Our long day-from Edmonton to Fort Nelson.

Yesterday we left Edmonton to head out for our adventure on the Alaska Highway.  We would be spending a lot of time in the Jeep to get to Fort Nelson for the night, so before leaving town we needed to burn off a little energy.  Since we hadn't gotten a chance to see the Legislative building the day before because of the rain, we bravely headed off to find our way without google maps(even though I paid extra for minutes and data on my Verizon plan, I can't seem to get data to work anywhere!).  I had looked at the map on my phone while we were still at hotel and it seemed fairly easy to find, so off we went. 

We found our way downtown and successfully parked near the capitol grounds.  We jumped out of the Jeep ready to explore.  The skies were dark and it started to sprinkle as we walked toward the grounds so I knew we’d have to make a quick trip.  What a shame that was because the grounds were beautiful.  After a 30 minute walk around, we jumped back into the Jeep and found our way to the highway and we were on the road.

 Just North of Edmonton, the scenery began to change from flat prairie lands to more rolling prairies and then soon after that, the number of trees began to increase.  It was rainy periodically for several miles and then the rain turned to sunshine.  We made a quick stop in one of the small towns along the way to grab a quick bite and let the dogs get out to stretch their legs, and then it was back on the road.

Soon we approached our “Moose Row,” the stretch of road which they claim to be regularly crossed by moose, however, the entire trip, we only saw one moose.  I was upset with the false advertising!

After a nice stretch of sunny skies, the rain started again and we were getting some pretty good down pours.  We drove for miles and miles in the rain.  I was hoping it would slow down before we reached Grand Prairie because I was hoping to getting the girls out for another walk.  By the time we reached Grand Prairie however, not only had the rain not stopped, it hadn’t gotten worse.  I guess they didn’t mind much though.

To top it off, a stretch of the highway we were supposed to take was closed and we ended up on a very interesting detour.  I wish I would have gotten a couple of pictures sooner, but I was too busy driving through muddy roads!  The detour literally took us through farm roads that would normally be traveled by tractors and trucks.  Boy was I happy to have a Jeep!

We finally made it through our detour and out of the prairie lands of Grand Prairie and the rain began to slow down.  By this time we were all ready to get out of the Jeep and stretch our legs again. It had been a long drive already and we still had a long way to go. 

We were excited to finally make it to British Columbia...we were inching closer to our destination for the night.  And then we reached Mile 0, the start of the Alaska Highway in Dawson Creek.  I loved the statue of the guy pointing the way...but I couldn't get a very good picture while I was driving.

We continued on our journey toward Fort Nelson.  We passed through many small towns along the way, but my favorite part of the highway was just the open road and watching the landscape begin to change.

I also thought some of the things we saw along the way were just plain funny!  Who would think  you could get Chinese in the middle of nowhere?

As I shared last night, we finally arrived in Fort Nelson where we stayed at the Legendary Fort Nelson Hotel.  After a long day, it was nice to get out and explore the town a bit.  Fort Nelson is a nice little town with a lot to offer.  There are several restaurants including a Chinese restaurant and a Sushi place...and a Dominos if you want a pizza delivered.  They have a small college, a skate park, a movie theater(with one screen), and some small shops to explore.  If you ever travel the Alaska highway, I recommend you spend a day there.

The girls are still being amazing travelers and they even let me sleep in this morning(with the exception of Imke's 4:50am potty break).  I even beat them out of bed this morning and made it to the cafe in the hotel just in time for my complimentary breakfast.   After another walk around town, we were off for more adventures on the Alaska Highway.