Wednesday, June 26, 2013 (Travel to Muncho Lake Provincial Park, BC)

We had a pretty good sleep last night considering we were camped along the side of the highway.  One thing we are finding really strange is how light it is at night...going to bed at 10:00 or 11:00 and it's still light as mid-day is really odd.  We've discovered that it really doesn't get pitch-dark, just dusky.  Wish we had black-out blinds for our windows!

We continued the short distance into Fort Nelson, filled up with diesel at $149.9 per/litre...the most expensive to date and then stopped at the local grocery store.  There also happened to be a liquor store next door...perfect...Steve replenished our supplies while I went and picked up a few groceries.  After a quick stop at a bank to get cash (most small provincial campgrounds don't take credit cards), we were on our way to the north end of town and the Fort Nelson Heritage Museum.

 

(Reminder: click on pictures to enlarge)

Steve's uncle (Gordon Oaks) knows the curator of the museum, Marl Brown and said that we really must stop in to see him and his amazing museum.  And quite a museum it is!  I have never seen such a huge collection...and all so well displayed!

It was going onto 11:00 when we arrived.  Unfortunately Marl had just stepped out for a bit...hopefully he will be back before we have to leave.

We went into the main building, paid the admission fee...

...and then started in the garage...what an amazing collection of old cars!

As we were finishing up inside the garage, a young fellow came along and asked us if we would like a tour of the museum grounds...well, ya!  He was very good, taking us around to the various buildings and explaining the history.  This is the communications building...

The Post Office...

The Hudson Bay House...

The upstairs bedrooms...

This is a trapper's cabin...

Lots of furs...

And, of course, the Blacksmith...

 

An engine from a crashed plane and a snow mobile...

After we were finished viewing everything outside and in the surrounding buildings, we went inside the main building...wow!

Old outboard engines...

Even the Olympic Torch from the Vancouver 2010 Winter Games...

After a couple of hours at this amazing museum, Marl Brown still hadn't returned and we just couldn't wait any longer.  We still had a few hours drive ahead of us to Muncho Lake.

The drive through the mountains was beautiful, it's just too bad that the clouds covered most of the mountain tops.  It would absolutely have been stunning had the weather been clear! 

Summit Pass, elevation 1,295m/4,250 feet, is the highest summit on the Alaska Highway.  "A beautiful area of bare rocky peaks which can be snow-covered any time of the year".

Wide and picturesque MacDonald River valley...

The highway winds along the wide rocky valley of MacDonald Creek.  MacDonald Creek and river were named for Charlie MacDonald, a Cree Indian credited with helping Alaska Highway survey crews locate the best route for the pioneer road.

113 Creek was named during construction of the Alaska Highway for its distance from Mile 0 at Fort Nelson.  While Dawson Creek was to become Mile 0 on the completed pioneer road, clearing crews began their work at Fort Nelson, since a rough winter road already existed between Dawson Creek and Fort Nelson. 

MacDonald River Bridge (metal gating bridge deck)...

Toad River Lodge is a historic highway lodge having been a fixture on the highway since 1950.

We hit the southern boundary of Muncho Lake Provincial Park...but we still had another 46 km/28.5 miles until we reached the campground.




We are following the Toad River now...

There are waterfalls on the side of this mountain...

Toad River...

We finally come to Muncho Lake, population 29...

Muncho Lake Airport...okay...it's a gravel airstrip...

Our campsite is on the point of land ahead...

Muncho Lake, known for its beautiful deep green and blue waters (although it's hard to tell by this picture...oh...and sorry about the dirty windshield), is 11 kms/7 miles in length and 1.6 kms/1 mile in width.  The colours are attributed to copper oxide leaching into the lake.

It was about 4:00 when we pulled into Strawberry Flats Campground.  We parked the rig in the big gravel area and walked in to check out the sites.

The first few sites, although close to the highway are the longest.  We chose site #6...right on the lake...sweet!  There are not many BC Provincial Parks that have campsites actually right on a lake.

Steve found a spot to set up the satellite dish...now he just had to find a way to secure it down on the soft gravel beach...

 Ahhh...what a beautiful spot!  We are looking forward to just relaxing for a bit...since a long weekend is coming up, we will just stay put.  Besides, Steve is really looking forward to getting his boat into the water to do a little fishing...it's been awhile!