Dawson Creek, British Columbia

On March 9, 1942, Dawson Creek, a small northern Canadian community with a population of 699 people, bustled and swelled with activity when the first train carrying American troops arrived. In a matter of weeks the town's population exploded to 10,000.

To build the Alaska Highway, seven regiments of American engineers, approximately 11,000 men (including three regiments of African American heritage), 16,000 civilians from Canada and the United States were thrown into action against some of the toughest and most unforgiving wilderness areas in the world.

After a little over eight months of intense construction, the Alaska Highway was complete. On November 20, 1942, Mile 1061 (known as Soldiers' Summit) saw the ribbon cutting ceremony that officially opened the "Alcan" Highway. The 1528 mile road included 133 major bridges and more than 3000 culverts. The cost of this construction was approximately $140 million U.S. wartime dollars.

Since completion in 1942, the Alaska Highway has held a fascination for visitors and residents. The building of the Alaska Highway is an epic tale that involves mystery, romance and intrigue. This is indeed a Town to see.

Grand Prairie, Alberta, Canada

The City of Grand Prairie is a thriving regional center located in Northwestern Alberta in the heart of Peace Country. The City began as a Hudson's Bay trading post in the late 1800's and is among the fastest growing municipalities in Canada. Grand Prairie has a population of 50,227 and serves a market area of more than 250,000 people within a two-hour drive.

Grand Prairie's history and culture is brought back to life within the Grand Prairie Pioneer Museum located in Muskoseepi Park. The museum includes an outdoor heritage village with a restored post office, school, church, fire hall and barns. We drove into town to see the museum and the directions on how to get there were not for "someone who ain't from here". We found it and guess what...it was closed they were repaving the streets.

Not to be outdone, we drove north to the town of Sexsmith. In the late 1940's the town was known as the Grain Capital of the British Empire, shipping more grain than any other port in the Empire. The main street has some of the original buildings that were built in the 1940's.

After that we drove south to the very small town of Wembley. It's named after Wembley England, Yes, the same town where they play tennis. Wembley is the "Gateway to the Dinosaurs" The Pipestone Creek area has received international attention due to the discovery of the world's largest pachyrhinosaurus ("thick nosed horned" dinosaur bone bed.

I must say that Canada is a very pretty country, the scenery is breathtaking and there is a lot to see. However, I must also say that this country is "not civilized". You can go into any grocery store you want and there is a most important item you WON'T FIND.....WHEATIES. Man cannot live by bread alone, he must have his WHEATIES. I'm glad this time we came prepared.

West Edmonton Mall, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

This morning we drove into the town of Morinville, AB to fuel up the car and see if there was anything of interest in town. As it turned out, the only thing there was an old Catholic Church which was built back in the 1800's. It was very impressive church. Alas, there was nothing else of note in this small town.

We began a short trip into Edmonton, which is the capital of Alberta Providence, to check out the "little mall" they have there. On the way in we spotted a rather large herd of elk on the roadside. There is an elk ranch there which we hope to go see tomorrow if it doesn't rain.

We got to the West Edmonton Mall and boy is it impressive. It is the world's largest entertainment and shopping center. The mall covers 38 square blocks and has more than 800 stores, more than 100 dining establishments and 13 movie theatres including a large IMAX theatre.

It has the following attractions "under the roof". Galaxyland Amusement Park complete with two roller coasters and everything you would find in an amusement park. It has the world's largest indoor wave pool with live Palm Trees on three sides of the pool. It has a Deep Sea Adventure and docked on one end of the world's largest indoor lake is an exact replica of Christopher Columbus's flag ship the Santa Maria.

There is also the Sea Life Caverns which is home to approximately 100 species of colorful fish, sharks, reptiles and penguins. They also have live Sea Lions in the lagoon.

And if all this is not enough they have an 18 hole mini-golf course, complete with sand traps and water hazards.

There is Bourbon Street where you can get a taste of New Orleans' vibrant nightlife. There is also China Town with exotic sights and sounds of a busy Far East market in China.

Lastly there is Europa Boulevard where art and architecture on this unique and beautiful street is fashioned after those found in various European cities.

Oh, did I tell you they also sell clothes and other things you might want from a mall?

Get the pop corn ready because I took a couple of pictures for you to enjoy.

An Update On Our Trip

We left Fort Macleod this morning heading north to Calgary. It's a long hard trip, 111 miles and since it's mainly through farming area there wasn't much to see. After we got a little further north we did see snow on the mountains on our left. They are part of the Canadian Rockies.

When I was getting ready to pull I noticed an long crack on the left side of the windshield on my side. I cleaned the windows before we left Leftbridge which is about 35 miles away and I didn't notice it. I also cleaned the windows again when we got here and nothing. We did have a small chip repaired in Great Falls and I guess it might have been from that chip, I don't know for sure. Oh well I'm going to leave it till we get back from Alaska in case I get some more windshield damage.

YEA !!! we're getting Internet and TV with our new satellite dish. This may not mean much to you but when you go north of the "lower 48" you usually loose all satellite signals. I don't know how much further we'll get satellite service but I hope it's a long way.

Sorry, no pictures today but I wanted everyone to know we're still alive and kicking. Don't give up it won't be long before the pictures start again. I'll bet that before we finish the trip some of you will say "Bob, enough, stop the pictures".

Fort MacLeod, Alberta, Canada

We arrived in Fort MacLeod on Sunday and that afternoon we went into town to take a tour. Guess what?? Everything was closed.

We drove a few miles over to Head Smashed-In Buffalo Jump to see where Blackfoot Indians used to drive herds of Buffalo over a cliff to their death. This was one way they "harvested" Buffalo to get their food and materials for clothes. It was open but it was not suited for older folks that have problems walking. You have to park and walk a long way up a big hill to the site and then walk a long way up a face of the cliff to view the site. We decided to pass on this.

Today we went into town to tour the Fort where the North-West Mounted Police were housed back in the late 1800's. The Mounted Police were created in 1873 when Canadian Prime Minister John A. McDonald proposed to the House of Commons that a police force be established to bring order to the Canadian West. His proposal was accepted and on May 23, 1873 the Mounted Police was formed. They are now known as the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. The Mounted Police built their first post on an island on the Old Man River and named it after the man that led them, Colonel James MacLeod in 1884.

We really enjoyed the tour and of course Jerry and I took a couple of pictures. You might need more than one bowl of pop corn for this, relax and enjoy.

Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada

Today, we went sight seeing around this City, we've heard a lot about it and wanted to see for ourselves if they were right.

Lethbridge had its beginning with the notorious whiskey trade followed by the development of the coal mining industries. Fort Whoop-Up, as it became known, was the largest of the established posts and Forts. Because of the use of whiskey to "encourage" trade, the Fort soon developed an infamous reputation. This reputation and the fact that an American Flag was said to be flying over Canadian territory led to the formation of the North West Mounted Police in 1873. In 1874 the NWMP arrived at Fort Whoop-Up. Their task was to establish Canadian sovereignty in the North-West and control the alcohol trade.


Lethbridge is home to the longest and tallest trestle bridge in the world, known as High Level Bridge. This year marks the 100Th anniversary of the Bridge. It is 5,327 feet long and stands 314 feet above the Old Man River. The Bridge is still operational today.

Lethbridge is also the home of the Nikka Yuko Japanese Garden. A meandering path joins five traditional Japanese Garden styles, combining trees, shrubs, rocks, waterfalls, ponds and bridges to create vista of unparalleled beauty.

Of course with so much to see, I took quite a few pictures. Settle back, relax and get two bowls of pop corn and enjoy.

Crossing The Border Into Canada

Today, after two weeks in Great Falls, MT., we finally left for the Canadian Border with our friends Ken and Mary Dollar. The other couple, Michael and Terri left this morning heading back to Texas without so much as a bye your leave.

When we arrived at the Border Crossing, the Border Guard was very friendly and asked a very few questions and in about ten minutes we were on our way. We had heard all sorts of horror stories about the crossing but we had no problems.

We stopped at the Alberta Welcome Center and got several brochures about places to see on our way north to Edmonton.

Of course Jerry and I took some pictures of the area. These are just the beginning of pictures yet to come.