Day 14: Simonette AB to Pink Mountain BC, July 14

We’ve branched out from our normal bus fare of sandwiches, and attempted to make perogies today at a quiet campground called Hommy Park. They weren’t terribly successful – not much control with the bus’s stove. Also, the drinking water from their tap was a surprising shade of rusty red.

However, Beaverlodge, Alberta more than made up for it with their giant beaver statue. Soon after we crossed into northern BC and were in Dawson Creek to visit a pioneer village museum and buy postcards. Mike had the sudden realization that some of the houses in the museum had been built a decade after our house, which put things in a weird sort of perspective. Later on, in Fort St. John, and after seeing the third “Mr. Mike’s Steakhouse & Grill” in as many days, we decided we had to try it out. (Think of the Keg, but a little less formal, and you’ve got it – apparently it’s a west coast chain.)

We continued on to a place called “Pink Mountain”, where we stayed in a privately-owned campground. These tend not to be our favourites – too cramped, usually, and often noisy. They do tend to have hot showers and flush toilets, though, which is nice every night or two! There’s no BC Hydro on the Alaska Highway between Fort St. John and Fort Nelson, so this campground had to run everything off a generator. I heard it faintly all night.

Total so far: 4548km.