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.
Now that the snow is really melting, there is water pooling in fields everywhere and the Canada Geese, Snow Geese, Swans and Ducks are arriving by the thousands and it's a great time to take photos.
About 3 miles north of Dawson Creek on Rd 219, I saw 2 other camera buffs parked beside the road taking photos of one particularly large mixed flock of big birds.
This only happens for a short period of time in the spring until the water runs off and soaks into the fields.Soon the birds will be gone and the fields will be growing a crop.In the meantime there is a lot of activity and much honking to go along with it.
Make sure you have your camera handy for those great photo opportunities when you pull to the side of the road to enjoy the water life.
I woke up to -34 degrees Celsius (-29 degrees Fahrenheit) the other day.That is the coldest yet this winter and although we have been colder in years past, it's cold enough.
Temperatures like this require extra travel considerations whether you live here or are visiting:
~ All vehicles must be winterized (winter tires, block heater, anti-freeze, emergency kit, extension cord, warm clothing, ice scraper, cell phone).
~ Pets need to be monitored carefully while outside if they are not used to the cold.
My sister from Vancouver was here at the time and we had quite a discussion on the hardships of our respective winters.
Rain versus snow.
Warm weather versus cold.
Grey cloudy days versus lots of blue skies and sunshine.
We came to the agreement that both areas have pros and cons in regards to winter climates.
Then a Chinook came through and the temperature jumped from -34 to +2 (35 degrees Fahrenheit) on the same day.
Chinooks are usually accompanied by big gusty winds and this one was no exception.Drifting is another reality of northern winters and are a novelty unless they plug roads.
Several years ago, a blizzard caught quite a few people unaware and there were reports of a dozen or so motorists stuck in big drifts overnight.
Graders, snowplows and sand-trucks are winter heroes here in the north.
We try to spend as much time outside as we can in the winter and since we get so much sunshine here in the Peace River Country, the cold weather doesn't seem to bother us.
Our friends invited us to go snowmobiling with them.I hadn't been on a snowmobile since I was in elementary school.The machines certainly have changed since then.
We met up at the entrance to the Bear Mountain Wind Park and spent the whole day exploring back trails.
I couldn't believe how fast we went.It was very exciting!There are a lot of places to ride around here.In addition to the oil and gas pipelines and back trails, the ditches along the highway are really wide in a lot of areas and you can go for miles and miles with ease.
We weren't the only ones on the ridge that day, we heard and saw several other groups of people.
Our friend packed some kindling and small firewood along and we stopped along a trail that had a panoramic view of the valley to the east of Dawson Creek, built a small fire and roasted hot dogs.Thermos' of hot coffee and chocolate made the day perfect.
We had one problem right near the end when we crossed a field and were met by a farmer who was out plowing snow on his tractor.
We stopped to chat and he told us that being on the fields was not allowed unless we asked permission and then it depended on the crop.Apparently it packs the snow down and can damage the crops.He said our two little trails wouldn't do much damage, but groups roaring around on a field can really hurt it.Oops...
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.
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.
I have evolved into the unofficial tour guide for friends and family when they visit.
A favorite day trip from Dawson Creek is to the W.A.C. Bennett Dam on Williston Lake.It takes about an hour and a half to get there and is the perfect way to spend a day visiting and seeing something amazing at the same time.
It's a real treat to drive across the dam itself, it's huge!
The trip wouldn't be complete without taking the bus tour deep into the belly of the dam on the bus.You will have to wear a hard hat.
The guided tour costs six dollars for adults and lasts about an hour.
Once I get over my immediate feeling of claustrophobia, I really enjoy the tour.The air once you are underground is cool and you can feel the energy vibrate and hum in the stone all around.
Visitors are always blown away by the project.
My Dad worked on the Dam from start to finish, so I have lots of stories to tell them, like the day the water was first released and the bear clinging to a floating log being swept away...
We set out from Dawson Creek, Mile O of the Alaska Highway while it was still dark, with a full tank of gas and fresh coffees.
About an hour and a half up the highway, just as the sun was rising, we found out how Pink Mountain got its name.Fire weed grows everywhere up the mountain and in the ditches.We must have hit peak season because along with the pink flowers, there were butterflies everywhere.Sadly, many butterflies got caught in the grill of our vehicle.
The air was fresh and clean and the views were awesome. We stopped at an interesting place called Sasquatch Crossing Lodge to fill up our coffee and ask about the butterflies.We were told that these are yearly phenomena and are Arctic Yellowtail Swallow butterflies.
We didn't see any Sasquatches though, maybe next time.
Living in the Peace River Country has always meant big skies and big weather.
One particular day this fall started out with a big clear blue sky.It was the perfect day for being outside.
Later in the afternoon, the sky darkened and we could see a storm brewing in the west.We watched the black clouds move in accompanied by thunder and lightening.
We timed the intervals of the bolts of lightening and the claps of thunder and could tell that the lightening was very close and moving east.
We stayed outside as long as we could, eventually having to seek shelter from the driving rain.
It poured hard for 45 minutes!
The storm continued it easterly path, and the thunder and lightening receded off into the distance.
Then, the most amazing set of rainbows we have ever seen filled the eastern sky behind the storm.
My camera captured two rainbows, but there was a third, much fainter that the others. WOW!
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!
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.
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.
When we need to take a break from the daily routines we head down to the ClayHurst crossing over the Peace River45 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.
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.
We took a friend from out of town for a sight seeing drive around the area.We started here in Dawson Creek and drove to Fort St. John, taking the little side trip to drive across the Kiskatenaw Bridge.I was disappointed because the batteries in my camera were dead and we had to use our cell phone to take some pics of the three of us on the bridge.
In Ft. St. John, we stopped at a great local coffee shop and picked up specialty coffees for our journey and of course batteries for the camera.
The next part of our tour around the neighborhood is to Hudson Hope and to theW.A.C. Bennett Dam.Because we had plenty of time, we went in and bought tickets for the underground tour.
Our friend was blown away by the sights and sounds under the dam and no matter how many times I go, I am always awed as well.
From Hudson's Hope, we drove to Chetwynd.I love Chetwynd, it's home to dozens of chainsaw carvings.They are huge and spread out all over town.It's amazing that a chainsaw can do such delicate work.We walked along the main drag and took a close look at the carvings there.
From Chetwynd, it's an hour to get home again.One of my favorite parts of this jaunt is the railway bridge over the East Pine River.Some brave soul spray painted "Dread Pirate Roberts" on one of the concrete pillar supports.Much speculation was involved in figuring out how it was accomplished and who did it.Does anyone want to fess up to the deed?
The big blue bridge you drive to cross the Peace River in Taylor, BC when you travel the Alaska Highway is not the original, it's actually the replacement.
My Dad operated heavy equipment during the building of the Alaska Highway in 1942, long before I was born.
I remember driving north with him and when we crossed over the long Peace River Bridge he told me that the original had collapsed in 1957.Dad said a landslide caused it.
The original wooden suspension type Peace Bridge was built in 1942 as an essential piece of the Alaska Highway and was considered one of Canada's great bridges at the time of it's opening.It was the longest on the whole highway.
Everything appeared to be fine until fifteen years later in 1957, when a truck driver noticed some unusual settlement in the road. The army (responsible) immediately closed the bridge.Over the course of the next day, the bridge structures continued to shift and just after noon on October 16, 1957, the bridge collapsed into the Peace River.
They determined that the bridge failed due to a landslide in the shale bedrock that it was built on.Shale is simply mud that has hardened over millions of years... from the time when dinosaurs walked the earth.
The problem with shale is that once it's exposed again to water, it will eventually turns back to mud.
It's believed that the bridge foundation likely began to deteriorate soon after it was constructed and continued until the time of the collapse.
A portable Bailey bridge was erected for immediate use while the Train Bridge was planked for traffic until the new bridge was built and completed in 1960.
Now, when you cross the big blue bridge, you will notice a strange feel and sound.Don't worry, it's the steel deck.It's a unique sensation and no matter how many times you drive across it, you will notice it.We all do.
Ask anyone who lives in Saskatoon Berry country and they'll tell you they have a favorite spot to pick.
Mine favorite spot is way off the beaten path and I tend to be a bit vague when I tell people where I go.
The Saskatoon Bushes are twice as tall as I am with berries the size of small cherries. Of course, the size of the berries also depends on the amount of rain we've had, but I have a great spot regardless.
Being a serious picker I go equipped with a great system. A small bucket attached to a belt at my waist for hands free picking and several bigger buckets to empty my full one into. I like to keep the bigger buckets in a cooler in the trunk of my vehicle.
I also take lots of water, my camera, binoculars (my spot has a fantastic view of a valley and the wind towers), some mosquito spray and hand wipes for very sticky hands.
The berries are ready and I had my first picking. Someone else likes my spot and this year they got there before me. I'm OK with that because not only is there more than enough berries, but they made trails through the underbrush so I have less scratches on my legs.
So, if you are here in Saskatoon Berry season, grab your buckets and your belt and head out of town on any one of many country roads that are lined with Saskatoon bushes.
Make sure you eat as many as you put in the bucket. Do you have a great recipe for Saskatoon pie? Mmmmm...
