Camp Tamarack Campground

Grande Prairie, Alberta

Tuesday, August 26, 2008, 3:20 pm

Still sunny, cool, and breezy.

I've been trying to upload one more picture, but I don't think I'm going to make it.  It's been "loading" for over 25 minutes, and this is my second try (I gave up after 10 minutes the first time).

We had a lovely drive out of Jasper National Park this morning, east on Highway 16 toward Edmonton, then north on rolling Highway 40 to Grande Cache and Grande Prairie.  Beautiful views of the mountains on 16 and then lots of forest on 40, with snow-capped mountains on the distant left of us.  Dotted throughout this seemingly empty wilderness is the evidence of resource extraction--logging roads, collection yards, and trucks;  gas wells, pumping stations, and pipelines; and heavy trucks occasionally spotted with huge pieces of equipment or supplies on their flat-bed trailers (everything from spools of wire and plastic pipe to mobile dormitories and outhouses to all kinds of enormous pumps and machinery).  Near Grande Cache, there are several gravel pits supplying gravel for the logging roads;  a coal mine feeding an electrical generating plant (with the coal going directly by conveyer from mine to generator); and  a wood processing plant (it was behind a thick row of trees, so we couldn't tell if it was making wood products or paper, but there was no paper mill smell).  There was also a railroad marshaling yard, where the coal hoppers are loaded with the coal that's excess to the generating plant.  And all this set down here and there in an endless forest with only the coal train and the road we were on to connect with the outside world (aside from the satellite dishes on every home and business in Grande Cache!).

We arrived at this campground about 1 pm, and after a quick lunch, set to our chores--walking Charley, doing a little laundry, and catching up on the email and our blog.   We've decided to head out early tomorrow for Yellowknife, NWT.  We've talked to some locals and they say the road is fine--paved all the way, only one (free) ferry crossing (at the Mackenzie River), just not many gas stations (so when you see one, top off!).  But we have the Milepost guidebook with us and there is a mile-by-mile log for the entire length of road, with all the gas stations, cafes, and camping spots along the way. With that in hand, we think we can reach Yellowknife in two days (roughly 700 miles).  We'll see.  If it gets to be too much, we'll just turn around and head back.

Yellowknife is the capital of the Northwest Territories and the support center for the newly booming diamond mining industry in the bush north of Great Slave Lake, so it's supposed to be a modern city with all the normal businesses and tourist services (even a Wal-Mart, if that's any sign of civilization).  So we expect to find an Internet cafe somewhere there, but probably not anywhere in-between.  As far as cell service, we have it here outside of Grande Prairie, but 10 miles out of town, forget it.

We'll get in touch as soon as we can.