6/25/22

Riding further and further north is getting a bit surreal. I don't know why but there's something about this trip that seems a bit unsettling to me. And I don't think it's just that I'm in Canada. I think the idea of riding a motorcycle to the top of the world is starting to seem a bit extreme. After my first cross country trip in 2014, my second cross country round trip was pretty easy. I planned it around seeing Monument Valley and I didn't second guess much of the trip. This time around, I feel like I'm second guessing every other decision. But despite the second guessing, I keep moving.

After saying goodbye to Guy at Salmon Valley, I continue on BC-97 up to Dawson Creek, the beginning of the Alaska Highway. The road was a pretty uneventful ride, not necessary a bad thing when you're just putting on the miles. I saw another black bear on the road. Kind of an everyday occurrence now. Three hours and 170 miles later, I enter the town of Chetwynd, BC.

A pretty unassuming town, Chetwynd doesn't seem like it would have much to offer but lots of people stop and walk around Chetwynd to appreciate it's chainsaw art sculptures.

Apparently these are all carved by chainsaw. Chetwynd even has a yearly chainsaw carving competition. After stopping to take a few photos for Lindsay, I hope back on the bike and continued on.

A short 63 miles later, I enter Dawson Creek, the start of the Alaska Highway. The US Corp of Engineers built this road during the middle of WW2 so they could reach Alaska.

And just across the parking lot from this sign in the official start of the Alaska Highway:

I almost can't believe that I'm at this point. While I won't be on the Alaska Highway the entire way, this will be my one and only road for the next few days. I made such good time here to Dawson Creek that it's just 2:30pm. After an affogato at a local cafe, I decide to ride another 58 miles north to Fort St. John. But along the way out of town, I rode by an old section of the Alaska Highway to see the all wooden decommissioned Kiskatinaw Bridge.

While it is no longer in service, it is still open to pedestrians. I saw a couple walking their dogs there. I was hoping to be able to ride my motorcycle across the bridge as I had done in the past with old decommissioned bridges. Even with pillar barriers, I've been able to just go around them but they must mean business here because they set up concrete barriers completely blocking the entire width of the bridge.

So I couldn't sneak my bike onto the bridge but I did walk on it and looked out at the view over the Kiskatinaw River.

After this sightseeing excursion, 58 easy miles into the very quite town of Fort. St John.