Friday July 25th - Friday August 4th, 2017
"The freshness, the freeness, the farness..."
Robert Service - The Spell of the Yukon
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| Mist over the Portland Canal |
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| The salmon glacier peeks quietly out of the fog for a moment |
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| We were expecting to see you! |
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| Salmon Heaven - Meziadin Lake |
BC Provincial Parks - they continue to draw us back like a magnet simply because British Columbia knows how to provide camping perfection. This week, we spent eight wonderful days relaxing at Meziadin, Tyhee Lake and Lakelse Provincial Parks, as we worked our way down through northern BC on our way toward Prince Rupert and the ferry to Vancouver Island.
Meziadin Lake Provincial Park is a mecca for fisherpeople and the sockeye salmon were definitely biting while we visited there (Wednesday, July 26 - Saturday, July 29th). The place was booked-up and many had success catching what they wanted. Even the grizzlies were wandering into the park to give it a try (though fortunately, we did not see any in our campsite). Even though it rained consistently while we were there, we had fun - it's just such an incredibly beautiful place and the Canadian people are very friendly and nice!
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| Our first campsite - loved the foliage |
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| Dusk settles in on a rainy evening |
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| Daybreak and the fisher people are heading out! |
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| Colorful red foliage - an early sign of fall? |
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| Natural landscape bouquets |
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| Our second campsite at Meziadin. Ideal for watching the fishing action! |
Stewart and Hyder - On Friday, July 28th, we drove down again to Stewart and on through Hyder, AK to see the Salmon Glacier - one of the largest glaciers in BC. We had visited here three years ago and enjoyed it. The tiny ghost town of Hyder, AK sits next to Stewart and is the first Alaskan town you can see on your way heading north. It is definitely a true Alaskan town, complete with the authentic run-down ambiance and old-junker-car yard art. The biggest success story there appears to be the bar. We always enjoy Stewart, since, in spite of its remote location and small size, it demonstrates an artistic spirit and rugged resilience to whatever happens, and it's an interesting place to explore for a few hours.
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| Along the path on the Portland Canal |
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| Portland Canal boardwalk |
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| Hometeader's cabin |
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| Hyder memory of more popular days |
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| Fish Creek - Waiting for the Coho Salmon and Grizzlies |
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| Downtown Hyder - yesterday... |
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| Massive Salmon Glacier peeks out of the fog |
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| Portland Canal misty moisty morning |
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| Summer blooms at Meziadin |
Tyhee Lake Provincial Park, where we stayed Sunday, July 30 - Wednesday, August 2nd continues to be one of our favorites, simply because it is a small park ideal for families. The lake is lovely and warm for swimming and the setting is quiet - with plenty of grass and fun things to do for families. The campsites are huge and very private and we love sitting under the Aspens and listening to them chatter in the breeze. It's just so simple and nice there and we always hate to leave! The sun was able to finally break through the clouds while we were there and then it started to get hot - 70's to 80's to 90's! Yikes! This is more like the August we expected!
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| The aspens and blue sky were a treat |
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| Quiet and privacy - an ideal site |
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| Relaxing lakeside |
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| Perfect for families |
We spent just one day at
Lakelse Provincial Park and and drove down to see Kitimat Thursday, August 3rd. We had hoped to stay here a couple of days longer, but the requirement to reserve and pay for a site for the full 3-day holiday weekend (even though we would not be using all of those days) did not match up with our needs. So, instead, Ernie treated me to a hotel night out in Terrace, which was a clever way to indulge in multiple showers in one day (Comfort Inn) - ta daah! We also visited the Heritage Center in town that day, a good way to visualize what it must have been like to live during the early 1800's in a homesteader's log cabin. These old buildings were moved to the Heritage site for conservation. It was in the 90's - nice to have shade when you need it!
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| Lakelse inflated SUP |
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| In Kitimat - Flowers were everywhere! |
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| Lakelse campsite - set in the rainforest |
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| Another idyllic lake |
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| Life in the 1890's |
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| A vintage one-room schoolhouse |
The following day, Saturday, August 5th, we headed on to Prince Rupert where we would catch the ferry for Vancouver Island.
Note: We do want to apologize to folks who have been following this blog. We have had quite a difficult time finding reliable internet service that enables us to maintain a blog in northern BC and Vancouver Island. Because we like to camp in the more remote areas, fast, reliable, available internet service is virtually non-existent and when it is available, we are only provided 30 minutes time per day to write and send emails - all without photos. We've been frustrated that we haven't been able to communicate regularly to all our friends and family. Thanks so much for your understanding and patience. Now that we are back in the states, our own hot spot will help a bit when Verizon service is available in the area.
