Have Camera, Will Travel.: North to Alask - June 6

June 6
We have driven to all of the United States National Parks except for the ones in Alaska so this trip we packed up and headed north. However, first we drove the RV to my son's house as we had babysitting responsibilities in the morning. The children call our RV "the House Truck" and the name stuck.

Granddaughter Cecily and Dog Baby in the "House Truck"

Cecily spent a pleasant afternoon playing house and exploring the house truck.
By 4:00 p.m., we were headed north out of Vancouver and up Highway 99 to Squamish.

Emma and Sonaa at Nairn Falls

We continued on past Pemberton. As the sun set we pulled into the campground at Nairn Falls Provincial Park.

June 7
We took a morning walk along the banks of the Green River to scenic Nairn Falls. It was a very pleasant three kilometre hike through a spruce tree forest.

Nairn Falls

It was a long way north to the Yukon so we motored through Pemberton and up to Lillooet.
We considered this the back door out of Vancouver as the primary route north would be east then north along the TransCanada highway.

The route we took was quieter and windier and took you into the outback quicker.

Fraser Canyon North of Lillooet

Lillooet was a neat little town with frontier character. We stopped for lunch then continued up the scenic Fraser Canyon.
1) American Robin 2)American Crow 3) Eurasian-collared Dove.

Fraser River and Canyon

This section of the Fraser River north of Lillooet looked pleasant and tranquil. Simon Fraser was in for a big surprise further south when he first navigated this river.

Traveling up highway 97, we stopped at Clinton for an afternoon walk. Clinton was a cute, one-street, small town with a few vintage 1800s buildings. Once a thriving boom town on the gold rush trail it was now a much quieter hub for the local ranching community.
4) Western Meadowlark 5) Starling 6) House Sparrow

Clinton Council Chambers

By nightfall, we were at the Walmart in Quesnel.

June 8
I was up at 5:30 a.m. and on the road while Emma slept soundly in the back of the RV.
When I arrived at the Prince George Walmart I woke her up with our time honoured ritual.
It required a steady hand to awaken a hibernating bear.

First, I gently coaxed her into a sitting position in bed, handed her a fresh Starbucks coffee followed by her lap top and cell phone. I exited the RV bedroom, checked the status of the morning porridge then departed with the dog for a short walk.

Undue noise in the morning has been known to provoke a charge. Stealth was required. After sufficient time had passed for Emma to finish her coffee and complete a couple of on-line sudoku games I returned to find a playful panda.

We drove west along Highway 16 to an RV Park at Telkwa..

June 9
Emma had a Red Fox newsletter to send out so we spent the morning at Fort Telkwa RV Park.
In the early afternoon, we headed west through New Hazelton then turned north up Highway 37.
7) Dark-eyed Junco

Starting Up Highway 37 to Alaska

Battle Hill

A few miles north on Highway 37 brought us to Gitwangak Battle Hill National Historic Site.
It was interesting to walk in the footsteps of fearsome Gitwangak War Chief Neht. Given the warring times of the 1700s, he wisely built his home atop Battle Hill. Twice his hilltop fortress withstood attacks from neighbouring tribes.

With miles to go, we headed north then west along Highway 37a to Stewart. The road into this small community was one of the most spectacular scenic drives we have taken.

Drive into Stewart

Bear Glacier flows right down to the edge of the highway.

Bear Glacier

Stewart was a quaint small town at the end of the long Portland Channel.

Welcome to Stewart BC

Stewart BC

We stopped to walk the main street and take the long boardwalk into the expansive estuary.

Stewart Boardwalk

Stewart Estuary

Stewart Estuary and Mountains

We camped for the night at the local RV park where the proprietor warned us that all the electricity for 20 miles would be shut off from 7:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m for maintenance.

Good to know, so we immediately went to the nearest gas station to fill up. Without that warning we would have tried to gas up the next morning and been out of luck.

June 10

To start the day, we drove across the US border and through Hyder Alaska. This isolated ghost town was only accessible through Canada or up the long Portland Canal.

Hyder, Alaska

We drove a short distance along the Salmon River then continued up Fish Creek to a popular bear fishing area.

Salmon River Alaska

When the salmon arrive in July and August the local bears swarm down to this location to jostle for fishing rights at the creek.

Self-Explanatory Sign

A long board walk separates the bears from the people so that only salmon are on the menu.

Bear Observation Boardwalk over Fish Creek

Sad to say it was too early in the season so neither salmon nor bears were about on this warm June day.

It is a long way to the Yukon so we drove steadily up Highway 37. We were on the east side of the Coastal Range with a continuous line of tall mountains springing up toward the sky. It was a beautifully quiet and wild part of the world.

As we approached the tiny community of Deas Lake the flora changed with the stands of deciduous trees being replaced by a continuous forest of black spruce.

Highway 37 South of Jade City

We stayed the night at the Diaz Lake RV Park

June 11

At Jade City, we stopped to admire the rough jade boulders surrounding the Cassiar Mountain Jade Store.

Cassiar Mountain Jade Store

Quarried Blocks of Jade

Mountie Moose

There were lots of beautiful jade jewelry and statues throughout the store. It was interesting to see the transformation of a rough cut piece of jade into a polished piece of jewelry

Example of Jade Polishing Process

We were intrigued to find out that the jade was mined here but shipped to China for sculpting and polishing then shipped back to the store.

Boreal Forest North of Jade City

70 Bald Eagle 8) Barn Swallow 9) Cliff Swallow

Black Bear

This bear was one of several that was quietly munching on the spring grass at the side of the road.

On our occasional stops, we encountered a range of northern gentlemen. Most had a taciturn demeaner. They were up north for a reason - to avoid crowds and be alone in nature. It was refreshing to experience the pauses and economy of words when they spoke.