Our complete driving route from Oregon to Alaska, over 2700 miles each way!
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Heading north in southern British Columbia along the Fraser River.
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Crooked River rest stop in northern British Columbia, south of Mackenzie.
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Trouble in Crooked River: drain plug in my car became dislodged and most of the oil leaked out. It's a good thing we stopped when we did. So much for getting my car serviced right before the trip. The problem was later diagnosed as a poor job done by the mechanic in Corvallis who had done the oil change on the car (shame on University Honda).
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Help!
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A Royal Canadian Mounted Policeman finally stopped and helped us after many hours waiting at the rest stop. We were in such a remote area of British Columbia that there was no cell or satellite phone service. The "Mountie" called AAA in Canada for us who arranged for a tow truck rescue.
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Our tow truck rescuer, Michel, from Mackenzie.
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The oil slick we left behind!
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To the mechanic's in Mackenzie, British Columbia, who, amazingly had us back on the road by the next morning!
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If we hadn't broken down south of Mackenzie and been taken out of our way into that town to get fixed, I never would have been led to this awesome mountain biking spot along Morfee Lake!
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Morfee Lake, Mackenzie, British Columbia. The hills above show pine beetle infestations, an unfortunate effect of climate change. The winters have been
too warm to kill the larvae, which has persisted in their pestilence. This
combined with a lack of fire has spelled doomed for many British Columbia
forests (for more see Raffa et al., Bioscience 58, 501, 2008.
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Mackenzie is a timber town and this is the largest tree crusher machine in the world.
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Back on the road again and into our first foray into the northern extent of the Canadian Rockies.
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South of Chetwynd, British Columbia.
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Folded strata in the Canadian Rockies.
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Again, many of the forests in this region of British Columbia were suffering from pine beetle infestations.
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Horse trailer with horses at a gas station in Chetwynd, British Columbia.
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The road ahead: beginning our WEST (finally!) on the Alaska Highway!
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Approaching Stone Mountain, in the Canadian Rockies, northernmost British Columbia.
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Stone Mountain
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Stone Mountain
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Beware of bighorn sheep sign
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Entering Muncho Lake Provincial Park area.
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