Day 45: Hope, BC to Sammamish, WA

Day 45 6/12/16

 

Richard, Kathy and Jerry

9:40am on the road still following the Frasier River out of the mountain and along lots of vegetable farms and cattle ranches.

We passed Herrling Island and Bridle Falls before crossing back into the US  around 11.  Next stop was a Great Clips in Bellingham, WA for haircuts for both of us. One of the ladies in the shop suggested we have lunch at Anthony’s Seafood on the harbor. Excellent!

We arrived at Kathy & Jerry’s home in Sammamish, WA around 3:30 and began a planned long weekend visit with steaks on the Barbie, catching up on family and lots of hugs all around.

Odometer: 83003 Miles Today: 171 Total Miles: 5803

Day 44: Lac le Hache, BC to Hope, BC

Day 44 6/11/15

 

Thompson River

We got on the road about 10am (that seems to be our normal starting time) and continued South then followed the Thompson River through land with fewer trees and more ranches and cattle.

We started noticing southbound trains stopped across the river from us.  As we continued, we began to smell wood smoke and then to see smoke above the ridges.

After passing through Litton, BC we actually saw the fire on the opposite side of the river.   

We spoke with a native of the area that said it appeared that a railroad repair crew was welding and started the fire.

 

Smoke hiding the sun

The Thompson River merged into the Frasier River near Hope, BC and created a very large river roaring toward the coast.

We reached our goal at Coquihallo RV Park in Hope around 3:30pm and enjoyed a walk along the stream before dinner.

Odometer: 82832 Miles Today: 223 Total Miles: 5632

Day 43 Frasier Lake, BC to Lac la Hache, BC

Day 43 6/10/2015

We had a lazy start this morning not being in a hurry to leave the White Swan park in Frasier Lake.

 

Fudge? Surely not!

Mary set to work re-organizing her ”Closet” while I took the time to check fluids, tire pressure and batteries.  Last night was our second totally off grid night and the batteries were at 12.5V or 90% charged after lights and a dvd movie last night.  The fridge was off and measured 30 degrees this morning – Looks like it is losing its ability to cool when the generator runs, the propane part has been dead for most of the trip and 12v works but sucks down the battery unless the vehicle engine is running.  This isn’t good.

 

Lac le Hache

We did close to 300 miles yesterday and planned the same today.  Most of these two days were retracing our path from Hyder to Prince George since we couldn’t get a spot on the ferry.

 

Mary checking the view

We stopped in a nice fudge and gift shop in McLeese Lake and planned to get a place for the night when we got to Williams Lake but no luck – no campgrounds.

 

Another beautiful view

We continued South to Lac la Hache and the Crystal Springs RV Resort.  Nice place, beautiful view and full facilities so we took advantage doing laundry and taking nice long hot showers.

Odometer: 82609  Miles Today: 284  Total Miles: 5409

Day: 42 Mezadin Lake Provincial Park, BC to Municipal Park Campground, Frasier Lake, BC

Day: 42 6/9/15

Meziadin Lake at sunrise

We looked out our bedroom window this morning to a fantastic millpond view.  We hated to leave but were both itching to move on down to the US border.  I don’t know why but we both just seemed to want to get back to the USA as soon as practical.

 

Sealy Lake - another millpond today

We crossed the Nass River wood bridge about 8:30 and the water looked higher and muddier than it had last Saturday.

 

Lunch at the Cantina

Once again, this stretch of Highway 37 was a wonderful road for wildlife sightings.  9:10am – Black bear on the side of the road. 11:14am – Black bear ran across the road behind us. 11:17am – Deer on side of road (Under “Watch for Moose” sign).

 

Smithers railway station

We stopped for groceries in Smithers, BC and Mary asked a local policeman if there was a Mexican restaurant in town.  He gave us directions to the Cantina at the railroad station.  Great lunch in a delightful restaurant, Mary nerly always finds gems when looking for good food.

Another bear along the road at 4:17pm and we arrived at the free municipal campground in Fraiser Lake, BC. A long travel day but fun.

 

Free campground on Frasier Lake

It was pretty warm this evening (80s) so we fired up the generator for the first time since Nebraska and ran the AC for half an hour to cool down the coach.
 
Odometer: 82325  Miles Today: 298  Total Miles: 5125

Day: 41 Hyder, AK to Mezadin Lake Provincial Park, BC

Day: 41 6/8/15

 

Looking across the Salmon River

After breakfast and breaking camp, we headed to fish creek overlook about 5 miles up river from our campground. 

 

Fish Creek observation walkway

When the salmon are running in July and August, bears and salmon are seen here in great number. Today there were no bears and no salmon so we contented ourselves with ducks, a beaver pond and beautiful scenery along the bear resistant walkway.

 

Meziadin Campground site

Back down in Hyder we drove out the causeway to look at the mountains along the canal to the Pacific before heading back into Canada.

 

Campsite from above

We filled up with gas and dumped tanks in Stewart before heading up 37A past the Bear Glacier and on to Meziadin Junction Campground for the night – we checked in at 1:15 and eased into a stunning lake front site.  (Sometimes $25CA buys a lot!)

Odometer: 82027  Miles Today: 51  Total Miles: 4827

Day: 40 Hyder, AK

Day: 40 6/7/15

 

Rainy morning

We awoke this morning to a drizzly day.  Fog on the mountains and a quiet peacefulness in the valley.  

 

Looks like a bear on the right

 After breakfast, we walked up the Salmon River and saw many waterfalls cascading through the clouds, a driftwood stump that resembled a bear and a poor fellow who didn’t heed the avalanche warning signs.

 

Watch out for the avalanches

Walking back through the park, we couldn’t locate our host to reserve another night so we kept walking into town to “The Bus”, a Hyder fixture for 17 years and run by Diane Simpson and her family. They also run Alaska Seafood (No wonder they offer fresh caught everything). 

 

Our spot in the woods

Diane had a part in the 2001 film, “Insomnia” filmed in Hyder and starring Robert Dinero, Robin Williams and Hillary Swank. Diane filled us up with halibut and local tales as we ate and leafed through her scrapbooks.  We talked with a couple from the northern part of BC that were headed to Terrace, BC for his sister’s birthday.  We talked about music, dance and those fools in DC.

 

Doesn't your post office come with moose antlers?

We left The Bus in fine spirits with full bellies and a pound of Diane’s smoked salmon and found our camp host to settle up for another night then we walked back into town to the “Boundary Gallery and Gifts” shop run by Caroline Stewart who also makes the fudge! (Guess why we stopped there?)  Fudge and smoked salmon – only in Alaska.

 

I know art when I see it!

Walking back towards the RV park, we decided to stop in at “Hyder Hides” a taxidermy and gift shop run by Katie Markert. As we were about to turn into her driveway, Mary saw a black bear raise up on its hind legs and then walk off into the woods. Katie said he hangs around & when she is out walking her dog and the bear appears, she just does another lap around the village.

I got myself a UHA (University of Alaska at Hyder) shirt with the motto, “College of Leisure”.

 

Don't miss "The Bus"!

Returning to the RV, we doffed our wet clothing for warm dry flannels then watched the sun come out.  No miles today, Hyder is a small village.

 

Speaks for itself.

Odometer:81976  Miles Today:0  Total Miles:4776

Day 39: Moricetown, BC to Hyder, AK

Day 39 6/6/15

 

The junction at Hwy. 16 and 37

We took a nice morning walk around the campground before getting back on the road and about 50 miles past Moricetown, we hit highway 37 to the North.  Lakes and villages and bears on the road for the next 100 miles.

 

Mama bear decoying us away from her cub

11:57 – black bear on the road ambling along pretending to be wounded so we wouldn’t notice her cub in the brush.  12:04 another bear crossing the road.

At 1:30 we came to the Nass River and its one lane wooden bridge across the narrows there.  We saw unbelievable whirlpools and currents below.

 

Second bear in just a few minutes

Meziadin Junction was our lunch stop – there is a store and gas station there and a very large bunkhouse for transient workers.  The restaurant has excellent food for reasonable prices, nothing fancy at all just good and plenty of it.

 

Nass River crossing

Heading West on Highway 37A, we came to the Bear Glacier – this was our best glacier view by far although the pictures do not do it justice. The surface is white and blue with many rough peaks and it ends at a lake along the highway.  Simply beautiful!

 

Bear Glacier

Continuing West, we passed through Stewart, BC and crossed the border into Hyder, Alaska about 4:30 and on to Camp Run-A-Muck.  We could hear the Salmon River from our campsite and we both turned in early and slept well, we had made it to Alaska, our most Northern point for this trip.

 

North to Alaska........

Odometer: 81976 Miles Today:191 Total Miles: 4776