and the whole family was gone within 2 minutes. The kids asked if I was going to pack up too, I said yes, I didn’t want to be alone with a bear. It took me a little longer, but let’s just say I didn’t get my swim in that lake.
I stopped in Grand Prairie for gas and bear spray (for my hikes in Yukon). Canada Tire is the absolutely largest big box store I have ever seen:
And it had migratory birds outside
Well now I’m sleeping in a quiet spot by a lake near the border with BC (British Columbia). Tomorrow morning I will enter BC and go back another hour, and then get my official start on the Alaska Highway in Dawson Creek.