We are sitting on the shores of Muncho Lake enjoying a relaxing evening. We started out very early this morning (for us), 7:00AM. Sue always gets up early but Jeff went to bed early and ended up at 5:30AM so with everything done we headed out for our first day on the Alaska Highway at 7:00AM.
Without really knowing what to expect the highway was a pleasant surprise. Traffic was light to moderate for the first 50 miles or so up to Fort St John but we mostly managed the speed limit of 100 kph, or 63mph. After Fort St John we were just about alone on the highway and hardly shut the speed control off for another 150 miles. After Ft Nelson we started encountering our very first minor frost damage but the road was still in very good shape and remained so until we climbed into the Northern Rockies where frost heaves became a little more common. As we came down onto Muncho Lake the highway has been rebuilt and it is smooth again. 
Because of the early start and great traffic we kept driving and arrived here around 4:30PM here at Milemarker 442 for our first night’s stop. You never have to worry about driving after dark up here in the summer as it is 9:45PM and the sun has gone behind the ridge on the west side of the lake but has not set. It will still be light at 11:00PM tonight! We enjoyed dinner grilled out and a campfire before coming in around 9:00PM. Sue is reading and Jeff on the computer without a light on thanks to the daylight.
We were on the lookout for wild animals all the way up today and although we saw lots of moose sign we had no luck until 15 miles south of Muncho when a cow got up out of the grass just as we went by. With a semi coming up behind us and no place to stop we did not get any photos. We also saw a grey fox, mountain sheep, and stone goat standing beside the highway. Sue will have to get quicker on the camera to capture more shots.
The scenery here is breathtaking! We have gone from miles of wooded rolling low country where we crossed several large rivers to our gradual climb into the Northern Rockies and back down to the lake.
It is now 10:30PM and the sun is finally setting!
Tomorrow we drive 32 miles up the highway to Liard Hot Springs Provincial Park for a dip in the warm water and then we will either stay there or go on to Watson Lake for the night.
