Aug 14-24
Crossing the Arctic Divide where the water flows
to the Arctic from here.
We left Squamish on a beautiful day driving north on the Sea to Sky Highway (99) to highway 97. Our destination was Clinton and the Clinton Pines RV Park. It was a long, slow and winding drive. Clifford did a great job climbing mountains and carefully descending valleys. Some places were very steep with 10% grades. We zig zagged through the beautiful mountains at an average of around 60 KM/HR and sometimes as slow as 20 KM/HR. We saw many trees and creeks and rocks. Hmmm ... sounds like a song.
Just outside Lillooet, the landscape became more desert-like with sage brush, yellow grasses and fewer trees.
We stopped briefly in Lillooet for a coffee/tea break at a little café called A-Bun-Dance Bakery. As we entered the café we saw a sign saying they were short staffed and please be patient and kind. Well, we weren’t there for more than a second before a young fellow asked what we’d like. I hadn’t even had a chance to look at what was offered before another young person asked if I wanted a pastry. There were four young people behind the counter all eager to serve us, their only customers at the time. The entrance sign was misleading. We enjoyed a break and a butter tarts.
I was interested to learn that all the places along 97 that are numbered (e.g. 100 Mile House) refer to the distance from Lillooet. We saw lots of establishments named by miles like the 57 Mile Cafe.
Our campground for the next two nights was great. Our sight was large and treed. The owner was previously a fisherman out of Prince Rupert and had a food truck on the property called Big H Halibut and Chips. They were only open on Fridays and Saturdays so we planned to have dinner there Friday.
We explored the village. Supposedly it had many antique shops and unique stores. The day was super hot and was not pleasant for strolling around. The “antiques” were really mostly junk and the two stores had that certain "old" smell. The only place I would have considered to be unique was closed.
We drove around for a bit and found three cemeteries – one was called “The Old Cemetery” spelled out with white stones. The other two all had exactly the same crosses – similar to a US military cemetery. We asked about them, but while people knew they were there, they didn’t know the history or anything.
We did find a really nice café called Junction Coffee. It is owned by a fellow who was born and raised in Clinton but went off to be a musician. After marrying and having kids he decided to return. His place was very busy – mostly locals – it was better than a Starbucks.
Big H’s fish and chips were delicious and the food truck was busy. It seems that it’s a local tradition to get dinner there on Fridays. While waiting for our order we chatted with a woman who owned horses and later we sat with a much older couple who’d lived in the area all their lives. They were able to enlighten us about the cemeteries. At some time, the local high school students restored these pioneer graves. The markers were in such bad shape they just replaced them all with the crosses.
Jerry likes to chat with other campers and we find out about lots of stuff that way. One couple we spoke with had just come from Robert’s Roost in Quesnel and they said it was a lovely camp, they spent a week there. That was our next stop.
On our way into Quesnel, we stopped at Kal Tire. Miss Too needed four new tires - Ouch! Jerry was concerned about the tires that came with the trailer and had many thousands of KMs wear on them. He didn't think they would make it home.
We continued to our campground. I don’t know where that couple stayed but Robert’s Roost was not a delight. The campground was OK but our campsite was close to being one of the worst we’ve stayed in. It was really narrow and setup backwards. We had no place to sit in the shade and it was hot and sunny.
We did venture into Quesnel.
A lovely bakery
Quesnel
On our way to Whiskers Point PP we cross the Arctic Divide where water flows to the Arctic.
FJ has been guiding and taking care of us
Whiskers Point Provincial Park
What an amazing gem of a site and park. We backed on to the water. No services, just beauty.
We wished we could have stayed longer there. The playground had musical
Chetwynd has hundreds of wood carvings everywhere!
They host a chainsaw carving festival each year.
Some towns know how to treat and attract tourists.
Often on our travels we find "big" things. We've sent pictures of these before. In Chetwynd, they have the world's biggest skis.
Along the highway to Dawson Creek, we stopped at a beautiful little waterfall called Bijoux Falls and a young man told us about a cafe up ahead that made delicious doughnuts and cinnamon buns. Yum. Of course we stopped at Cafe 97!
We also saw lots of hay fields. I was surprised to see so much agriculture in the area and later learned that the Dawson Creek area and surrounding countryside was mainly agricultural. I really enjoyed the view of the fields with different crops and the variety of colours - sometimes the fields reminded me of a patchwork quilt.
Unfortunately, we also saw huge swaths of dead trees. We suspect it is from the Spruce Beetle invasion.
Dawson Creek, the start of the Alaskan highway. Built in 8 months and 12 days during the 2nd WW to avert invasion via Alaska.
We had fun cycling around Dawson Creek, mile zero of the Alaska Highway. The people here were very friendly. One woman called from the sidewalk and offered to take our picture. She told us not to worry about the traffic. So many tourists stop to get pictures that the locals don't get upset. She's even seen tour buses blocking the intersection while everyone gets their pic.
Cycling around Dawson Creek
Someone went to the trouble of climbing up there and leaving a stuffed animal! Can you spot it?
A sign on the Dawson Creek Bike trail.
We decided to ride this paved trail in and around the town but we took the entrance that was closest to our campground. It was confusing and we couldn't find any directional arrows - nothing. We get lost whenever it's possible. We did finally complete the ride and realized on the way back that we rode it backwards - there was lots of signage going the other way. How difficult would it have been for the city to post signs going both ways!
On the Alaska Highway when it says check your fuel: 175km to next gas, you pull in and get gas. Off grid, this station runs on generator power. There's a little hut where you pay.
The next place on our journey was Fort Nelson. We'd stayed there four years ago on our way to the Yukon. There are not a lot of options in this part of Northern BC. We got the laundry done and did the groceries. All prepared for our stay at Muncho Lake.
There is a great deal of construction on 97 and we had to stop just before Testla Lake Campground. Not realizing it was there as we passed slowly through the construction area, we missed the buns. The restaurant there makes scrumptious cinnamon buns - we know this because we had some four years ago.
We stopped for lunch at a layby near Stone Mountain.
Gorgeous view.
A little further along we saw Summit Lake with its sparkling turquoise water.
We finally arrived at the Northern Rockies Lodge and Muncho Lake - it is beautiful. We can’t say enough about this place!
Evening view from our campsite at Muncho
Muncho Lake
The “flour” (fine glacier rock) in the water from the run off deflects the light in the water and gives this turquoise colour. It's even more colourful in real time/life.
It is also a cold lake being glacier fed. Elizabeth enjoyed a stimulating and refreshing swim in Muncho Lake. Jerry watched.
This is the plane we took to the Nahanni River and Virginia Falls. Our pilot, Urs is also the owner of the lodge. He and his wife came from Switzerland in 1979 and started the business in the early 80s. A very nice and considerate man.
On Monday, Elizabeth and I flew to Virginia Falls on the Nahanni River and walked the boardwalk with park staff. I walked the same places I had 25 years ago when I canoed there. It's a mile + portage at the falls.) It was a memorable moment for me to revisit that amazing place and brought back many great memories of the trip 25 years ago. (Elizabeth walked the 2 km each way! A hard day for her.)
In 1997, Elizabeth and I had just met a few weeks prior to me taking off (LOL) to canoe the Nahanni River NWT and Amie and I were living on Dodds Ave.
It was an amazing adventure that started as a dream a few years earlier when Chris and I went to a presentation in Hamilton by the outfitter of the trip Neil Hartling, Nahanni River Adventures.
The Nahanni is a National Park Reserve, and the first Canadian World Heritage UNESCO site. Virginia Falls is twice as high as Niagara Falls and the area was not affected by glaciers so the towering height of the canyons following the falls is amazing when seen from a canoe.
Jerry, Guide/Park Ranger Jordan and the parks Canada RED chairs.
July 1997 on the river above the falls
I stood in the very same location in the next shot in the rain in 1997.
The water level on the weeks that we tripped in 1997 had suddenly risen 15ft after a natural dam on a tributary broke. (This meant we were in for some real nice white Water downstream.)
And from the aircraft 25 years later Aug 22, 2022
A bit of an emotional day for me! It was a highlight of our trip to return to this magical part of Canada. Truly a beautiful and spiritual place.
We also returned to the Liard Hot Springs and look who we met along the boardwalk to the springs!
This guy was right on the boardwalk to the Hot Springs.
The wardens discouraged it with some bear bangers.
Liard Hot Springs Provincial Park
Well we think this is enough for this blog. Stay tuned as our next blog we are in Fort Nelson trying to figure out what to do as the Alaska Highway is closed where we want to go.
Love from,
Jerry, Elizabeth, Misty, FJ (Flat Jesus), the Guys, Miss Adventure Too, and Clifford the Big Red Truck.
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