BC critter crawl

Beautiful day in beautiful BC and the animals came out to enjoy it.
Stone sheep...

Caribou ...

Herds of wood bison...

And of course, black bears...

Visited some of the wetter critters too...

Burf! caught a  nice grayling on nymph from the Toad River 

I caught a little lake trout on nymph from the Trout River (where else?)

And we finally crossed 60° latitude.

Now, the fun really begins!!!

Rolling along

Busy travel day making our way to the Alaska Highway.
Used new badass LED grill lights at 0800, not for night vision but so oncoming might see us in zero-viz smoke from fire that's been burning since April.

Stopped for fuel at a gas bar on the Tetis Reservation where you turn on the pump and visit with the proprietor while fueling.

Then stopped to fish at Twin Lakes. Nothing harder than trying to tie on a #14 dry when you've just seen a huge rainbow in the gin-clear water at the end of the dock!
Open to suggestions to describe the blue. Crayola just doesn't have this in their box!

Then a must stop for lunch!

Plus more Alberta scenery before crossing in to BC at Ft. St. John's.

For fishing licenses and a convenient brewery.

She really tried to seduce me to trade my SD growler for a Beard's Brewing but too strong for her siren's song.

And then at-laska, the Alaska Highway which requires a whole new travel rhythm...

But it's a goodern and we're immersed in the adventure.

New roads

Only one destination on this trip and it's miles and days away, because the only travel priority is new roads for adventure and learning, seeing and experiencing new stuff...
While provisioning first thing in the morning were approached in the grocery store by friendly local who saw TX license plates. Chatted a bit and he told us about a local meat market with smoked meats. So intent we find it that he followed us across town and met us in the parking lot! Store closed...
But, while chatting with him the owner opened early so Burf! could shop for bison, elk and sitch. We call that Mojo.

North Country Meats

Provisioned we headed north and foraged for a forest breakfast.

Stopped at the blustery Lesser Slave Lake - which is huge!

Wet a line in a feeder for Swampy Lake and enjoyed hundreds of miles of northern Alberta scenery, including 3 black bears and a bald eagle.

Shut down for the evening in High Level. Motel hallway merits mention as longest ever encountered and a long way for extra morning coffee.

Our room is at the FAR end ... daunting, but coffee is worth it.

Onward...

Pursuing your passion, Pt. 2

Love local bars with local beers and local folks! Bobby recommended Kokanee but had never had a draft so bought him one and changed his life...

Table next to the bar was discussing how great things must be in Texas vs. Canada... one "God Bless Texas" and spent the next four hours getting to know Nick, Shannon, Billy and Joe! For so many miles between there's lots in common!

Nick is a self-taught talented musician who hocked his guitar to pay bills despite his love of the blues and SRV. Gave him some Max Stalling, Gary P. Nunn, and Pat Green CDs to brighten his palette, plus some encouragement towards getting that guitar back!
Shannon's intelligence and drive will make her one of Alberta's premier judges one day! She's back to school soon.
Young people, passionate but maybe a little stymied at the moment.
Hopefully nudged to pursue them soon...
Now northward, towards the territories and north of 60° latitude!

Pursuing your passion, Pt. 1

Tuesday was mostly about embracing and honing our passions, or at least some of them ...

Breakfast at Maggie Mae's in Lloydminster, AB/SK with imported Cholula! Last thing I remember ordering at a Maggie Mae's was a beer...

Then on to Edmonton's first craft brewery Alley Kat. Tasty flight of beers plus growing hops and two-row barley. Definitely worth a growler full!

Then to Reid's Fly Shop for northern expertise!

Shut down to begin serious prep for adventure... finally!!!

Before...

After

Motels with adjacent bar&grill always a priority... to be continued...

Slow Canada

It's not just the reduced speed limits or extensive range of the southern Provinces that may make it seem like it's taking longer than usual to move towards Tuk.
There's the interesting and cool stops to explore local flora, fauna, and culture plus our abhorrence of major thoroughfares. But mostly it's the great people we meet along the way...
Took us 3 hours to cross Saskatoon with several stops at brew pubs and fishing shops for provisions. Great little city, but it ain't That big!

Local provisioning 

Shut down at a motor inn in North Battleford, backed the rig up to the door and headed for a bite and beer in the pub. Ended up spending 4 hours chatting, laughing and learning from Anthony and Jake, long haul operators, plus everyone else in the bar. From Peterbilts to crops to fishing and hunting to aircraft to taxes and politics, we covered it all! Biggest challenge was fighting over who got the next round. Even met a guy from Manchester who when he heard my people were Liverpudlian broke out some scouse!
Real people in the real world. Consensus was the vast majority of politicians don't get us...
Listening to the Canada geese and chatting with a raven are fun, but learning from locals builds memories.

Total immersion

Great thing about traveling with Burf! is his willingness to immerse in local flora, fauna and culture.
While I'm driving he's studying up on aquatic insects and the corresponding flies, edible plants, and local brews.

Knot tying practice 

North American Game Warden Museum

One must-see in the Peace Garden is the museum dedicated to those in law enforcement who protect us and our defenseless natural resources!