Day 3 North Saskatchewan River lookout to Hillands Bay Provincial Park Alberta

Started the day at North Saskatchewan River lookout a site no longer marked but quiet place to sleep didn’t even use plugs.

Saw my first Moose, cow and calf near Lasburn Sask.  Drove into Edmonton where construction nightmares exist on hwy 16, Edmonton is ½ way to Inuvik.  It’s not wilderness destination, so I left right away taking hwy  2 north to Clyde than west on 18 than north  44 which becomes 2 again at Hondo. 

Husky Refinery at Lloydminster Sask-\Alberta Border

For those fuel economy fans, I have spent $181 to go 3473km or 5.4 L/100k, 44 MPG, 5.2 cents km or 6.3 cents US per mile. Speeds 90-130km with just 3 hrs in stop and go traffic or construction.

Oil loading area onto train in Sask.

Sask. $0.879 ltr., Alb.  $0.919, Ont. $0.929 in Toronto but $1.10 in Thunder Bay.  How does that work, Alberta has no sales tax but fuel is just 1 cent less than Toronto with 8% tax.  BTW think of this Husky refines in Lloydminster ships to Toronto and sells for 5 cents more per litre, Enbridge buys  gas in Alberta delivery to my house and it cost 4 times the cost and that price is regulated.

Decision time:

I was going to stay a few days in this area and visit Winagami Lake and then Notkewin Prov Parks however both are big on fishing or boating not much hiking.  If I take hwy 2 to 35 I’m just 700km from the North West Territories and HWY 1.  The road to Yellowknife is paved, on the way back I can take 1 west to Fort Simpson dirt about 400km. Then Laird hwy to 97 in BC 300km dirt.  That should give me a good run on dirt before the 1400 km return from Flat Creek to Inuvik.  Dawson to Chicken Alaska is dirt about 200km, after that everything should be paved unless it’s a small side trip, that’s only about 2300km on gravel/dirt much less than I expected. In Labrador I had 640km on gravel or dirt.

I Pulled into Hillard’s Bay Provincial Park on the Lesser Slave Lake just after 5pm.  Trail along river nice, boardwalk not maintained (tree covers pathway) Boreal Forest walked, Ranger really bragged about it, can be done in 15 minutes and seems to suffer from invasive species issues.

So Day 4 gets me in the Territories, wow its 10:30pm and still the sun is high in the sky the bugs a cleared out for a while. Yellowknife is about 1000km from tonight a bit much for day 4. Better stay somewhere short, spend the day and head back south out of town. 

I'd add more today but Tim Horton internet not so good in Peace River Alberta. Edited Sept 2, 2016