The town was quiet when I got up. Traffic through town was steady all night long, but never loud nor disruptive. I stopped at the Tim Horton's for an XL cup of coffee and drove on south on the Alcan. I recognized this scenery, only now it all was in reverse. A large burn area south of Fort Nelson looked recent, as the entire spruce forest was burned but a green forest floor was already growing. Another large burn area was near Buckinghorse. I could see the distant northern Rockies to the far west. Skies were starting to clear as I continued on south. It even warmed up to the upper 60s.
The landscape flattened out as I drove the miles, from hilly, wooded terrain to more bucolic agricultural fields. I still had to stop for road construction north of Fort St John. The oil trucks, large RVs and constant stop-and-go traffic was starting to grate on me.
I made it to Fort St John by 3pm. I stopped at a Safeway to get the dogs raw meat. They ate that quickly. The Dodge mechanic in town was able to do a quick code diagnosis and determine I had a low-voltage battery, but he was too busy with other appointments and recommended I try the Canadian Tire shop in town. That mechanic apologetically said the same thing and was relieved when I asked if I could proceed on to Dawson Creek. He smiled with relief when l asked that, taking any pressure off of him.
The car repair shop at the Canadian Tire in Dawson Creek took my van in right away. I walked the dogs 1.5 miles around the industrial park (a large grassy field was our walking field), surrounded by several large hotels, and when I returned 30 minutes later my van was waiting. The new battery with terminal cost me $CND 215.00 but now the Check Engine light is off and I can drive on south to Jasper, AB in the morning. At least the weather looks good for hiking in Jasper and Banff!
After a few hours in town for a meal and a shower, I headed east on AB2 and then 40 toward Grande Cache. I didn't quite make it to town as it was farther than I could make it safely. I pulled over at a rest area right off the road and listened to oil trucks, logging trucks and other large tractor trailers roar past me. It wasn't a place I'd stop for the night normally but I was simply too tired.The road has many oil processing stations hidden by trees. This is the first actual dark night I've had since coming through Dawson Creek the first time. I had gotten used to the late night sun but tonight it actually got too dark to see the fore
I ended up driving 448 miles today.
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