Do you think the motorcycle rider on the sign is doing a happy dance? I did today. It was sunny and warm and I made it all the way to the starting point of the Alaska Highway in Dawson Creek, BC.

At breakfast I talked with an older couple from the panhandle of Florida. The were traveling by car, a Jeep Grand Cherokee, and had been on the road six weeks. It appeared she does all the driving. They were just sightseeing and having a great time. They were headed for Minnesota and Wisconsin, two states he had never been in. Also, he wanted to fish Lake Vermillion. I vacationed in Minnesota with my family when I was a kid. She made a list of places to see that I recommended. I mentioned the underground mine in Tower, the big open pit mine in Hibbing, Pigeon River Falls State Park, Two Harbors ore docks and locomotive, and the Enger Tower above Duluth. All those places were highlights of trips to Minnesota.

There were more highway construction sites today. They are very dusty when it’s not raining. The bike is covered in the dust. It gets everywhere. The dust, along with the flower pollen gave me a bit of a sinus ache. Some Tim Horton’s coffee cured that.

I saw a lot of mountain sheep along the highway today. They were a different kind from the ones I saw near Anchorage. I couldn’t get a picture because there was no place to pull off.

The hundred miles of highway north of Dawson Creek is just a highway with lots of local and truck traffic. There’s nothing “Alaska” about it. It’s just a road.

So here is the sign that marks the start of the Alcan.

I’ve ridden about 11,000 miles so far. The next few days I’m going exploring.