Going off in all directions Part 2 - North

Leduc to Yellowknife.  1500 km.  I suppose one could drive that in a very long day, but we’re pulling the RV and really, why rush. It's going to be a three day journey for us.

We left quite early (for us) in the morning, and had time for a spontaneous coffee stop with friends in High Prairie before reaching the campground in Peace River. 

In the morning Dave tried his luck at the trout pond, but it was too windy for fly-fishing. We also went to the look-off overlooking the town of Peace River and the confluence of the Smoky and Peace Rivers.

We continued on with the landscape changing from prairie to endless forest, in some places encountering smoky conditions, until we arrived at the Alberta/Northwest Territories border.  

We've never been this far north.  That deserves a certificate!

Just about 40 minutes later we arrived at the Twin Falls Gorge Campground where we stayed the night.  

After setting up camp and eating supper it was time to explore the falls. 

The Louise Falls were only a short walk from the campground. 
You could hear the roar of the falls as you approached.

What amazed me was the square corner as if it was man-made.

A little bit further along the path was a spiral staircase.

followed by a set of stairs...

..that gave us a closer view of the falls.
One could scramble down a cliff to get closer yet,
but we weren't prepared for that!

I'm always amazed at the tenacious plants that can grow on any bit of soil.  

By then the mosquitoes and bull dogs (horseflies) were getting the better of us, and it was getting a bit late (although the sun wouldn't be setting until about 11:15) to consider a 3 km hike one-way to the other falls.  We returned to the campground and hopped into the truck for the short drive. 

The Alexandra Falls drop 32 m along the Hay River.

We went down the staircase to the river.

And peered over the edge listening to the roar.

The next morning we continued on.  We were sure to pull into Hay River to top up the fuel as towns are few and far between.  The next town was Fort Providence, 180 km away, on the other side of the Mackenzie River.

The 1.1 km bridge over the Mackenzie River, completed in 2012,
finally giving road access to Yellowknife.   

It was a beautiful day for a picnic lunch along side the Mackenzie River. 
We stopped in the campground to find a lovely spot. 

If you want to have a coffee and only have a French press,
grind the coffee at the campsite power post!

As we continued on, we were in a bison sanctuary and before long we encountered them quietly grazing in the ditches along the highway.  Unlike deer or moose which seem to jump out of nowhere, bison are large blobs that are visible from miles away, giving you enough time to slow down and let them cross the highway, if that's on their mind. 

We made one more stop for fuel, going off the highway at Behchoko (formerly known as the communities of Edzo and Rae).  Pulling our big rig into the gas station and blocking half the street added a bit of excitement for the afternoon in the small village.  We met someone who was quite eager to tell us about her people as we fueled up.  The Tłı̨chǫ Government is the governing body for the Dene people in this region and they have ownership of a large tract of land which we were travelling through.  She made us feel very welcome, encouraging us to take another road to find even more beautiful waterfalls.  We declined.  We were on the road to Yellowknife.  After a very rough section of road (we had been warned), we finally made it to Fred Henne Territorial Park, our home for the next few days.