North To Alaska

Update from:  www.511yukon.ca/

"Highway 1, the Alaska Highway, is now open between Jct 37 and Teslin with single lane traffic at km 1098. Expect lengthy delays. 2012/06/11 - 19:30 Highway 1, the Alaska Highway, is open between Haines Junction and Destruction Bay with single lane traffic from km 1638 to km 1643. The highway could close with short notice. 2012/06/11 - 08:00"

http://www.drivebc.ca/

"Highway 37 Both directions Maintenance 26 km north of Dease Lake Maintenance Contactor Yard 7:30 am to 3:00 pm daily through Jun 13. The road is reduced to single lane alternating traffic with up to 20 minutes delay. Updated on Tue Jun 12 at 5:16 am PDT. (ID# -34791)

Always an adventure!

Marsha~

Marsha:


When we came south on 37 in 07 the water was up to the edge of the road. By the time we got to Hyder that afternoon they had closed the highway for four days. Much of 37 was being rebuilt and was fresh dirt that aggravated the washouts.

Marsha

Looks like you picked a bad year to travel regarding roads.... On our trip although it rained just about every day we only had one road closure , the Tok bypass.

Terry... I can't believe how fast they fix the roads up here, in the lower 48 it would take months.  We're gonna keep heading north, hoping for less rain.  BTW, the Tok is wide open. 

Marsha~

Marsha: Where are you now?

Marsha:


Their idea of "fix" in some cases is a quick pass with a grader.

Michael,  We are still in Prince George heading to Vanderhoof tomorrow and then onto Prince Rupert.

Where are you?

Marsha~

Jeff, I'm expecting all sorts of fixes.....just hope they hold the coach.... :  Tim is a Civil Engineer, he's gonna be astounded with their creativity, I'm sure.

Marsha~

Marsha/CA said:

Michael,  We are still in Prince George heading to Vanderhoof tomorrow and then onto Prince Rupert.

Where are you?

Marsha~

Click to expand...

You're taking the route we'll be taking when we return. We're spending the night in Ft. Nelson.

Prince George BC to Hazleton, BC
Prince George is a thriving metropolis; a place to have things fixed (ie. Caterpillar, Cummins, Freightliner, Detroit Diesels, Chevy, Ford, Dodge), stock up on everything you need and even do a bit of sightseeing.  SouthPark RV park is south of Prince George on Highway 97.  It?s easy to get into, has great wifi and can withstand heavy downpours and lightening.  However, Charlie is NOT happy here.  We don?t know why, but he?s afraid of something in the woods. 
We decide to stay a few extra days, waiting for the roads to be repaired and do some sightseeing; and fix a money problem. Tim attempted to transfer money into our account in order to pay bills and have $$ for this leg of the trip.  He logs on to our invest account and found we have been ?red-flagged?  We went through this last month and the problem lies in the fact that we have a postal address instead of a residence.  We have no home postal delivery in our home town so everyone has a post office address.  It hasn?t been a problem for close to 20 years; but now it is; all due to the Patriot Act.  He calls the broker and has found that he needs to provide who I am, that I have a telephone account and am a US citizen.  He is livid.  I photo copy my passport, my driver?s license and I happen to have my own Verizon phone account.  All of this is emailed to the broker and the account is ?released? the following day.  I don?t think he will be staying with this investment company for very long.
The rain has stopped, we now have access to ?our? money; and the sun is shining in and out of fluffy clouds so we decide to visit the town.  The Visitor Center, we were told, is in the old part of town.  The map shows it to be closer to our campground; but the one we find is deserted and dilapidated.  While we are trying to find a place to hike with Charlie, we stumbled on the new and improved visitor center.  It is great.  We get all sorts of information including an off-leash park for Charlie, it is perfect. 
One of the places Tim wanted to visit was the Forestry and Railroad Museum in Prince George.  When we arrive we both make the statement that it might not be what we?re looking for, but what the heck.  The Forestry part is not very good at all; but Tim and I have a ball climbing in and out of old Canadian railroad equipment:  engines, massive snow removal plows, men ?work? cars and cute little motor cars.  He worked for the Santa Fe Railroad for close to 20 years, so he has been in and out of all sorts of rail machinery.  It was fun listening to him tell old stories. 
We also learn that the saw dust leftover after milling used to be burned in a conical like building.  However, now a days I?m betting they recycle it because it can be used for horse bedding in barn stalls.
One of the things the Visitor Center provided to us was a coupon book.  We got 1 free admission to the Forestry and Railroad Museum and to the Ft. St. James Historical Site. They also gave us info on the Cassier Highway, Fort St. James and places to see along the Yellowhead Highway, #16.
Wednesday was bright and beautiful as we drove through Prince George found Highway 16, the Yellowhead driving west toward Vanderhoof.  It was a short drive only 60 some miles.  Just outside of Vanderhoof, we saw a large black bear crossing the road.  They seem to be hanging out along the highways.
Vanderhoof is a small community, we are staying at Dave?s RV just east of town.  It?s not a bad campground with full hookups.  Not much of a place to walk Charlie and you pay $3.00 per 24 hours for wifi and only one computer can use the code.  So if Tim and I both wanted to be on the service it was $6.00 a day.  We just paid for 1 day and 1 computer. 
Wednesday afternoon we visited the Vanderhoof Heritage Museum that was somewhat limited.  There were 5 or so restored building and one of them housed a small restaurant called the ?OK Cafe?.  The waitresses were donned in period costume.  We tossed our diets down the drain and split a piece of cherry pie.  They are known for their pies.  It was Ok.  However the most fun was talking to some folks who were seated behind us.  They heard we were heading to Alaska and talked with us for quite some time.  The man was from Germany and the wife Canadian.  We discussed all sorts of things and it was fun to meet locals.  We are finding that is what we really enjoy when traveling.
The museum was also near a hiking trail head so we were able to work in a hike with Charlie.
On Thursday, we take the little car and off we go to Ft St. James about 25 or so miles due north from Vanderhoof.  The fort is right on Stuart Lake which is 56 miles long.  The fort originally was established by the Hudson Bay Trading Company and was a fur trading fort.  Ft. St. James was the hub for lots of other forts offering trade goods for furs.  The most trapped animals were beavers; but they also traded lynx, hare, black bear, wolf, and wolverines.  We also learned that the glands from the beaver were a treasured item and until just recently Channel #5 perfume was putting beaver glands into their formula. 
This was a fantastic visit.  There are docents dressed in period costumes and they are very informative.  All of the original buildings are still standing except for the warehouse which burned and then was rebuilt according to the original plans.  It looks like a working fort.  They told stories such as how it would take 1 year to get supplies and goods from England.  The fort was occupied by men; except for the local ?first nation? women who would come into the fort to cook and clean.  For the first 3 years of existence, the fort had no milk, butter or cheese.  The ground was so poor in that it was all clay; it took that long to get the soil fertile and useable to grow vegetables to be able to maintain cattle for dairy.  The docent also told us that the winters at the fort were often 40 degrees below zero Fahrenheit.
After the tour, we decide to keep driving north as far as the pavement went.  We ended up at a First nation town; not much there and a very depressed community.  I think of how much Tim and I have.  However on the way, we see a mamma bear and her two cubs scampering across the road.  What fun!
Friday is BEAUTIFUL.  We get an early start, well for us anyway, and are on the road by 9:30 driving to Hazleton.  It?s hard to pick where you want to stay as there are little things along the way to check out and see.  We?ve decided to push and try to make it to Prince Rupert in two days instead of three.  On the way we stop at Houston, so that I can see the 60? fly rod and lure that is part of the Visitor Center.  This area is very popular flyfishing; however, not at the moment.  The rivers are full of mud from all the recent rains.  The big fly rod display was right near the Visitor?s Center so in we zip.  By chance there was a farmer?s market right at the center??we hemmed?.we hawed?but resisted the homemade breads, the BBQ sandwiches and all the other goodies that were for sale.  Instead we ate our veggies and dip; along with some great sausage meats we got from the deli while in Prince George.
The land along the Yellowhead highway is filled with small farms; but also with dense forests and overgrowth.  This is big lumber/timber country, we pass logging trucks and areas that have been harvested.  We also notice dead spruce trees.  They are having an infestation of Spruce Beetle and it?s killing some of the trees.  We see signs warning us to watch for moose; but we didn?t spot a one. 
I scoured previous forum members logs to see if anyone had stayed at the Ksan First Nation Campground; but could not find any reference.  Hazleton is divided into 3 different communities.  The campground is off of Highway 16, the Yellowhead, about 3-4 miles north.  We were a little hesitant and not sure of what we were getting into; but this is a gem of a campground with long pull throughs, grass, picnic tables, firering and full hookups, 30 amps.  We are parked facing the Bulkley River with the Rocher Deboule mountain range to our left.  The mountain range is topped with snow and just gorgeous.  Good thing I got a quick picture after we arrived, it?s now raining.
To get here we drove, let?s rephrase that, I drove over a one lane suspended bridge which is reported to be one of the highest suspension bridges in Canada.  It crossed a beautiful gorge and if we get a break in the rain, we?ll check it out tomorrow.

I enjoyed that. I know the area well, my mother grew up in Vanderhoof.

I've decided I'm not as detailed, thorough, or up to date as Linda and Betty.  But here goes anyway:

Hazelton BC (June 15, 2012), to Prince Rupert, BC (June 17, 2012)
Saturday dawned cloudy and rainy and we were off to a slow start.  Charlie is really enjoying this campground, and so are we. 
We drove down to the suspension bridge, walked across and got a good look.  This is the 3rd bridge built to cross the gorge.  The first was made by the First Nation people.  The men of the tribe made the bridge out of logs and ropes.  When they were finished constructing it, they had the women of the tribe cross over it carrying fully loaded baskets.  The men remained at bottom on the sides of the canyon with long poles.  Why they had the long poles was not explained to us.  I was thinking it was to pull the women out of the water, Tim thought maybe it was to hold up the bridge.  We?ll never know.
The information center was on the far side of the bridge so while we were there, we stopped in and learned  there are several areas with original totem poles still standing, we drove out to Kitspox to view one of the sites.  I has 12-15 poles in various stages of condition.  Some were close to 200 years old and interesting to look at.
The KSAN Cultural Historical center is right near the campground we are staying.  It has various artifacts and a great deal of information.  The center consists of 6 long houses, each different.  I forget what one of the long houses was used for but the first is a gift shop and museum, the 3rd a visual display center in development, the 4th a ?display? house, the 5th a feast house and the 6th a clan quarters.  You can arrange for a tour guide to go with you through the last 3 long houses.  We got a good idea of life of the First Nation.  This culture of First Nations did not migrate as other tribes did.  The land was so full of game and food that they never left.  We asked if they still held ceremonies in these facilities and the tour guide said: ?no, we use the community hall?;  so much for keeping the old ways.
Saturday evening a very big, very red tour bus pulled into the campground.  Out popped 14 people.  The front of the bus was a plush tour bus with big comfy seats and big windows for touring.  The back half was used as sleeping compartments.  Tim and I were intrigued with how efficient everything seemed to go.  We also decided we could not travel in such close quarters and felt a bit extravagant with our motorhome
Sunday morning was beautiful and we head west toward Prince Rupert.  A big city on the way is Terrace.  The drive was just like the other drives; rolling hills, dense forest.  We passed the turn off for Highway 37, the Cassiar, which will take us up to the Yukon.  We check out fuel stations noting whether we can get in or not.  After we go through Terrace, the skies cloud up; but the landscape is just breathtaking, even with the clouds.  We pass mountain after mountain that is snowcapped; but also rivets of waterfalls along with gushing ones flowing from the very tips of the mountain.  At some spots the snow filled crevices go all the down to the water?s edge. We  are following the Skeena River with its terminus at Prince Rupert.  We also notice not many cars on the road.
Our choice of campground was the Kinnikinnick RV Park in Port Edward.  It is about a 5 minute walk from the port.  For those following us, DO NOT use this campground.  There is only one site that we can fit into easily and it only has 15 amp service and water.  However the wifi here is great.  I would rate this campground as a fish camp, not an rv park.  But, one consolation is that on the first night here we took a walk and went down to look at the port.  We kept seeing big birds fly over us and finally realized it was bald eagles?immature one.  Once down at the shore line, we counted nearly 10-12 eagles perched in the tall spruce trees, with others flying in and around us.  Our guess was that 30 or more eagles were in the vicinity.  They were spectacular; not sure we would have seen this at the campground in Prince Rupert.
We were getting desperate to do laundry and needed to stock up on groceries as we are heading up the Cassiar.  The visitor center listed ?King Koin? as the only laundry in town.  Oh my!  This was an awful place; but we were desperate.  I?m thinking this is the same facility that Linda and Dean went to when they were here on their Alaska adventure.  First it was $3.00 a load to wash and $.25 for 2.5 minutes to dry.  Most, if not ? ,of the washers and dryers were in some state of brokenness.  It was in a bad part of town and we were glad to be finished when everything was done!  I think the idea of buying a new motorhome with a washer and dryer crossed both our minds after that experience. 
Prince Rupert has a nice Safeway grocery store, so we augmented our supplies and headed for home.  Poor Charlie has not had a good day: he waited in the car and didn?t even get a hike in for the day.  However back at camp we did walk back to the port to watch for eagles again.  There were not as many as yesterday.  One thing we did notice is that there were several mature eagles there instead of lots of immature one.  Perhaps it was a dominance thing, and the young one stayed away. 
We have decided to stay another day as we want to go through the National Historic Cannery Museum.  They were not open on Monday, so we?ll stay until Tuesday then head up the Cassiar.

Marsha/CA said:

I've decided I'm not as detailed, thorough, or up to date as Linda and Betty.  But here goes anyway

Click to expand...

Surely you jest, girl friend.  I loved the details (on the Laundromat especially.)  Keep those  reports coming.  Loving them !

Plan to spends some time in Stewart/Hyder and be sure to go up the road to the Salmon Glacier and the bear viewing area. You might be too early for the salmon runs, though, and if so, the bears are scarce.  The glacier should be spectatcular this early, and I epxect there will also be huge streams dashing down the mountain sides.  Eat some halibut in Hyder - the lady who owns the little seafood place also owns the fishing boat. Talk about fresh fish!

Don't expect much of the campgrounds, though. They serve the purpose of a place to park and that's about it. But you aren't there to see campgrounds!

On the way into Stewart stop at the hanging glacier (I think it is named Bear Glacier) along the Stewart Highway. It's a great example of its type and there is plenty of space to park an RV at roadside.

I'm getting caught up...wifi is good!

Prince Rupert,BC (June 20, 2012), to Stewart/Hyder, BC and North (June 22, 2012)
With our extra day in Prince Rupert, we took a friend?s suggestion and visited the North Pacific Cannery Historic Park.  This is located in Port Edward and about 10 miles from our campsite.  We were not sure what we were getting into; but paid our $10.00 each with senior pass.  By chance the first day we arrived in Prince Rupert, we drove out to the cannery and ran into (not really) met the cook, who mentioned just how good her seafood chowder was.  Being good chowder consumers, the first place we hit was the caf? and had her fabulous seafood chowder; it was excellent.  Tours of the cannery start at any time they have a group ready to go.  Our tour guide was a retired First Nations man name John.  But then he gave us his traditional name which was ?Shaking Wolf?.  He had also been employed at the cannery as a young boy and then on into his adult life.  He told us he had worked many of the positions in the cannery and told us stories of what when on along; with his spiel of information about the cannery. 
This was an excellent tour, we learned a lot about how salmon are canned; but we also got a good understanding of the different cultures involved with the caning process in the early years.  The cannery employed Chinese, Japanese, First Nations and Europeans.  There were different living areas for each ethnic group; and different cultures had their specialties in the canning procedure.  John indicated that the Europeans were the pencil pushers.  He also mentioned when Japan bombed Pearl Harbor, Canada also gathered up the Japanese and sent them to detention centers.  That was new bit of history for us.
Apparently the various cultures got along fairly well.  At its height there would be 500-700 employees including the fishermen.  Each nationality had its own separate housing area and of course there was the company store.
After the tour we found a great hiking trail down to some local rapids.  It was a tough trail with lots of ups and downs, nearly 3 miles; but it felt good and Charlie had a great time.  The trail featured what they called reversing rapids.  The rapids were located in a small inlet and the water would flow based on tidal flow, thus reversing rapids. The sun peeked out a few times; but when we got home we pretty much ?jelled?; we had been on our feet for most of the day.
On Wednesday, we pulled out of camp and began our drive up to the Cassiar highway.  The sun was shining with big fluffy clouds everywhere.  As I?ve mentioned before, the drive from Terrace to Prince Rupert is full of large snow topped mountains, breathtaking waterfalls and now we began to see more wildflowers.  With no rain, fog, mist or clouds the scenery was altogether different as we traveled back east.
At the intersection of Highway 16 (Yellowhead) and 37 (Cassiar) Tim humored me and filled the motorhome even though we were only down ? tank.  So now the coach and the little car are full of fuel and I?m happy.  I think it was 97 miles from that intersection to the turn off onto 37A toward Stewart/Hyder.  We had been combing the sides of the road looking for bear, moose, wolf anything wild.  We saw nothing.  Then just before the turn to 37A, Tim saw 4 black bears, a momma and her cubs.  I missed them.  A couple of miles down 37A, we saw another one.  Those were the only bears we saw during the Stewart/Hyder stay.
The drive into Stewart was beautiful, dozens of glaciers, steep mountains, waterfalls everywhere?.just beautiful.  We had decided we didn?t want to cross into Alaska and then have to go through Canadian  Customs on the return to Stewart.  Bear River RV park is a mile or so outside of Steward, so we stayed there.  They advertised wifi, but it kept going in and out and was mostly OUT, so no internet.  During the middle of the first night we woke to heavy rain; but the sun was out in the morning.  We packed a lunch, loaded the dog, raincoats (they go with us everywhere now), cameras, and binoculars to drive up a 25 mile gavel road to the Salmon Glacier.  The drive was in the US and we first drove into Hyder, Alaska.  You get there through Canada and there was no US border because from Hyder you weren?t going anywhere else in the US so why bother.  Canada did have crossing guards but it was all pretty casual.  Stewart, BC is the town in the area.  Hyder, Alaska consists of a few dirt roads and a dozen or so buildings of which only 3-4 were occupied.  It took a few minutes to travel through Hyder but then we found the dead end gravel mining road that would lead us to the bear viewing area and the noted Salmon glacier.
Well?.. to say the least, we were a bit disappointed.  First the bear watch area is swarming with construction workers and equipment.  There are no bears and you couldn?t park anywhere to visit the viewing area.  Last year the bridge washed out, a new one is being built.  I?m thinking it will take all summer season to complete.  We drive almost up to the glacier and are stopped by a construction worker who will not let us go any further due to liability.  The mining company, that is further past the glacier, is doing something with a helicopter and has restricted the road.  Plus there are NO bears?nada?zilch?not a one.  The salmon have not started up the rivers yet; something about the weather being so unusually cooler than normal.  But I?m thinking when they do start to come up and the bears come down to eat, the construction will probably keep them away.
Feeling sorry for ourselves, we drive back into Hyder, found the ?Glacier Inn? and have ourselves a local beer.  Well, Tim had one, I had a good old Bud lite.  We also found the general store where Tim could get a souvenir magnet and I asked the owner if he knew a resident there.  My neighbor and friend at home has a high school friend who lives in Hyder?..found the friend?s house and marched up to the door, introducing myself all along the way.  We got a few pictures, said good bye.  There are about 40 residents who live there.  They all say they love it, even with 35 feet of snow in the winter.
Our plans were to eat dinner at the Seafood Express, the tour touted unique experience everyone says you need in order to experience Hyder.  We had the dog with us and were out of beer; back to Stewart we go passing through Canadian Customs.  The cute little girl asked us several questions and tried to act tough; but she was all of 18?well, maybe a bit older, but not by much.  That morning we stopped at the crossing going into Hyder to see what time they closed and I had talked to a very smiley-happy male agent?..cute I might add. 
We get our beer, take the dog back to the motorhome and go back into Hyder to experience the Seafood Express.  I have to admit, I didn?t feel it was all it was supposed to be.  We had seared Halibut which came with tons of French fries and nothing else.  Tim had a soda, I had water and the bill was $39.00.  I know lots of folks think the food is spectacular, but I?ve had better elsewhere.  I?m wondering if it was frozen and not fresh; perhaps that was the difference.  The paper plates and plastic forks made us feel much better about the cost.  When we got home Tim fixed another dinner.
Head back towards Stewart and realize we never took the beer out of the car, which was bought in Canada so now we are over the limit going back into Canada.  Well, what ya gonna do?.pay the piper.  As we approach, the nice smiley-happy agent I had met that morning was checking us through.  Asked what we had done with our day and welcome back into Canada?.never asked about the beer?Whew?dodged that one.
To those following us or reading this to get ideas on travel, I think if we were to do it over again, we would park the motorhome at the Meziadin Provincial Park at the intersection of 37 and 37A and take the tow car or truck down into Steward /Hyder.  You can do everything in one day.  Tim and I were also getting the opinion the bear thing is pretty hyped up.  Don?t get me wrong, the drive down is beautiful, the towns are cute, especially Hyder; but it might not warrant several days.  At least call information in Stewart to see if roads are open to the bear viewing area and Salmon Glacier.  The drive in and out of Stewart is breathtaking however and only a little over thirty miles.
Friday dawns with bright sun and it is sunny the entire way and getting warm even to the point that we have turned on the generator and air conditioner.  We are now in Iskut, BC at a gorgeous campground called Mountain Shadow.  It has 30 amp with water and a sani-dump.  It?s at the base of a mountain range with a small lake, gravel sites with grass in-between.  Very nice!  We donned our shorts, short sleeved shirts, lawn chairs and a beer?.Oh wow!  This is good.  On the drive here we saw 3 black bear and one female moose.  We are having a ball. 

Marsha:


We spent three days in Stewart/Hyder, two of which was watching a bear and her three cubs cavorting up and down the creek as well as following a black bear all the way back to town. Another source of bears is the Hyder town dump when they come in for dinner.


The glacier is breathtaking when you can get to the upper level where the two branches form.


I'm so sorry you and Tim couldn't get up there.

Ah, another Bud Light girl!  ;-)  My choice when a nice Cabernet Sauvignon is not available.  Lovin' your descriptions of your adventures up to Alaska and taking notes for our trip back down that way.

Marsha:

Sorry that you had a somewhat bad experience at Stewart/Hyder. We camped at a private campground at 37/37A junction and drove the car into Hyder. Got a great movie of a bear catching fish at the creek and was able to go all the way to the fork of Salmon Glacier. We had a full day, but we were able to see almost everything.

Frank

Male bears attack male cubs to cut down on the competition, so before the salmon run attracts the adult males, the females come down to feed their cubs unmolested. We were there on July 10th so it is still early. We only saw one bear but she had 4 cubs with her. Hope the construction gets completed quickly.

Too bad Hyder/Stewart didn't meet your expectations and that construction hampered your trip to the glacier. Bummer. We've been there twice and stayed 4-5 days each time and never got bored, but the second time the late salmon run was on and the bears active.  We found the people of both Stewart & Hyder to be exceeding friendly and helpful - the Hyder librarian even gave us a bunch of books that she was replacing because the locals had all read them (and we hadn't).

Your mediocre experience with the Bear Campground matched ours. We didn't go back on our second visit - we used Camp Runamuck in Hyder instead.

Marsha, ya gotta lighten up on the border crossings and such. They aren't looking to throw you in jail! And try a Labatt's beer!  Trying different things is one of the big attractions of visiting another region/country. Even if you don't like it, you still have a first hand experience to report.