Spoffords Travel

Day 10 August 2, 2026 Hay River Northwest Territories to Yellowknife Northwest Territories 302 miles

The day is mostly sunny but with a strong wind. We had trouble deciding whether to go further north to Yellowknife or go back south the High Level or Manning. Our host was pushing toward Yellowknife because he said the terrain was different and really pretty. It is also the provincial capital.

In the end we decided to go to Yellowknife as the likelihood of getting here again is slim. Well the wind all day was terrible and the road was like a washboard. Keeping the car in the center of the lane was lots of work.

Still miles and miles of burned forest. This must have been a huge fire. We gassed in Fort Providence because that is the only gas between Hay River and Yellowknife. We know we will run out somewhere along the way. We have only gotten about 14 miles to the gallon since we have had these strong headwinds.

We stopped for a police officer who was escorting a wide load. He suggested we stay off the road until it passed. Fortunately that wasn’t very long. They were moving the equivalent of a double wide manufactured home. They were driving faster than either of us would have driven.

Then we came to the big bridge across the MacKenzie River. This river drains 1/3 of Canada into the Arctic Ocean. That means the river flows north which just doesn’t seem right. The Hay River also flows north into the Great Slave Lake which is the fifth largest fresh water lake in North America.

We ate lunch at a pull out along the road. Rob left the back of the trailer open as normal. A crow managed to get in there and begin to open one of the beef sticks and take an empty food container to the ground. We now have a new normal. The pantry will be closed to crows.

A very short glimpse of the Great Slave Lake came into view. We really could not see the full size. It is about 300 miles long.

Off on a dirt road we saw the wide load from this morning. Not sure how much further it needs to go.

We came to another older bridge. They are building a new bridge but haven’t gotten very far yet.

We ran out of gas with 27 miles to go. Rob put in one of the Jerry cans and hopes the gas station is on the edge of town. The landscape has changed slightly. There are now rock formations scattered among the trees. Our host thought these were very interesting. Didn’t seem all that unusual to us.

We were coming into town but no gas stations. In fact we were right down town. We asked Gas Buddy for directions. They were back on a road we had seen coming into town. We headed that way and took the first one we found. They only had regular gas but at least it was gas. The hotels listed in town all seem to be downtown. So we started driving and saw a Super 8. That had to be one of most difficult to get into. The road entrance was so poor that it had to be hurting their business. Then about six Natives kept taking pictures and asking questions. They were profiled as a group looking for trouble to get in to. Some others at the gas station had asked for money. These were the first beggars we have experienced on the trip. So far we are not impressed with this town.

Day 9 August 1, 2026 High Level Alberta to Hay River Northwest Territories 232 miles

Mostly cloudy today. Before we left a father with two young boys stopped to talk about the car. Both boys got to honk the horn. The father has an uncle who lives in Fruitland Idaho. He had even been there a few times. Small world again.

Not far out of town we did see a lone doe. She was standing in a field.

A large sign warned of possible bison on the road. We are near an area where they are protected. These are wood bison so they are a bit smaller and darker in color. We saw other warning signs but never any live bison.

Stopped along the road and added some oil. Nothing bad just time to add a little.

The wind has really picked up speed. That along with the permafrost dips in the road makes for an uncomfortable ride.

We stopped at the 60th parallel visitor’s center. Rob is trying to get us signed up for next year’s Model A Convention. Turns out you must print the form, fill it out and mail it with a check. No printer at the Visitor’s Center. They do however have several stuffed local animals. They also have pictures and write ups about the region. Definitely worth the stop. We said we hoped to stop at the Twin Falls Gorge Territorial Park. The host said the trails to the falls are closed due to the banks sliding away.

We did stop at the pullout by the falls. The trails were definitely barricaded so we didn’t try to go down.

The forest for the rest of the way to Hay River had burned within the last couple of years. Lots of standing black trees and very short undergrowth.

We gassed up and then started looking for a place to stay. We didn’t see one right away, but we did take a short tour of the town. Coming back to town we stopped at the first hotel we found. They were fully booked but gave us names and numbers of other places in town. Seems they are having a big baseball tournament and some big native games that last for 3 days.

While we were sitting there two men stopped to look at the car. Rob explained we were looking for a place to stay. The second man (Garry) said “Well come stay at my house.” He was a widower and said he had room. We followed him back to his house which sits right on the river. He has a wonderful location. On the way there he called his girlfriend (Davida) and told her to bring dinner. We had a fabulous dinner and great conversation. Turns out even the campgrounds were full. We could not have asked for a better place. We stayed up late talking and learning about Canadian history and the various area cultures.

Day 8 July 31, 2026 Spirit River Alberta to High Level Alberta 247.0 miles

Another partly cloudy day. Not too much wind at least to start. Just as we got in the car to go a young man stopped to look at the car. Then he went to get his daughter out of the car. Guessing she is about three. She was too shy to tell us her name but she thought honking the horn was funny.

We tried for gas but it seems a different system not the traditional brands. The next town is only a few miles away and Gas Buddy says they have some. So off we went. We followed the directions given by Gas Buddy but that fueling point no longer exists. A young lady was walking by with her baby in a stroller. She said to follow the road back to the highway and we would find three stations at the highway intersection. Sure enough right there where we were to turn were three large stations.

The land here is quite flat with large fields of canola and grain. The canola fields are such a bright yellow and the grain is mostly a dark green. The contrast between the two crops side by side is stunning. Two bucks and one doe were in the fields on their way somewhere. They were larger than some deer. Glad they stayed in the field but nice for the short viewing.

We did drop down to a river and then climbed back up. The gorge went quite a ways. The land on either side however was mostly flat.

We ate lunch at a Subway. They mark the sandwiches that the ingredients were grown in Canada. That way they can support their own. Good idea we think. We talked to a nice couple while we waited in line. They had seen us on the road. They were going to a 50th wedding anniversary. They were just more friendly Canadians.

On the way out of town we spotted a moose. Unfortunately it was a life size statue. That may be the only one we see.

The trees have changed to mostly aspen. A very large forest fire went through here a few years ago based on the size of the new growth. Lots of standing dead trees also. The road was so long and straight it reminded us of Nebraska or Kansas. There are numerous small ponds and creeks. Most have cat tails or other water vegetation growing in them. No farms or any businesses for miles. We saw a few homes with a teepee in their backyards.

Then we came to High Level. The plan was to camp here but there are very few if any trees and the flys at the gas station were terrible. The local population must be largely Indian. They are very fascinated by the car. At the gas station was a locked box labeled sand bags. Must get some flooding here at times.

Want a happy life? Have a happy wife. We bailed on camping tonight and got a motel room which just happens to have a kitchenette. The town has quite a few lodging options.

By the way A&W restaurants out number all the other fast food options.

Day 7 July 30, 2026 Bear Lake British Columbia to Spirit River Alberta 265.6 miles

Today is either cloudy or smokey or some of both. Very difficult to tell. We loaded up and headed out. The resident dog gave us a farewell bark. The landscape has flattened out some and there are more aspen trees. Also more open space that may or may not have a farm.

Not too long into today’s journey a small black bear was in the road up ahead. Unfortunately another vehicle was near and scared it away before we got there. The photo-op ran away. Once they are off the road they quickly disappear in the brush and trees.

Further down the road a very large brush hog was cutting the foliage along the road. From the edge of the asphalt to the tree line is at least 30 feet. That gives better visibility for wildlife. We haven’t seen any wildlife other than the bear for several days. Lots of signs warning about them.

We followed along a river for quite some time. Didn’t see anyone fishing however.

When we arrived in Chetwynd we fueled, ate lunch and did laundry. Not sure the small town we are staying in will have a laundry. The laundromat is small but clean. Also very busy. The price was $10 Canadian to wash and $4 to dry. The jeans didn’t get quite dry but everything else did. Connie visited with a very nice local woman. She said they have a festival of wood carvers in June and the numerous statues around town are some of their work. Some of those statues were of strange mythical characters. She says they are all over town and that they are rotated periodically. She gave us a dryer ball that she says makes the clothes dry faster and removes the static. We will try it next time since our clothes were already in the dryer.

Only drove through the edge of Dawson Creek which is the starting point for the Alaska Highway. We have been through there at least twice before.

When we were about 20 miles away from Spirit River, a lady passed, stopped, videoed us, and repeated twice more. When we arrived at the motel she stopped along side us and asked all about the vehicle. She said she has been an old car enthusiast most of her life. A Model A Ford brought another smile to the surface. Today’s mission was accomplished.

Day 6 July 29, 2026 Lake Willams British Columbia to Bear Lake British Columbia 198.3 miles

The skies this morning are mostly sunny. The outside temperature is cool so a light sweatshirt feels good. We had a nice hot breakfast included with our room so that was nice. Several men are here with the firefighting efforts.

Felt somewhat like going in circles this morning. We needed gas but headed out thinking that more town was coming. Well the town pretty much ended with a hotel and a few apartments. So we made a u-turn and went back down the hill to town. To get out of the gas station required another u-turn and then back up the hill. Rob gets lots of practice shifting. By the way we are putting in mid to high grade fuel which costs about $5.50 to $6.00 per gallon. The average mileage is about 17.3 miles per gallon.

The terrain is still lots of forest with a sprinkling of farms. Lots of small lakes too. The locals say it has been really dry however. Hence the forest fires.

We came to the town of Prince George. We have been here before. It is one of the larger cities in the area. We were greeted by a large statue of a person with a P G on his shirt. Must be the new Prince George. We ate a light late lunch at Wendy’s because they were running a special on Frostys. The small one was only $0.99 Canadian which makes them $0.71. Obviously it does not take much to get us to buy ice cream.

We made it to Bear Lake by about 3:30 which gave us time to finish the audio book we were listening to. Then the hard work begins. Trying to decide where to go for tomorrow. Towns with lodging seem to be either too close or too far. Our rough target is 250 miles per day.

We did baked potatoes in the room for supper. Really pretty good. The closest restaurant is 35 miles away.

Day 5 July 28, 2026 Merritt British Columbia to William Lake British Columbia 242 miles

Our little refrigerator is not cooling. Not sure the problem just yet but that meant we needed to purchase a cooler and some ice. Too bad we gave our cooler to Amy and family the other day. Merritt does have a Walmart so we went there. The coolers all seemed too big or too little. We finally settled on one and bought the ice.

That took some time so we didn’t get out of town until nearly 10:00. We were able to drive on the back road rather than the main highway. We followed along the lake for quite a ways. The shoreline had quite a few homes and RV parks. Some of the RV parks were filled with what must be full time residents because they had sheds, roofs or additional rooms. The traffic was much less but still quite a few semis.

We had to laugh because at one point in the lake there was a straight line of waterfowl. Most likely geese but Connie said they had their ducks in a row. We also passed a sign indicating a turtle crossing. We didn’t see any turtles however.

Further down the road we passed several farms. Pretty place to live this time of year. One farmer was harvesting grain that didn’t look ready yet. Then we came to several smaller lakes. These didn’t have the RV parks nor the houses.

Then we dropped down into the city of Kamloops. The metropolitan area population is about 127,000. We wound through quite a bit of the town to get to the backroads. We usually listen to an audio book when traveling and it pauses every time the GPS gives a direction. Sure makes following the story more challenging. We finally turned the story off until we got out of town.

Our fuel stop just happened to have an A&W attached so we had hamburgers and a root beer for lunch. A guy was there who said he saw us at the Walmart earlier.

Well we are back on the bigger highway. Two lanes each way much of the way. The climb up the mountain is really long and for us slow. On the long hill the car started to heat. We had to take a short break to let it cool down. A surprising number of logging trucks are headed in each direction which doesn’t make much sense.

Then the GPS decided to reroute us through a different area and then back on the main highway. We liked getting off that road but not sure how the side road reduced the trip by 20 minutes. The side road did have a bridge with a wooden floor. That was the first one we have seen on this trip.

The skies have been mostly cloudy all day but we came to a section that was very smokey. The winds have picked up as well which explains the smoke. We didn’t see flames nor fire fighting equipment.

We arrived in William Lake and spotted a Super 8. Rob went in to check on a room. Well they were full. The clerk called six other places before finding one with a room. Lots of fire fighters and support staff are staying in town. We will need to plan tomorrow more carefully perhaps.

Day 4 July 27, 2026 Bellingham Washington to Merritt British Columbia 167.6 miles

After a delicious breakfast of fresh berries, peaches and quiche we headed off to Costco for gas and to decide where we are going next. Gas was nearly $6.00 per gallon for middle grade fuel. Forest fires are burning in British Columbia so we needed to pick a route carefully. We did see a deer in the yard just after breakfast.

We decided to stop in Merritt on the way to Prince Rupert. It’s located in the mountains but not currently on fire. The drive to the border didn’t take long. The line to cross was about 10 cars but the lapsed time wasn’t too long. They asked very few questions and we told them no lies so we were soon on our way. More orchards and some huge houses. They looked like mansions. Obviously some people are doing very well.

We drove through a couple of small towns and along a river. This was mostly two lane road but lots of vehicles. Lunch was a picnic in a rest stop that actually had toilets and picnic tables. A bicyclist stopped to talk and take a break. He said some of the roads are closed due to the fires but a big board will tell us which are open. He also said we could weigh the woodie at the scales just up the road.

We did stop to weigh the car and trailer. The scales weren’t big enough to weigh everything at once. Rather interesting. The attendant was very helpful about road closures.

Most of the remainder to the trip was on two to three lane divided highway. Only a couple of minor construction areas. One spot where a wreck had occurred. They had traffic down to one lane but the vehicle(s) had been removed. Lots of big trucks on the road. We went up and down hills. The trucks went about the same speed as us. The landscape is forested mountains. The skies are mostly cloudy but no rain.

We spotted a small hotel just as we arrived in town. We stopped for a room. While Rob was checking in the clerk ran over and put towels in the room. The inside could use some TLC. The curtain rod would fail a level test. The drapes are hooked to the rod occasionally. More room than the tear drop however. We can stand up in the room.