That Damn tour!

Well, actually, it should read “dam” tour, but sounds a lot more interesting title than “Hey look, we saw stuff”. 

Lily trying her hand at sculpting

We did decide to stay longer in Taylor. We woke up Wed morning to wet grey skies and decided it would be a good morning to huddle in the trailer. Dressed in my rain jacket & rain pants I went to pay the camp host for another day. They weren't there, but I did get a closer look at the sand sculptures I had barely noticed on the way in. I went back, got the rest of the family and we all took a closer look. Taylor hosts an International invitational Sand Sculpture demonstration/ competition at the end of June (along with a gold panning competition that we just missed on the long weekend). Although the weather hadn't been ideal for preserving the large sand sculptures, they were still impressive. It’s rather amazing how much detail can be rendered in packed sand.

Although the artists were no longer present, their bios were available, and they really did come from all over the world. 

The skies cleared a bit after lunch and we decided to head to Fort St. John, 20 km or so up the road. But first we stopped at the Taylor Info Centre. Bob spent a fair bit of time with the chatty, friendly host, who told him about things to do in the area. One of the main highlights of the region is the WAC Bennett Dam, near Hudson’s Hope, a community a bit over an hour south of Fort St. John. This earth filled dam provides hydroelectric power to much of British Columbia. The dam has underground tours every hour on the half hour. Checking our watches we realized we would be hard pressed to make it to the last tour of the day, so planned for the following day.  Instead we took in a bit of the local history. The Alaska Highway was built in 8 short months, through terrible conditions, and there are many stories of what the soldiers and workers endured.  Charlie Lake is a lovely lake just north of the city. It is also the site where 12 soldiers who were working on the highway lost their lives when their boat overturned in choppy waters.  A local trapper was able to rescue 5 soldiers, but the rest drowned in the icy water. The US and Canadian governments erected a memorial on the north edge of the lake to pay tribute to the men and the heroism of the fellow who aided those in need.

Memorial

The next day dawned a fair bit nicer, and we prepared to leave the campground and head to the dam.  I am very happy to say that hitching and unhitching are both going so much smoother.  Although this day’s travel started off with a bit of a hiccup. We hitched up, headed out of the campground, over the bridge and up the hill to Taylor to the sani-dump. All was well until I took the turn to the sani-dump, and the entire truck & trailer stopped dead. What the!?  Somehow I had managed to pull the break-away cable from the hitch, going down the small decline, although it really wasn't obvious how. Luckily it only took a moment to figure that out.  Plugging it back in, we were able to move forward again and dump (it still is a pe-ew job, but Bob has taken it over and I am fine with that). We were both a bit paranoid after pulling the cable and were extra careful in its placement. I definitely would not want that to happen while going highway speeds. 

We decided to stop into Wal-Mart to get a few groceries before heading to the dam and noticed several unhitched trailers there. Hmm. Bob asked permission to drop the trailer, and they were fine with it. We both figured it would be a more enjoyable drive to the dam (and less expensive on fuel) without the trailer, and we happily left it in the parking lot (with the hitch lock on).  And boy, were we right.  Highway 29 south to Hudson’s Hope is a beautiful, winding drive that mostly follows the Peace River valley. It also has many twisty 10% grade hills. We stopped briefly in Hudson’s Hope for lunch and then headed the rest of the way to the dam, just in time for the tour. There are many interesting and interactive displays in the Interpretive centre, but the really neat stuff is underground.

WAC Bennett Dam from the Centre

Powerhouse

We boarded a school bus and went 500 feet underground to the powerhouse of the dam where 10 turbines pump out enough electricity to power 1/3 of BC. The powerhouse, if turned upright would be taller than the Calgary Tower and would reach to the observation deck of the Eiffel Tower.  Big! The turbines spin at around 300 km/hr and, amazingly, the fish make it through just fine. We walked from the powerhouse to the manifold room, where the water is slowed down for re-entry into a river. (Morgan was most impressed by this dark, cavern-like room.) The fish slow down too, but evidently are quite dizzy and once outside are easy pickings for the many bald and golden eagles which hang out around where the river reforms below the dam. Smart birds!  The kids enjoyed checking out all the displays after the tour and Morgan even tried his hand at creating some electricity pedal power style. He didn't do so well, but Bob succeeded in lighting a few light bulbs for a moment. It’s a good thing I don’t need to rely on pedal power! 

There are many other activities & sights to see in and around Hudson’s Hope, but I wasn't feeling 100% and wanted to get going. Back in Fort St. John, we picked up the trailer and then headed further north on the Alaska Highway. Our overnight stop was at Sikanni Chief River Bridge Campground, which is right beside the Sikanni River and the famous Sikanni Chief River bridge, the original of which was built in only 84 hours. It’s at the bottom of the Sikanni Chief hill, a long steep grade down. My dad had cautioned me about its steepness and I was prepared for a serious, possibly hair raising descent. Pfft. The truck’s exhaust brake handled the road just fine, and I barely needed the truck’s brakes. I think I've said it before, but I’ll say it again. I am very thankful we chose the truck we did and weren't lulled into choosing something that “could” have handled our trailer. We chose a vehicle (and hitch) that we KNOW can handle the trailer. And it does.    

We enjoyed the quiet relaxed atmosphere of the campground (and it's excellent showers) and then headed on to Fort Nelson.The drive was easy and only two hours long. It was really nice to arrive at our next campground, with most of the afternoon to relax and enjoy the afternoon. I personally, am not a fan of starting my traveling day in the late afternoon. I worry about animals on the road, the possibility of a breakdown and not being able to get help, and just driving tired with nearly 13000lbs behind us. The kids rode their bikes and ran around, terrorizing (or entertaining & charming) the campground host and long term stays. I think they both did more charming, since everyone seemed rather bemused by their stories. It’s a good thing our full-time travel is not a secret because Morgan loves to share the details with everyone who is willing to listen. Lily does too. It is positive to hear them still speak of our travel plans with excitement. There have been a few days in this past month (wow, we've been traveling a month already!) where I have thought for sure we are insane. What the Heck was I thinking!!! But that’s just the pessimist in me coming out.We're still finding our groove and I sure hope we find it soon! Tomorrow we’re off to take in the charms of this small town.