My name is Erin and I work at the Dawson Creek Visitor Center. One of the many pleasures of my job includes meeting incredible people from all over the globe. One of these encounters occurred on a June day when a group of Australians dropped by.
The trek up the Alaska Highway is one that thousands of tourists make every year, drawing people from all ends of the earth to experience the adventure of Northern BC. This week, the Visitor Center staff were able to make a few new mates from the land Down Under. Gillian and Keith Traviss hail from Howlong, Australia, which is located about 350 km North of Melbourne. Both couples are headed to Anchorage, Alaska and have been planning for a lifetime. For the Traviss family, the trip to through BC to Alaska was a birthday gift to Gillian from Keith. “It’s what we have always dreamed of” says Gillian.
Bob & Louise Snowball live in Buderin, Queens-land, which is located on the Sunshine Coast of Australia. The Snowballs loved the fact that “we turned on the snow tap” for their travels in Northern BC.
Both couples agree that the snow and the mountains have been the highlight of the trip so far. Once the group reaches Alaska, they will be traveling to Vancouver Island by boat, and then heading home.
After the Snowballs arrived at home safe and sound, I received this e-mail:
G'day Erin,
Firstly, thank you very much for your email and the attached article in Dawson Creek's " Tourist of the Week" publication. We didn't get your email until we arrived back in Australia on 12th June and sorry for the delay in replying, but we've been pretty busy since.
We had the most wonderful holiday in Canada and Alaska - we toured with a group (twenty-six in number) of Aussies in 12 Motorhomes, taking 22 days to travel from Seattle to Anchorage, via the Canadian Rockies, the Yukon and Fairbanks. We don't get much snow in Australia and your late winter season gave us the most magical experience ever! The majestic snow-covered mountains, the still-frozen lakes, the wildlife and scenery were just to die for! In addition to all that splendor, because we were driving at a fairly leisurely pace and staying at RV parks each night, we were able to visit and spend time in many towns and villages and meet so many wonderful and friendly local people. Especially so in Dawson Creek. The day we spent in your town, my wife and I were with another couple taking pictures of each other in front of the "Mile 0 Alaska Highway" sign, when a complete stranger driving past, actually stopped and parked his car to offer to take a picture of us all together.
It was great being the first tourists to be featured in your local paper and yes, we have bragged about it to our friends !!
Cheers,
Bob and Louise Snowball.