Day 4, Part One

We made an early start out of Grande Prairie this morning, in the air by 7:00 a.m. local time. We had to carefully negotiate the extra high-level security measures in place at the airport, which completely confounded the IFR Pilot:

Dad conquered it without complication. He's much more technically inclined than the IFR Pilot:

It took us about a half hour to make it to Dawson Creek, the official start of the Alaska Highway. The airport has a “Water Alighting Area” – i.e., a water runway – just to the north. It makes for a nice view as you approach for landing:

Lots of canola was visible in the areas adjacent to the airport.

We parked 78S in the excellent ramp available at CYDQ:

We grabbed a cab ride downtown for the outrageous sum of $15 Canadian, or about $12 US. Although Dawson Lake is remote, even it has big box retail available:

I suspect that it has something to do with the incredible numbers of RV’s that travel the Highway and need replenishing.

Here’s the official picture of the Dadster under the Alaska Highway sign:


Not everyone in town appears to appreciate the presence of Alaska Highway tourists:

Randy, this one’s for you. We would have stopped, but they weren't open....

Wonder what the rooms look like inside this place:

After a quick ride back to the airport, we blasted off for Ft. Nelson, via the Alaska Highway. It’s a bit like following the yellow brick road, except that it's not yellow. Go figure. Still, we found the breadcrumbs and kept motoring on.

Mountains are starting to appear:

Nice river valleys as well:

Two hours later, we landed at Ft. Nelson. Here’s 78S on the ramp awaiting a fill-up:

And the obligatory shot of the terminal:

Stay tuned for Day 4, Part Two.