From Johnson's Crossing to Toad River

On our return trip along the Alaska Highway, I wanted to explore some different areas than I had on the trip North, so I chose to stay in two new places the last two nights.  Previously I had stayed in small towns with  multiple hotels, restaurants, and other stores to choose from, however, on the trip South, I chose two lodges that are more remote and include cabins, motel rooms, and camping as well as a one stop store/gas station/restaurant.

Last night we stayed at Johnson's Crossing, located at historic mile 836 of the Alaska Highway.  By what I can tell, every where you stop along this route thinks they are at a historic mile!    It is a small, thriving(according to what I read) community of about 50 people.

The property was small and we didn't want to wander too far because we heard that there had been a brown bear with two cubs spotted near by earlier in the day and I didn't need to encounter them!  

So we stayed close by and just walked around the property. I liked this cool old building and the view of the bridge behind the lodge.

The lodge was clean and comfortable and perfect for us.  We spent some time walking around enjoying the scenery and then sat in our room with the window open enjoying the smell of campfire from the campground.  We had a very nice and relaxing night there.

This morning we continued our journey south on the Alaska Highway toward Toad River.  This part of the Alaska Highway was a highlight of our journey North and I was looking forward to seeing it again.  This is also the stretch of highway where I witnessed the most wildlife and it did not disappoint this time.

I saw a number of black bear-so many that I lost count.  We also so three bison and several Stone Sheep.

It was a sunny beautiful day and, although it started off at a chilly 36 degrees, it warmed up into the 70s and was a great day for drive with beautiful scenery.

We made a stop at Muncho Lake along the way.  This is by far my favorite place along the entire route of the Alaska Highway.  It is amazingly beautiful.  I wish I had known how much I was going to like it because I would have planned to spend time in the Muncho Lake Provincial Park.  I hope someday to come back and explore more.

While we didn't spend a lot of time out of the car today, we arrived in Toad River with lots of time to explore the area here.  Toad River is a small community of 75 people most of whom work to maintain the highway or work in the tourist industry.  I was interested to read on the menu that the school here has about 25 students K-12 and the farthest student travels 50 miles to attend school every day.  There is no busing so students arrive in a variety of ways-from horseback to atv/snowmobile to flying.

Tonight we have a cabin with a view of the river, which is very nice. The scenery is very pretty and we were able to get in a really nice 3 mile walk tonight.

After our walk, I had dinner at the restaurant and then took the girls out for another short walk around  the campground.  Then we decided to sit out and enjoy the evening.  The girls were really good until a momma duck and her ducklings showed up and it started to sprinkle...and we headed inside for the night.

The girls are now sound asleep while I listen to the rain, watch the Canadian Amazing Race, and finish the blog for tonight.  The challenges of good internet have made it more difficult to write and post the blog while we're on the road, but with a little patience, I'm making it work. 

Tomorrow we continue our journey south as we get closer to leaving the Alaska Highway and venturing into some new and exciting places.  I can't wait to see what adventures the rest of the week offers.