April 29, 2010 | Tips from Travellers >
Dawson Creek, Car / Truck / Motorcycle
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When I travel, I take my laptop. When I stop for a break from driving, I like to find a place that allows me to connect to the Internet so that I can check my email, make a travel blog entry and surf the web for information on the area I am in.
Who wants to drive around searching for places that might have service? Especially in an RV? I found out that Dawson Creek makes it easy for visitors.
There are 2 spots in our city to take advantage of free and easy wireless access. The locations were chosen for their proximity to services geared for visitor convenience.
1.
N.A.R. Park (easy RV parking, near the Visitors Center, Art Gallery, Museum)
2.
Downtown Core around the Mile O Post and Alaska Highway House (you'll want to check that out anyway)
Go ahead, check your email, write your blogs, surf the web, but remember you are on vacation,
so no 'work'...
April 26, 2010 | Tips from Travellers >
Dawson Creek, Attractions
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The big blue bridge you use to cross the Peace River in Taylor, BC when you travel the Alaska Highway is not the original, it's actually the replacement.
My Dad operated heavy equipment during the building of the Alaska Highway in 1942, long before I was born.
I remember driving north with him and when we crossed over the long
Peace River Bridge he told me that the original had collapsed in 1957. Dad said a landslide caused it.
I did a bit of digging and found a great article by the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of BC.
The original wooden suspension type Peace Bridge was built in 1942 as an essential piece of the Alaska Highway and was considered one of Canada's great bridges at the time of it's opening. It was the longest on the whole highway.
In 1957, a truck driver noticed unusual settlement in the road so the army (responsible) immediately closed it. Over the course of the next day, the bridge structures continued to shift and just after noon on October 16, 1957, the bridge collapsed into the Peace River.
They determined that the bridge failed due to a landslide in the shale bedrock that it was built on. Shale is simply mud that has hardened over millions of years... from the time when dinosaurs walked the earth.
The problem with shale is that once it's exposed again to water, it will eventually turns back to mud.
It's believed that the bridge foundation likely began to deteriorate soon after it was constructed and continued until the time of the collapse.
A portable Bailey bridge was erected for immediate use while the Train Bridge was planked for traffic until the new bridge was built and completed in 1960.
Now, when you cross the big blue bridge, you will notice a strange feel and sound. Don't worry, it's the steel deck. It's a unique sensation and no matter how many times you drive across it, you will notice it. We all do.
April 19, 2010 | Tips from Travellers >
Dawson Creek, Sightseeing Tours
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We have found that a great way to spend an enjoyable day with out of town visitors is to take day trips to showcase the beauty of this part of the world.
One of our favorites is to start here in Dawson Creek and drive (100km/60miles) on Highway 97 to Chetwynd, a small community in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. We grab a coffee, buy the kids an ice cream and take a walk to check out the many amazing chainsaw art sculptures in the town center.
From there, we head to Hudson's Hope (22km/14miles) on Highway 29. We always stop at the museum that was a Hudson's Bay Store and is packed with Dinosaur bones and fossils and interesting artifacts and history of the region.
Another short little jaunt takes us to the incredible W.A.C. Bennett Dam and Williston Lake. We love taking the underground bus tour of the dam. My Dad was a heavy-duty equipment operator during the construction and the immensity of the project never ceases to amaze. We usually have lunch at the café, watch the video at the interpretive center and head to the lake for a bit of a leg stretch.
The next leg of the trip is to Fort St. John (86km/53miles) still on Highway 29. There is beautiful country on that road. In Fort St. John, we often stop to grab another coffee and treat and head back to Dawson Creek on the Alaska Highway.
We always take the short side trip to drive across the historic curved wooden Kiskatenaw Bridge. The bridge has been bypassed in order to protect it. It was the only one of it's kind and is the last original bridge of the Alaska Highway still in use.
Then it's home to an easy dinner and more visiting.
April 15, 2010 | Tips from Travellers >
Dawson Creek, Beaches & Swimming
I love swimming in our new aquatic center! Growing up in Dawson Creek, I liked the old Centennial Swimming Pool downtown, but wow... the new one is awesome!
We have an eight lane competition pool, a huge hot tub for soaking and socializing, sauna and steam rooms, male, female and family change rooms, 1 & 3 meter diving boards, a swirl pool that is designed like a river for swimming or walking against the current, a huge waterslide, and a little kids play pool.
Regardless of the weather outside, it's warm and bright inside. We love to take our out of town visitors swimming.
The aquatic center is part of our multiplex. We have a 250 meter walking track, a 6,500 seat events center which regularly hosts big names and events and an equestrian center, all in the same building.
There is plenty of parking for RVs. It's a great place to take a break, get some exercise and enjoy the water.
I'm getting up my nerve to try the waterslide... it looks like so much fun!
April 13, 2010 | Tips from Travellers >
Dawson Creek, Historic & Heritage Sites
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My Mom came to the Peace River Country as a young woman in 1939 with her family. They were political refugees fleeing Nazi Germany. She worked at the original Dawson Creek hospital.
When Japan attacked Pearl Harbor in 1941, the leaders in Washington decided they needed to have a supply route to Alaska. They wanted it done in less than one year. They needed men and equipment and lots of both.
Mom remembered the
arrival of the US troops and Canadian civilians along with all the equipment that came to build the Alaska Highway in 1942. She said the quiet agricultural town burst at the seams overnight. There were soldiers and equipment and noise and mud everywhere.
My Dad was one of the civilians who came here as a young man to operate heavy equipment on the construction of the highway.
They met at a dance hall on a Friday night.
The Dawson Creek of that time meant a lot of things to a lot of people.
There are great original photographs of the period at the
Alaska Highway House downtown by the Mile "O" Post and also at the
Dawson Creek Art Gallery.
The
Sudetan Hall (original hall built by Mom's people, moved and restored) at
Pioneer Village also houses a great collection of original photos of the Czechoslovakia pre and post WWII as well as the building of a new community in a new land.
April 09, 2010 | Tips from Travellers >
Dawson Creek, Car / Truck / Motorcycle
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When we go traveling we often stop at the
Visitor's Center to get the information on what we happen to need from the location. Sometimes we need a Laundromat, sometimes we're looking for the choices of bed-and-breakfasts.
Here is a quick overview of the services and attractions in Dawson Creek. Of course, you'll probably want to stop at the Visitors Center in the N.A.R. Park too for all the complete information.
(there is plenty of RV parking there and it's right beside the traffic circle in the middle of town, you can't miss it)Dawson Creek offers a full range of RV Facilities, lodging in hotels/motels and bed-and-breakfasts, dining-in restaurants and fast-food outlets, gas stations, campgrounds, laundromats, department stores, banks, grocery, drug and hardware stores, antique shops and other specialty shops.
We have a modern hospital, a public library, a college, churches, and great recreation facilities.
Things to Check Out:- The Alaska Highway House showcases the history of the Alaska Highway.
- Mile 0 marker of the Alaska Highway is located in downtown Dawson Creek and a popular photo subject.
- Dawson Creek Station Museum, at Northern Alberta Railways (NAR) Park, displays pioneer artifacts and wildlife collections.
- Dawson Creek Art Gallery, housed in a huge wooden grain elevator, features local and regional artists’ work.
- Walter Wright Pioneer Village contains an impressive collection of local pioneer buildings and recently built replicas.
- Picnic and swim at Mile 0 Rotary Park.
- Stretch your legs on the scenic Dawson Creek Walking Path.
- Tour Dawson Creek’s murals, which portray aspects of Alaska Highway construction.
There is plenty to do and plenty to see here.
April 07, 2010 | Tips from Travellers >
Dawson Creek, Art Galleries & Artists
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One of my favorite places to take our out-of-town visitors is the
big brown grain elevator Art Gallery right in the heart of the city.
Located in the N.A.R. park which is also the home of the Mile "O" Cairn and the Museum and Visitors Center, the Art Gallery is a must see when you come to visit.
The building itself is a renovated grain elevator that was moved to its present location in 1982 by the City of Dawson Creek with the help and support of a group of dedicated Art Society members to save it from demolition.
When you walk in the front doors, you enter the actual belly of the elevator, where the grain was kept all those years ago. I love the original wooden floor.
A ramp was built that spirals up and around the walls to the top. The walls themselves are the gallery space and you simply stroll along, enjoying the art, going higher and higher. At any time, you can stop and peer over the sturdy railing for a great view of the whole space.
The Gallery also has a great gift shop with lots of local treasures. It's a favorite shopping spot for both locals and visitors looking for something hand crafted and unique.
The back staircase of the building is a gallery within a gallery. It is chock full of original photos of the building of the Alaska Highway. Make sure you remember to check it out.
As a side note: there is plenty of RV parking at the N.A.R. park. It's the best place to stop and stretch your legs and explore the city.
April 05, 2010 | Tips from Travellers >
Dawson Creek, Bird Watching
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Everyone knows one of the best things about spring is birds.
Here in the
Peace River Country we love birds. Both the birds who make their permanent homes here and the ones who have been elsewhere over the winter and come here to nest and raise their families.
In fact we do an annual bird count.
Dawson Creek has several great places to view birds. There is a terrific wetland just minutes northeast of town where more than 100 species have been sighted. It's called
McQueen's Slough and it is free of charge and a must see while visiting. We take our out-of-town visitors to the slough as a regular part of the hometown tour.
There is a long wooden boardwalk along the edges of the slough where you can be in the midst of the marsh life without compromising the integrity of the natural habitat.
It is common to see ducks and Canada Geese and other water birds (I saw trumpeter swans one time). Of course, it's always fun to be scolded by a protective redwing blackbird that thinks you are too close to his nest in the bulrushes.
There are plenty of other places to get close to the birds and the Visitors Center at the N.A.R. Park has a free brochure on the local species and viewing sites.
Make sure you have fresh batteries for your camera and some mosquito spray, because birds, marshes and mosquitoes go together.
April 01, 2010 | Tips from Travellers >
Dawson Creek, Historic & Heritage Sites
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My Dad came to Dawson Creek to work on the
Alaska Highway as a civilian in 1942. He operated heavy equipment along side the American soldiers.
In what was one of the earliest and coldest autumns ever recorded, Dad said the equipment took a real beating that year. The temperatures froze lubricants, seized transmissions and snapped axels. Equipment had to be kept running 24 hours a day, shutting them off was out of the question.
Wrecked and abandoned vehicles were a common sight on the sides of the road as it grew in miles. The combination of the brutal cold weather conditions and the scarcity of spare parts meant many were left to rust where they broke down.
A lot of the creeks that had to be crossed were swift water and resisted freezing even in the harsh cold. Often rushing through the interior of the smaller vehicles, cold water drenched men and steel alike. The underside of any vehicles that crossed became immediately ice coated and had to be kept moving or else the ice would lock the wheels within seconds of standing still.
The cold temperatures not only froze the equipment, it brutalized the men too. Dad said one of his friends froze to death alone when his bulldozer broke down and no help was available. Many of the men who worked the road experienced frostbite that year.
When you travel the highway you will see the rusting relics of the abandoned equipment. It's a fitting tribute to the effort it took to build the Alaska Highway.