Snow When It's Not Snowing

One of the prettiest sights in the Peace River Country is hoarfrost in the winter.

It happens when it's really cold and still overnight and there is a lot of moisture in the air. A thick layer of crystals forms on all the trees and when the sun hits the frost, the whole landscape sparkles like diamonds.

Any air movement causes the frost to drift off the trees, and it looks and feels like light snow is falling, even if the skies are clear and blue.

A hoarfrost morning is the perfect time for a walk, to stand under a tree and shake it or go for a drive down a country road lined with trees and bushes.

The thing about this special frost is as mysteriously as it appears; it just as quietly disappears so make sure you take time to enjoy it.

Snow When It's Not Snowing

If you have been driving through the Peace River Country in July, you have undoubtedly noticed a lot of bright yellow fields as far as the eye can see. It's canola. And it blooms for a few weeks every July

I love it when visitors come here in Canola season, often it's the first time they've seen this remarkable sight. When the sun shines it's spectacular.

This is where much of your canola oil comes from. It's harvested in the fall after the blossoms have faded and the pods have developed.

Another common sight at Canola season is people standing beside their vehicles on the side of the road taking pictures of the landscapes. The color is a fabulous backdrop for old buildings, barns and wildlife.

Deer find the canola fields a great place to hide when they are resting and it's common to see only heads above the blossoms or a herd leaping and bounding over the sea of yellow.

We never tire of the beauty.

A Scenic Drive to the Peace River in the Springtime

Just a short 45 minutes north of Dawson Creek on the Rolla Highway is the Clayhurst Bridge across the Peace River. It's a great place to experience a big river, a big bridge, a beautiful view and peace and quiet all at the same time.

There is a place at the south end of the bridge to pull over and park so you can walk across the bridge. There used to be a plaque that dedicated the bridge to a former MLA, but it was vandalized years ago and not replaced.

There is very little traffic on the bridge and no other sounds of civilization so you can really appreciate the sounds of the water, the wind that comes down the valley and the vibration of the bridge under your feet. The power is amazing.

The center of the bridge is the best place to stop and lean over the rail to watch the water flow by under your feet carrying the occasional log downriver. The last time we were there, a pair of Canada Geese flew under the bridge right under us.

On the north side of the bridge is another old wooden bridge that crosses a smaller river that flows into the Peace, we like to cross that one too and carry on hiking up the banks for a bigger workout.

I was really impressed with the thickness of the ice on the banks of the river. Take your camera!

A Scenic Drive to the Peace River in the Springtime

Finding a GeoCache Stash in Dawson Creek.

GPS in hand, I went with a Geo-caching friend on a high-tech treasure hunt to find a cache box near a cemetery just south of Dawson Creek. (Tomslake)

We had checked out GeoTourismCanada online and found a whole list of locations in and around Dawson Creek.

Even though I live in the area and knew where we were going for this hunt, it was very exciting to forget that and just follow the GPS coordinates. I used to love orienteering with a compass when I was in school, so this gave the same thrill.

Learning how to read the GPS device was the tricky part and I'm sure it would get easier with practice. We stopped the truck several times along the way so I could learn and practice how to read coordinates.

Finding the box itself just by following the coordinates was a challenge as well as a lot of fun.

Inside the box was a plastic bag with a small pencil and a logbook to write in. Several other people had written in the book ahead of us. We made sure everything was tucked away for the next adventurer.

I can certainly see why people love this sport.

Finding a GeoCache Stash in Dawson Creek.

Hungry Little Fox

Winter has finally come to the Peace River Area, and with it cold temperatures and the beginning of snow.

I was walking by my living room window the other day, and saw a movement out of the corner of my eye.

My dogs were sleeping on their beds in the house so wondering what the movement was; I looked closer and saw a red fox eating kibble out of our dog food bowl. He/She was right up on the deck.

By the time I got my camera, she must have sensed that she was being watched, because she left the deck and moved farther out to the yard.

I am wondering if this is the same fox that lives in the old abandoned farmstead down the road. People know to watch out for her although as the saying about 'smart as a fox' goes, she seems pretty good at looking after herself.

One of the best things about this part of the country is the closeness to wildlife. All you have to do is drive around; you are bound to see a wild animal doing what wild animals do.

Hungry Little Fox

Chilling Out at The Sukunka River

One of the prettiest places to go for a weekend of camping, especially in the fall, is the Sukunka River, about an hour and a half west of Dawson Creek.

We went in early October when the fall leaves were at their colorful peak. We found a great place to camp a short distance from the road that is right on the banks of the river.

The Sukunka is also well known for some great waterfalls. They are beautiful and easy to get to as well.

Getting to the Sukunka is a bit of an adventure itself because all traffic must share the road with coal trucks going back and forth. The road is radio controlled, so the best thing to do is wait for a truck going the same way you are and get in behind it. Stop when it stops and go when it goes.

The Sukunka is in bear country so it's really important to be smart. We are very careful with our garbage and cooking methods and very watchful as well.

The fishing is great! The river is awesome and the setting is spectacular! A real favorite!

Chilling Out at The Sukunka River

Mother Natures Peace Country Patchwork Quilt

Friends from Oregon told me that one of the things they love the best about their visit to Dawson Creek is the square block of fields that stretch from horizon to horizon. She said it reminds her of a big patchwork quilt.

I agree. Even after living here my whole life, I still admire the panoramic views of green and gold fields, separated by dirt roads and hedges of trees.

No matter the season, it does look like a patchwork quilt. The view is especially spectacular in the July Canola season. The yellow-est yellow imaginable, all set out in perfect squares as far as the eye can see.

I also appreciate the soft browns of late fall when the crops have come off and the fields are getting ready to rest for the winter. The grain left by the harvest machinery makes easy pickings for the wildlife that lives so close to us.

Mother Natures Peace Country Patchwork Quilt

The Scoop on the Alaska Highway Road Conditions

• Do we need 10 sets of spare tires?
  
• Will our windshields get smashed out by rocks?
• How many miles of gravel will there be?
• Is there still muskeg?
• Do we need to carry spare gas?

These are the questions that came up around the fire with our friends who were on their way up the highway this year. They had heard horror stories from people who had traveled the Highway years and years ago.

The Alaska Highway is a fairly smooth road all the way from Dawson Creek. BC to Fairbanks, Alaska. It is pretty much paved all the way.

The ongoing issue is that every year the ground freezes and thaws and the pavement ripples and heaves and cracks in spots.

Maintenance crews are constantly repairing the road and you will have periodic waits while flag people get you through safely.

You will undoubtedly come across patches of loose gravel and occasional rough spots but as long as you are well prepared to begin with, you will be just fine.

The road is a pleasure to drive.

The Scoop on the Alaska Highway Road Conditions

Yield the Right Of Way... to Moose!

It seems like more often than not when I'm driving the back roads of the Peace River Country and up & down the Alaska Highway in the fall, I see moose and deer.

Yesterday I came around a corner and had to stop my car for Mama and Baby who were taking their time crossing the road in front of me. Once I stopped my car, they stopped as well. They did not seem afraid of me in the least.

I just happened to have my camera with me and they obliged me with several minutes of photo opportunities. Once they sauntered over to the field on the other side of the road, they started grazing in the oats stubble left by the harvest.

It was getting dark when I took this photo and if you look closely you can see the light from my headlights shining on their long legs. I am confident I will see this pair again over the coming months and I just hope that their lack of concern for vehicles does not cause them harm.

Thankfully, it is a common practice here for the highways departments to clear the roadside ditches of shrubs to make it easier to see the wildlife. We are all used to scanning ahead in the ditches when we drive.

Driving carefully is a must!

Yield the Right Of Way... to Moose!

Power & Serenity on the Mighty Peace River

When we need to take a break from the daily routines we head down to the ClayHurst crossing over the Peace River 45 minutes north of town on the Rolla Highway and enjoy the fresh air that sweeps down with the water through the valley.

The Peace River is an interesting body of water. Up river is the W.A.C Bennett Dam and all the water that flows is first collected in Williston Lake and then goes through the turbines of the dam to generate hydro before being returned to the river.

The week this photo was taken, the river was low. The bottom of the boat ramp was 30 feet or so above the water. The river seemed calm and steady. We watched several river boats come and go.

We took our folding chairs, a small picnic and relaxed while afternoon turned to evening, listening to the sounds of the water and the almost eerie cries of a couple of hawks hunting on the far banks.

The following week, BC Hydro released more water from the Dam and the boat ramp that had been so high on the beach was completely submerged under water. What a difference! There was a completely different energy. What had seemed like an almost lazy river had become a fast torrent that had risen way up under the bridge. The water was full of logs and debris as it rushed along.

Awesome!

Power & Serenity on the Mighty Peace River

Peace Country Gold & Canada Geese

This is the most beautiful time of the year to live in or visit the Peace River Country.

The leaves are all shades of red, orange and yellow. The wheat has been harvested and big golden bales of straw sit glistening in the sun.

The Canada Geese are gathering by the thousands in the fields to fatten up on the grains left by the machinery. It's quite a site to see a few thousand geese converge on a field while driving to work.

Huge flocks fly overhead and if they are low enough you can hear the honking and sometimes hear the sound of their wings swooshing the air.

We just had a beautiful full harvest moon and fall equinox within days of each other. The air is cooling, the sky is clear, the stars are out.

It doesn't get any better than this.

Peace Country Gold & Canada Geese

Memorial Roses in Gardens North!

There is Chinese proverb that says "A little fragrance always clings to the hand that gives roses" and I'm sure the people who tend the flowers at Pioneer Village's Gardens North have experienced that.

At the entrance to the Village is a memorial rose garden. Beautiful rose bushes greet you as you begin your journey into the lives of our pioneers. The roses have little memorial plaques at their bases.

I found plaques with the names of several former community members I recognize and varieties of roses I had never seen before. It is a touching tribute.

The rest of the themed gardens in Gardens North are beautiful and lovingly cared for. There were many folks from the neighboring RV Park strolling through enjoying the flowers. I chatted with a couple from Texas and talked about the differences in climate and types of plants we grow. They had photos on their camera and showed me their desert garden.

I had a pad of paper with me and wrote down a couple of new rose names and went to the local nursery and was thrilled to find both varieties for sale and hardy to this zone.

Memorial Roses in Gardens North!

Fire in the Sky in the Peace River Country

Fall is such a wonderful time of the year here in the Peace River Country. The nights are getting longer and cooler and there is a smell in the forest that is hard to describe and signals the change in season.

When family and friends come to visit, most evenings are spent outside around a fire-pit, kids roasting marshmallows and adults talking late into the dark.

What a sky we have! It's like an amphitheater above stretching from horizon to horizon.

Autumn sunsets can be spectacular! The sunsets are followed by the most amazing night sky full of countless stars and a waning moon and if we are lucky, northern lights. Being serenaded by coyotes completes the scene.

There is something timeless and mesmerizing about being outside late into the night, telling stories of childhood adventures and sharing hopes for the future.

This is a great time of the year!

Fire in the Sky in the Peace River Country