Day 5: July 8, 2019

When we left the hotel in Hinton it was approximately 50 degrees, and in the 40s in the mountains. It was cold. For much of the trip, the temperature was in the high forties, and raining. I bought a pair of Harley gloves before I left, as they were advertised as being thermal and waterproof. They were neither. By the time we reached our hotel, my hands were blue. 

I picked up a new pair of waterproof gloves at a hunting store. Remember Henry Ford: People can purchase a Model T in any color they want, as long as it's black. Well, it was either freeze, or purchase camouflage waterproof gloves. I am going to look really cool wearing those camo gloves in winter in Chicago. They look like gauntlets. 

The scenery was wonderful: a black ribbon cut through the forest. 

There were signs everywhere about watching out for caribou. And I saw a number of large animals on the side of the road. My thought bubble: "my, those are large deer." It turns out that they were caribou, and we saw a moose too. Who knew?

At our first gas stop, we met Mateo - native of Columbia. He had bicycled all over the world. His last trip was from Argentina to Venezuela. On this trip, he was cycling from Toronto to Alaska and had been on the road for four months. He has nothing other than what he carries, and sleeps in the woods a night. Sounds a little scary. But he was a really nice guy. 

Our second gas stop, we had lunch at a Canadian institution: Tim Horton's. It is the Dunkin Donuts of Canada, but they have sandwiches too. Tim Horton is in the hockey hall of fame. 

There is a strong hockey theme in the store, which is why you can buy hockey puck coasters - just what every family needs. 

En route, we encountered the "mud highway." There was a large roadway project, with significant dirt work. There was dust and dirt everywhere. While that is bad enough, it started to rain meaning that we're driving over mud on the roadway. It was not for the faint of heart. 

We arrived in Dawson Creek, the start of the Alaska Highway, after driving 301 miles. Our trip total is 2,420 miles. Tomorrow, we begin the Alaska Highway drive to Fairbanks.