Hello everyone. It's time to post pictures again! We're laying low this week (6/22-6/29) to rest up from our adventure in Denali Natl Park last week. I'll post pictures from Denali next week. We got lots of great (and not so great) animal pictures. We managed to photograph all the large mammal species in the park.

This batch of pictures follows our travels along the Alaska Highway through British Columbia and the Yukon Territory. So, sit back and enjoy. Some are goofy, some are scenic, and lots of animals.

This is suppose to be the biggest beaver in Canada. It's located appropriately in the town of Beaverlodge, Alberta. Obviously it's just a statue but we thought it was cute. Actually, it's tied with another statue in Dauphin, Manitoba for the distinction of being the biggest beaver in Canada. The beaver is 15 ft high and he's perched on a 19 ft log.




Here we are crossing the border into British Columbia. Shortly after this was taken we were pulled over by the cops. We tow a car behind our trailer (behind our truck). That's illegal in British Columbia and they are very strict. We didn't get a ticket. We just unhitched the car and Kathy drove it (until we got out of BC). The cop said he was going to radio ahead to tell other cops to watch for us.

This shot was taken in downtown Dawson Creek, British Columbia. This is the official start of the famous Alaska Highway. The Alaska Highway runs from here to Delta Junction, Alaska, a distance of 1390 miles. The Army Corps of Engineers built this road in 8 months (not years) during 1942 (March to October, I think). Something like 30,000 people worked on it during construction. The original road was a "pioneer road" made of dirt, gravel, mud and temporary bridges. It's been undergoing upgrades and repairs for the past 67 years. It's actually a pretty good road along most of it's length.

The rest of these pictures were taken along the Alaska Highway in British Columbia and the Yukon Territory.


OK, what kind of bear is this?? If you said grizzly because it's brown, your wrong!! It's actually a black bear. You can tell by the hump missing from it's back, the long ears and long, slender snout. In the western US and Canada about 50% of black bears are not black. They range from tan to brown, cinnamon, and even reddish brown like this guy. He was browsing along the side of the road in the northern Canadian Rockies in BC.


Look close at the sign on this outhouse. I think that says it all.

(In case you can't read the sign, it says "CLOSED, CAUSE ITS FULL"






This picture is really special (to me). This is a Stone Sheep. It's a cousin to the Rocky Mountain Big Horn Sheep you see in the US and Canadian Rockies. These guys only live in the extreme northern Rockies and can be very hard to find. Luckily this guy was grazing near the road on a steep hill. Also lucky that we found a place to pull the trailer over and park, and it's lucky that my wife is extremely competent with a telephoto lens. This was taken in northern BC

This is not an ordinary buffalo like you see in Yellowstone NP. This is a Wood Buffalo. They're found in SW Canada. I don't really know the technical difference between a plains buffalo of the US and a Wood Buffalo. If anyone knows please Email me the answer. This shot was taken in northern BC along the Alaska Highway.

OK, this is a black, black bear. If you keep scrolling down you'll see a picture of grizzly bears.
This shot was taken in northern BC along the Alaska Highway.

OK, now the trip is getting serious, We're crossing into the Yukon Territory. There are dog mushers, gold panners, and mounties on every corner!! Only kidding. Actually there are bears and moose on every corner. Seriously, there aren't very many corners...

This is really cool. They call this the signpost forest. It's located in the town of Watson Lake, Yukon. Apparently when the Alaska Highway was being built (1942) a soldier put up a sign for his hometown. The idea caught on and others started hanging up signs. The town liked it, so they now invite anyone to put up a sign when they pass through. They estimate that there are 60,000 signs but I think that estimate is very low. It looks more like a million!! The forest covers a few acres. There are wooden posts every few feet and they are covered with signs on both sides. The posts are about 8 ft high.

This old Cat bulldozer (I think it's a C-8) was on display at the signpost forest. It's one of the original machines that the Corp used to build the Alaska Highway in 1942.

Take a close look. These are grizzly bears. See the distinct hump on the back of the bear furthest from the camera?? Also notice the small ears and shorter nose. This is most likely a sow (female) with a second or third summer cub. Bears keep their cubs around for 2-3 years before they run them off and mate again. These bears look the same size but that's due to the flattened perspective of the long telephoto lens used for this picture. The bear closest to the camera (mother) was actually larger than the one in the back (cub). This was taken right along the highway.

This is a typical pull-off on the Alaska Highway. This one was especially scenic so we took this shot. The RV you see in the photo is NOT us. It's just another weary Alaska Highway traveller.

This is Mrs. Moose browsing on tender aquatic vegetation. We didn't see a calf in the area (which is normal in the spring) but it could have been hidden in the brush close by (also normal behavior for a mother moose).

This is a nice shot looking down the Alaska Highway. Those are the Wrangell Mountains in the distance (I think, they could also be the Elias Range).

This is one of our "lunch stops". Not bad, huh?? We were somewhere in the Yukon 100 miles or so from the Alaska border. That lake in the background was frozen solid. Keep in mind that this is May 31st. You can't tell from the picture but the truck, trailer, and car (way in the back) are covered with mud. YUCK!!

I think this is a nice shot to close this posting with. I hope you enjoyed them. The next batch will cover our time in Fairbanks including our trip to the Arctic Circle. See you then.

Dennis & Kathy