Days 15-17: Northbound to the Alaskan Highway

October 29
Day 15: Quesnel, BC, Canada to Quesnel, BC, Canada: 5 miles :(

It snowed all day, so the only thing we did today was switch hotels. The Super 8 was way way overpriced for what it is, so we packed up everything and headed a few miles down the road to the local Grace Inn.

Before leaving the Super 8, Sam talked to one of our "neighbors," an older gentleman from Fort St. John. He and Sam shared some interesting conversations about Indian tribes, weapons, happenings at the Montana/Canadian border, and the like. I think Sam could have talked to him all day. Right up his alley.

We mostly had the Grace Inn to ourselves, so we took it as an opportunity to play with the dogs in the snowy parking lot. It was their first experience with real snow (other than flurries) and they were hilarious!

We took advantage of our free afternoon with naps, watching "The Voice" on TV, and skyping with my parents and Alex & Ariel before they leave for Hawaii tomorrow morning.

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October 30
Day 16: Quesnel, BC, Canada to Prince George, BC, Canada: 85 miles

We had high hopes of traveling further today but slippery roads & our lack of snow tires meant otherwise. It took us almost three hours to drive 70 miles and I'm sure Canadians everywhere hated us. Highway 97 (the West Access Route) was okay, but the roads in Prince George were absolutely terrible. We were sliding all over the place and almost slid into a concrete block. Dodged a few accidents, thank goodness. We also had to replace a broken windshield wiper; ugh, one thing after another.

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October 31

Prince George, BC, Canada to Fort St. John, BC, Canada: 271 miles

Happy Halloween!

Our Canadian Halloween was a day of continuing our drive north into British Columbia. We are finally on the ALCAN! We take it all the way to Delta Junction, AK. Today was cloudy but the road conditions were much better than the previous two days. The scenery was nothing out of the ordinary until we arrived at the Pine Pass. With 10% grades up and downhill, the road cut through gorgeous views of the Canadian Rockies all around us! The walls of mountains one after another were breathtaking, especially for this southern couple who have never seen Rocky Mountains before this trip.;)

We made the most of our nontraditional Halloween with candy of course and silly "costumes" that definitely made the trip funnier and more entertaining. And of course, the dogs were all festive in their yellow and orange bandanas. :)

We finally arrived in Fort St. John and stayed at the Blue Bell Motel. We were able to chat with our families and relax after a long day of driving.

PS Lots of moose crossing signs but still no moose sightings!