North to Alaska!

Prince Rupert's Cow Bay

  

Mile 0 is good enough for us for this year!

We really didn't plan on it beforehand, but since this trip is all about adventures and exploring, we decided to step into Alaska for just a minute ...just cause we had the opportunity to do so.



From Mt Robson, before heading south, back towards lower BC and the West Coast of the US, we decided to take a short trip out to Prince Rupert on the coast (via Hwy 16) and then up to Stewart, BC and Hyder, Alaska (via Hwy 37 - the Stewart - Cassiar Hwy) to see the Salmon Glacier and the bears feeding on salmon (the Chum Salmon are returning right now). We are so happy we did!  As they say - "What a trip!" And, thank you, Nancy Harvey, for recommending this side trip!

We stopped briefly going and coming in Prince George to stock up on groceries and supplies and to do laundry, and run other errands. 

Hmmm...read or kayak, or hike, or ???

Our next stop - the town of Smithers, the Bulkley valley, and the small Tyhee Lake Provincial Park were a surprise and a delight. The area is ranch land with rolling hills and farms. The park is nestled in an Aspen grove on a hill above the small lake.  It was cute and relatively quiet and while we were there, for several days, we were able to observe (over the BC Day celebrations) small town Canadian families enjoying themselves at the lake. It was like a step back to the 1970's and 80's with tons of families with their babies, kids, teens, grandparents, and friends all enjoying a day together with few internet devices and lots of books in view.Whole families were talking and playing together.  Our definition of wonderful!

Looking up through the aspens, from our trailer

Wildflower bouquets of fireweed and dyf's along the roadside

Rain shelters for campers were provided at every eampground

August, midweek at noon on Tyhee lake - the crowds make it tough

A busy day at the campsite - where to next?

We next visited the town of Terrace and camped at Lakelse Provincial Park. Both were small and had character, and were somewhat impacted by the large Alcan Industrial complex built nearby in Kitimat (and the temporary employees working there during the summer). We were pleased that there were a number of First Nations venues to see in that area, however, we found that it was frequently difficult to access these without an appointment.  

Lakelse lakeside midweek - compare this to any lake in California in August!

Terrace - Kamode (white) bear - matchy matchy with Nancy

First Nation totems were abundant in the area and represent each clan

The Lakelse park is set amidst a "temperate rain forest" and is heavily treed by old-growth cedars.  It was a perfect place to stay so that we could drive in to explore Prince Rupert and Port Edward on a day trip.

Lakelse campsite - The foliage provided wonderful privacy!

Historical Site - First Nation totem and long house.

In Port Edward, we toured the North Pacific Cannery museum there.  It provided a brief glimpse of life working in a cannery back in the early to mid-1900's. The curators were able to set up some of the original equipment used at the cannery, and the tour guide demonstrated the complete canning process from delivery of the fish on the dock to the final labeling - which made our tour there quite informative.  Interesting fact: all of the product was the same, it was simply packaged, labeled and priced differently for the varied markets they served. Top quality content was identical to lowest quality; only the label and price differed. Consumer beware!

Machines used to make aluminum cans

Cannery employee housing

 

Cannery docks office, and mess hall

Cannery Mess Hall Dining - we enjoyed tasty salmon chowder and a grilled salmon sandwich there - Yum!

Mariner's Park in Prince Rupert

In Prince Rupert we toured the Northern BC Art Museum (which displayed an excellent collection of First Nation art), visited the various curio and art galleries in town, and then we concluded the day with a delightful seafood dinner at Dolly's (we had scallops and halibut) - a perfect ending to a perfect day.

Northern BC Museum of Art

Dockside - Prince Rupert

This town is an active port now for shipping (to and from Asia) and for the Inland Passage Ferries

Wild berries along the road

A furry black friend we met on the drive to Prince Rupert - 

we saw at least one black bear per day in this area

We then headed north on Hwy 37 to Meziadin Lake Provincial Park, where we camped for two nights while exploring the Stewart and Hyder areas.  Meziadin is a smaller park located on the beautiful Meziadin lake and it's about an hours drive from Stewart.  It's location appeals to fisher people as well as travelers going to and coming from Alaska.  From the park, we drove over the spectacular Bear Pass into Stewart, BC, then onto Hyder, Alaska (just a few miles away). From there we continued on a gravel mining road (about 30 miles up over the pass) to view the unbelievable Salmon Glacier (one of the largest in North America).

The head of the Portland Canal in Stewart - surreal

Beautiful downtown Hyder (don't blink)

At the top of the pass - viewing Salmon Glacier - picnic site with a view! Perfection!

"Please... don't pull up any closer!"

On Bear Pass, every mountain top held a "hanging" glacier

Misty Fjords National Park waterfalls - viewed from Bear Pass

Fireweed was blooming everywhere - fuscia against spring green!

 Black tracks on the sides are the rocks uprooted that will form the glacial moraine.

Low tide - Portland Canal in Stewart, BC

Snake-like, the glacier wound down the mountain

On the drive back that evening we saw the mother bear and her cub feeding alongside the road.  Every day out we had seen black bear, which are abundant in that area.

Black bear sow and her cub - Look closely to see the baby bear looking back to check us out!

Camping at Meziadin Lake

Stewart bird watching path leading toward Portland Canal

The Portland Canal runs from Stewart to the Pacific

Downtown Stewart, BC (two grocery stores, one gas station, one museum, one curio shop)

Just outside of Hyder, we stopped at Fish Creek to watch the spawning salmon and we hoped to see some Grizzlies fishing. But, unfortunately, we weren't able to see any bears or wolves (that had recently been spotted in the area); Our timing was poor - we needed to be there much earlier or later in the day. The salmon count is way down this year, per fish and game, and this could be impacting the number of bears sited while we were there.

Fish Creek viewing platform for watching Grizzlies

We kept hoping to see some action

Chum Salmon spawning at Fish Creek

More Misty Fjords waterfalls at dusk

We were overwhelmed by the sheer natural beauty of northern BC and are so glad that we ventured here.

 

Where are we going from here? It is August 5th and we are currently in Prince George, preparing for another adventure on Hwy 24 - the Fishing Highway of BC.  We hope to spend about a week or so there, then will proceed down toward the Okanagan Lake area, which is near to the border of BC and the US.  We'll catch up again on the blog, once we are able to obtain reliable internet service.  We also plan to meet up with Val and Joe in the Three Sisters Wilderness area in Oregon on September 6th and we are very excited about being able to see them and the dogs as well!