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<<< Saturday, 1 August 1998
After washing mud and dust galore from both the outside and inside of the car we started the 300 miles southerly drive to Whitehorse. The brilliant purple Fire Weed is the first vegetation to appear after a fire and we saw several good examples of this on route. Vast areas of forest had burnt several years ago but today the ground is covered in masses of purple Fire Weed, with the remains of burnt trees still standing like black statues. At Minto which is about half way, we stopped for the night in a delightful campground on the edge of a crystal clear Yukon River. Apparently during the gold rush Minto was one of the stopping points for the Stern Wheelers, plying between Whitehorse and Dawson City, to take on more wood to fuel the boilers.
Sunday, 2 August 1998
Continuing our drive to Whitehorse we noticed to our surprise that the leaves on some trees were already starting to turn into their autumn colours. Further on large areas of the forest were on fire with plumes of smoke drifting for miles. Upon arrival, we checked our voice message service and learnt that Dick & Pat were also in town. To our dismay, as we drove in the car to their campground, we found that the car had yet again developed a vibration problem. Spent the evening catching up on each others news.
Monday, 3 August 1998
Most of the morning was spent locating a facility to repair the car. It turns out that we need another set of front wheel bearings and as expected it will take some days to obtain them. Fortunately the area has plenty to offer in the way of attractions while we pass the time. The Whitehorse Fishway has the longest wooden fish ladder in the world. This is used by Chinook salmon to bypass the dam and reach their spawning grounds, some 50 miles up stream. We watched a ranger fitting a radio marker to one of the early arrivals as part of a programme to learn more about their spawning habits. The run only started two days ago and will reach it’s peak during the next two weeks, the sad part is that having swum 1947 miles up the Yukon River during the past ten weeks without eating, they all die shortly after spawning. What staggered us is that only 600 or so salmon return each year. We then went back into town to taste the beer at the local micro brewery, followed by a meal in the oldest building in Whitehorse.
Tuesday, 4 August 1998
Last night we agreed with Pat and Dick that it would be nice to travel together as we move further south. In the meanwhile, as it would be several days before the car was repaired, Pat and Dick left to spend a few days in Skagway. Talk about bolting the door after the horse has bolted. Having found that the car had been badly chipped by gravel along the Dempster Highway, George spent most of the day making and fitting a stone guard to the car.
Wednesday, 5 August 1998
To the 1898 gold rush stampeders, Miles Canyon was the last major natural obstacle before the comparatively easy 300 mile boat ride to Dawson City. The canyon contained fearsome rapids which claimed many lives, until the RCMP insisted that an experienced pilot must accompany the boats through the canyon. We spent some time trying to envisage the scene, since thousands of handmade boats, laden with enough supplies to last a year, arriving shortly after ice break-up, needed to run the rapids. Today a dam has raised the water level in the canyon and calming the rapids somewhat, even so it was easy to understand the enormous difficulty they faced.
Thursday, 6 August 1998
Both of us spent the day pottering around, which included removing more dust and mud from the RV as well as few repairs. Late afternoon we checked with Canadian Tyre and after some hesitation they informed us that the bearings for the car had arrived which they would fit tomorrow.
Friday, 7 August 1998
Took the car in for the bearings to be fitted, however they discovered an oil leak which turned out to be the engines main oil seal. This would take seven hours to replace but as usual they do not have the part. To make it worse they have created a new problem, since the ABS no longer works. Decided to sleep on the problem. The nearest Suzuki dealer is in Prince George, BC which is 950 miles away! Late afternoon Dick and Pat returned from their three day visit to Skagway. We both wanted to travel down the west coast of Canada, since by all accounts the route along the Cassiar Highway was one of the most scenic in Canada. However according to fellow travellers the 446 mile highway was 30 percent gravel and most of that was being ripped up. After much hesitation we decided to take a chance, hoping that it would be dry, leaving only dust to contend with.
Saturday, 8 August 1998
By late afternoon and after 265 miles we camped for the night at the junction of route 37, which is the decision point for taking the Cassiar Highway. We will decide which route to take in the morning. During the evening we watched numerous vehicles having just travelled the highway, passing our campground, they were covered in mud from end to end. It is not a good sign. However today’s drive was uneventful, just miles and miles of attractive scenery, in particular lots of lakes set in spruce forests.
Sunday, 9 August 1998
The weather was not too good by the time we were ready to leave but we decided to risk travelling along the Cassiar Highway. We encountered about 30 miles of poor road and with the steady drizzle the rigs were soon very dirty. Half way we stopped at Jade City which claims to have the best and cheapest jade in the north which meant that Pat & Valerie had to have some. We camped at Dease Lake for the night which fortunately had a pressure washer which was put to good use. Having moved a long way south during the past week the sun is now setting at a more normal time for us.
Monday, 10 August 1998
It was 245 miles to Stewart so it was an early start and a long day because of the poor condition of the road. About half the road was gravel but fortunately it remained dry and yesterdays rain kept most of the dust down so we could concentrate more on enjoying the scenery, which was excellent. It was an ever changing landscape, desolate countryside with numerous lakes, rivers, spruce trees for mile after mile. The final part of the road goes through Bear Pass which cuts through the coastal mountain range, with twenty hanging glaciers visible from the road.
After a good value evening meal in the Bitter Creek Cafe we drove a few miles north, crossing the US border into Hyder, Alaska. Hyder appeared to be a bit of a ghost town, which we decided to explore another day since we were more interested in travelling a few miles further north along the Salmon River. The gravel road soon led to Fish Creek where we were amazed to see countless salmon in the shallow water. These were 20 to 40 lb. Chum Salmon and the bed of the creek was their spawning ground. Many were already paired up, some males were still fighting for a partner, whilst numerous other fish had already died after mating. In some ways it is a sad sight and seemed such a waste.
All of a sudden we spotted a grizzly bear walking up the creek towards us. If it had not been for the Park Ranger we would have all scattered to our cars. Surprisingly the rangers do not carry guns, relying on a pepper spray as their only form of protection. In no time we were only 15 feet from a wild grizzly bear, with nothing in between to protect us. It was very exiting and we felt privileged to see it but the experience also made ones hair stand on end - well those who have some!
What a spectacular day it turned out to be and perfect for George’s birthday. Just after 6 a.m. the four of us arrived at the Chum Salmon spawning grounds, where about five other early birds were already there, as well as two Park Rangers. Within a few minutes a four year old grizzly bear appeared out of the forest and ambled into the creek. As it walked up stream hundreds of salmon desperately swam in all directions trying to get out of the way but for some it was to no avail. About 45 minutes later a large mother and baby cub appeared and started to walk down the gravel road towards us. This had us scattering in all directions since she was acting nervously, worried that a male bear might attack her cub. After a while the two bears stopped in the creek directly opposite us and slowly selected a salmon from the many on offer. The mother seemed to be teaching the cub how to choose a fish and the best way to eat it.
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We watched for another hour or so, went for breakfast and then set off along the Granduc and Salmon Glacier road, which turned out to have the most spectacular scenery. About half way along we had our first glimpse of the magnificent Salmon Glacier. The glacier extends for miles as it flows down the mountain and must be over a mile in width. From a high vantage point further on we could see countless deep crevasses in the ice, making it impossible to traverse. It was a fascinating and wondrous sight. Further on is the self dumping Summit Lake, which once a year suddenly empties when in mid summer the ice melts, normally flooding the surrounding area. It had recently emptied leaving large ice bergs stranded all over the muddy lake bottom. We stopped and stared while we had a picnic lunch and George thought he had gone to heaven when he tasted the cinnamon buns we had purchased from the local bakery. A note was made to buy some more before we leave Hyder.
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At the end of the road is the remains of a vast copper mine which reminded us of the countries vast mineral wealth. This is a modern mine ruin, without the charm of some other abandoned mines we have seen, but it is huge. It seems to be a waste to knock down the top levels and leave the rest to self decay.
| It rained all night
and remained damp and overcast during the morning, so we
spent some time in the local museum and then walked
around Hyder, which is an odd place.
Many of the buildings date back to the turn of the
century and some poorly maintained. Apparently you can
only claim to have properly been to Hyder
when you have been Hyderized. This entails a visit to the
local bar and drinking an ounce of an unknown liquor
straight down, we decided to pass. Being fascinated by
the bears we made two further trips to Fish Creek
and on both occasions we were lucky enough to see a bear. |
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Today’s destination was the City of Prince Rupert, some 285 miles to the south. As we left Stewart the clouds were low and drifting in long wispy layers through the valley, which looked delightful. We spotted a bear about one hour into the journey and shortly afterwards stopped in the Indian village of Kitwancool to see a display of the most enormous totem poles. Some were over forty foot tall, all had various animals, figures and patterns carved on them. Originally totems poles were used as symbols to welcome visitors to the village. For the last 150 miles the road followed the Skeena River valley but low cloud prevented us seeing the scenery at its best.
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Friday, 14 August 1998
Constantly visiting new places is very enjoyable but does has a down side when it comes to finding a particular shop or in this case repair facility. Yesterday, on the way into Prince Rupert the RV exhaust developed a leak, which was getting very noisy. After some searching we eventually tracked down a small repair shop. As usual they did not have the correct gasket, however like many small town mechanics he was a good improviser and soon had the job done. As the car oil leak appears to be getting worse, we phoned ahead for a service booking but leant that there were no oil seals available and they were not sure when they could obtain one. As we have only 200 miles left before the warrantee runs, we will visit the dealer in Prince George next week and hopefully come to some agreement.
For most of this century the local area was the centre of a major fish canning industry, with dozens of canneries located along various rivers. One of the major canneries on the Skeena River is now a museum, which we spent a few hours touring. In its peak hundreds of low paid workers from many races were employed. Each race lived in separate company housing communities within the cannery which enabled the management to more easily exploit them.
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We set off for Smithers 240 miles to the south and about half way to Prince George. However when we stopped to see the Historical Indian Village at Ksan we decided to stay overnight on discovering they were holding a Pow Wow nearby. We watched the gathering for some time as it was a beautiful sunny afternoon and the traditional music and colourful costumes were a delight. One elderly Indian impressed us with the proud and elegant way he carried out several traditional dances. Pat was brave enough to buy a seaweed, clam and rice dish, which looked awful but surprisingly, tasted good. We have now travelled a long way south so not only is the sun setting during the early evening but we can also pick up satellite TV again. President Clinton’s problems still seem be the main news. On checking later, we were surprised to find that our latitude is already south of London. Reading cowboy poems around the campfire nicely finished the day.
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Monday, 17 August 1998
A long eight hour and fairly uninteresting drive took us to the large town of Prince George. It’s not really fair to say the scenery was uninteresting but in comparison to that of the past few months it was less dramatic. Tomorrow the Suzuki is booked in for repair which provided the stimulus to spend some time giving the car a long overdue spring clean.
It takes 10 to 14 days for mail to reach the Far North and since we have not been able to plan that far ahead, we have not had any mail for the past three months. As we were getting anxious about what may be waiting for us etc. we decide to have the first class mail sent by Federal Express to Prince George. The mail was waiting for us when we arrived at the campground so we had a pleasant time catching up on the news and then some time complaining about the bills.
Tuesday, 18 August 1998
The car problem was confirmed to be a leaking engine oil seal and a faulty ABS wheel sensor and as usual, they do not have the parts. This means we will need to plan ahead about one week, so that the service centre has time to obtain the parts - hopefully! George has become accustomed to spending hours waiting in the service department, so he put the time to good use by taking the PC along and writing the travelogue etc. The rest of the day was spent odd jobbing.
| Shortly after leaving Prince George, we were surprised to come across a large herd of grazing buffalo. Further on we diverted to spend a day in Barkerville, which is a historic gold rush town in British Columbia. The town was born in 1862 when Billy Barker, a Cornish miner first found gold in large quantities but it became a virtual ghost town when the gold ran out after the turn of the century. | ||
| Today the ghost town still contains 125 of the original or reconstructed buildings including the Barkerville Hotel, St. Saviours Church, the Mason and Daly General Store and the Wake Up Jake Cafe. Board sidewalks and dirt streets help preserve the flavour of the original site. We were able to recapture a little the atmosphere of the early years since many of the towns characters were in period costume. Late afternoon we watched an entertaining period melodrama in the Theatre Royal, followed by a meal in the old town bar. The day closed with the girls winning their first game of Pegs and Jokers! |
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Thursday, 20 August 1998
Another long days drive, during which the scenery changed from rich farm land to a high arid desert landscape. On arriving at Spencers Bridge we were surprised to find that the temperature had shot up and even at 6.00 p.m. is was 94F. In no time we changed into our shorts for the first time in several month. We camped on the side of the Frazer River which rises in the Rocky Mountains as does the nearby Thompson river; both of which are world famous for Steelhead trout, bringing fishermen from all over the world from October to December.
The drive south from Spencers Bridge through the Frazer River canyon to the town of Hope and beyond is spectacular. For the most part the fast flowing river flows through an arid deep canyon. Railway lines cling to the mountain on both sides close to the river, with the road high above, providing excellent views. The nearly mile long trains looked like dinky toys as they dragged their 100 plus rail cars along steep grades. The canyon narrows considerably at Hells Gate where we stopped to take the cable car ride across the river. When a second railway line was built, thousands of tons of blasted rock almost blocked the river, which killed millions of returning Sockeye salmon as they tried to reach their spawning grounds. In an attempt to restore the Sockeye run to it’s former level, several vast fish ladders were built in the 60’s but even today the numbers have not fully recovered.
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After camping at Rosedale we visited the nearby Minter Gardens during the afternoon. Set against a magnificent mountain back drop the gardens are a riot of colour and imaginatively laid out. Themes such as Victorian floral ladies and a giant strutting floral peacock, add a uniqueness to the garden. With some puffing and panting we then climbed about 600 feet to the base of Bridal Falls, whose waters cascade down the mountain in a mass of small streams, producing a bridal veil effect.
Saturday, 22 August 1998
After travelling together for some weeks we said a sad farewell to Pat & Dick who were heading home while we turned our attention towards visiting Vancouver and it’s Island. It was time to have a rest from RV travelling, so we decided to stay in Rosedale for an extra day. During the morning we tried to locate Barbara and Eric, the Ex Brit’s whom we met some time ago in California and live in nearby Chilliwack. However having found their beautiful house we were told they had moved some two months ago and were now living somewhere in their motor home whilst a new house was being built.
Sunday, 23 August 1998
It was only 60 miles or so to Vancouver but for the first time in some months we encountered fairly heavy traffic, which took some adjusting to. We have now stayed at about 250 campgrounds but every one is different and today’s was no exception and somewhat special. The drive in, office and grounds are covered in a mass of flowers of every description, it is almost like staying in a flower garden. The eyesore of most campgrounds is the waste water dump but here it is cleverly screened by flowers and colourful hanging baskets.
| Vancouver has numerous attractions so we left fairly early to explore. Our first stop was Granville Island which is a mixture of maritime and industrial history, shops and restaurants all surrounded by the shores of False Creek. Many of the old industrial buildings have been converted into everything ranging from craft stores to art studios. We wandered the area for some time in beautiful sunshine and ideal temperatures. The market was a hive of activity, full of fresh produce, bake shops, seafood and speciality shops. | ||
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After lunch we drove to the cable car lift at the base of Grouse Mountain and 10 minutes later we were looking over the City of Vancouver, which is surrounded by mountain ranges in all directions. Back down it was then off to the Capilano Suspension Bridge which is the world’s greatest suspension footbridge being 230 feet above and 450 feet across the Capilano River. Talk about sway as we walked across, it was lucky it was not windy since it was moving so much as we walked across that we had to hold on to the hand rail for most of the way. | |
Tuesday, 25 August 1998
Time for overdue haircuts for both of us and then we relaxed enjoying the pleasant campground.
Wednesday, 26 - Monday, 31 August 1998
We have decided it is time to have a vacation from vacationing! With the combination of a very pleasant campground, delightful weather and feeling the need to have a rest from nearly three years of travelling we decided to stay put for a while. Valerie found a number of good books in the campground library and George was delighted since the campground has a free phone hook-up. So he was able to surf the Net, in-between car and RV maintenance and cleaning. >>>
