dare2go

North-West to Prince Rupert


Continuation from < Page 1 < !

I'm sure I've mentioned already that this part of Canada has a vast amount of water. We were passing lakes which weren't even mentioned on the maps we had and never spent long on the road without seeing a body of water nearby. After the Joffre Lakes, it was Duffy Lake, not more than 10 km further. Then there were some up close views, as well as views from way above, of Cayoosh Creek. We were stunned by the sheer rock cliffs that towered over the road at this point and then dropped so far below us to the creek. Another 50 km and we were at Seton Lake and almost in Lillooet. Juergen was lucky at Seton Lake to be at the right place to get a good view of some Mountain Sheep.
Lillooet seemed to mark a significant change in the country side. It suddenly became quite barren in comparison to the thickly forested areas we had been driving through. Although, there were large tracts of dying trees visible along the way as well. It took us some days, but we eventually found out that the pine beetle is responsible for massive die-off in British Colombia's forests. The beetle is native to the forests and usually kills off older trees and allows the forest to regenerate. It in turn is slowed down by naturally occurring forest fires and the winter cold, which reduce its numbers. For many reasons, including better fire prevention and fire-fighting techniques, as well as unusually mild winters and warmer summers, the beetle has multiplied to epidemic proportions and is killing off the forests. The forestry department is fighting the problem with mass felling and replanting in places where many trees are dying, and using various other methods to combat the problem without upsetting the natural process too much.
The barrenness of Lillooet soon disappeared as we reached highway 97 and began travelling north instead of west. The forests were back, with their heartbreaking dead zones! We stopped for the night at Clinton Pines Campground in Clinton. It was a lovely warm evening and we spent a good part of it sitting outside in the pleasant surrounds of this RV Park. The owners are very friendly and tried hard to find us the best campsite to keep the road noise to a minimum. They also sold ice-cream by the scoop, and a very yummy desert it was.
Our goal on Tuesday was Barkerville. Juergen had read about this historic mining town and we decided to take the 180 km detour from the highway to visit it. We made one early stop at the town of "100 Mile House" (these places are named after the old stage coach stops) to write a couple of emails. We asked at the tourist info and were sent to a delightful café called "Chartreuse Moose". Their coffee was very good and their cakes looked so good that we were tempted even though it was only 10.30 in the morning! And their wifi was trouble free and very fast - and free. Check them out if you are ever up that way - even if you don't need to use the internet. There seemed to be a lot of locals in and out while we were there and that is usually a very good sign.
We arrived at Barkerville mid-afternoon, and found a campsite first in Lowhee Campground, which is part of the Barkerville Provincial Park, and only a couple of km from the old town. We decided to check out the town and return the next day if it was necessary/worth it - and if our day ticket allowed! We were a little disappointed that the tickets were only for the day issued and they were $12.50 each, but they do offer entry the next day for a further $2. We entered at about 4.00 and wandered about. It seemed to be a bit more like a low-key theme park than an historical site, with actors dressed appropriately to the historical time performing in the streets, but the buildings were mostly authentic, even though a lot of them had been moved there from other locations. We came to the conclusion that we had been spoilt by seeing Bodie in California first! After spending about two and a half hours there, we decided that we had seen enough, and we weren't really sure that the detour was worth it.
On Wednesday we woke up to a grey cold morning with light drizzle, so were on our way earlier than usual. It is not fun to linger in a place when you don't want to go outside the camper! On this day we were to drive the longest stretch of this particular journey. We stopped briefly, on the way back to highway 97, at Cottonwood House, a preserved roadhouse from the gold rush times. We were too early and they weren't open yet, so we wandered around the outside and only missed seeing the interior of these very well maintained historic buildings.
Since leaving Clinton, we were mostly driving through valleys between forested mountains, but the valleys were very wide and quite fertile farmlands. The countryside was very green, sometimes from irrigation, but there was also evidence that this area had seen some good summer rains.
After about 550 km, we stopped for the night at Tyhee Lake Provincial Park Campground near Telkwa, a quaint little town about 10 km before Smithers. It is sometimes funny the things that come up when travelling new areas. We had passed Burns Lake some 140 km before stopping, and knew that Smithers was close ahead. I mentioned that Smithers and Burns (from The Simpsons) must be really proud to have towns named after them and Juergen suggested that Groening probably just picked this part of the Canada map, found these two names to his liking and decided to use them. Perhaps I should have presented this in a different way, as if it were a fact, and see how soon it becomes common belief - LOL!
A short distance past Smithers and we were suddenly stopped in our tracks by Hudson Bay Mountain. This mountain is 2650m high and has a clearly defined glacier coming from the top. Even though there was constantly moving cloud about the peak, we managed to get a good look at the glacier. From there we continued on to The Hazeltons - three villages within a few kilometres called Hazelton, New Hazelton, and South Hazelton, around the junction of the Bulkley and Skeena rivers. We were in search of the Ksan Historical Village which we had read of. The tourist information furnished us with a map of the area which also showed us the way to a collection of about 15 totem poles that are about 200 years old. The First Nation people of Kispiox Village keep them in good repair and it was definitely worth the trip to see them (26 km round trip), despite an unpleasant rain shower.
On the way back we stopped, overlooking the Skeena River, and saw something moving in the distance, over the other side of the river. Using the binoculars we were able to see a mother black bear and her cub ambling along the riverside, opposite the historical village of Hazelton. When we arrived in the village, we found that she was still there and watched them, at closer range, until they disappeared into the forest. Hazelton is a quaint little town, but we went on to Ksan to see the model Native Gitksan village. There are a number of reconstructed longhouses with interestingly painted fronts and more totem poles. We didn't spend the time or money to go inside the buildings, but found the structures very interesting.
Driving in and out of this area we had to cross the Hagwilget Bridge - a one-lane suspension bridge which hangs 262 feet above the Bulkley River. I attempted to walk onto it, but it was very high and also the bridge has a surface of steel grills which you can look through right down below as you walk on it. I didn't manage more than a few metres before turning back - and Juergen wasn't far behind me! We followed the beautiful Skeena River almost the whole way from here to Prince Rupert, where it meets the ocean a little south from there.
We travelled on to Terrace and spent the night at a motel and RV Park to the west of the town. We wanted an internet connection and a laundry. The internet connection was forthcoming, but didn't function as well as it should have and the laundry was closed due to damaged washing machines. However, we did manage to update the website and that was getting a bit overdue!
We were now only about 150 km from Prince Rupert and it was Thursday. We had covered the kilometres more quickly than we had imagined we would and, although we were extremely tired at the end of a couple of long days, we don't feel like we have missed very much along the way. Canada, unlike the USA, is more like Australia to travel in - you can cover long distances and the scenery doesn't really change much. The countryside here is very beautiful and the closer we came to Prince Rupert, the more it looked like the Canada we had imagined.
In Prince Rupert we checked into the only campground in town and went to find a doctor to write me a prescription for the pills I take each day - I had brought 6 months supply from Australia and the 6 months is almost over. It is cheaper to go to the doctor here than in the States and the medication is also about a third of the price - it still cost over $450 for 3 months supply, which would have cost about $150 at home! Don't let the politicians destroy our PBS!!!
While I was at the Pharmacy, Juergen noticed (above the roofs of town) a cruise ship coming into the terminal, so we went down to take a look. I can't believe how huge these ships are - about 12 stories high, and that's above the water-line! Tomorrow we will organise ourselves for our ferry trip to Juneau and maybe see a little more of Prince Rupert.

Monday, 14 August 2006, Juneau, AK
We arrived in Alaska yesterday so I should just finish describing our time in Prince Rupert. On Friday morning we went first to the Ferry terminal to pick up our tickets - we were told to be there at 8.00 in the morning. The guy working there also suggested taking our own food aboard the ferry as what was provided was expensive and not really good. So the first stop after leaving the terminal was a supermarket, where we stocked up on a few essentials for the trip. Then we went to the museum, which is housed in a Northwest Coast longhouse, with a beautiful view of the harbour. It contains a large exhibit which shows the history and culture of the area back to the end of the last ice age! There is also an impressive collection of traditional art, executed by present day artists.
Once again there was a cruise ship at the terminal. Thursday's ship was named the "Norwegian Sun", and this one was her sister ship, named the "Norwegian Star". It was even larger and also blotted out the scenery from the harbour. We watched until it left and then got our first view across the harbour to the islands! By then it was after 5.00pm and time to return to the campground and pack for a little over 24 hours on the ferry.
We liked our time spent in Prince Rupert, a picturesque and unpretentious town. Trade was what brought the first European settlers to this place - fur trade with the First Nation peoples who had populated the area for at least 10000 years. These traders noticed the abundance of salmon, and the area was then developed for fishing, with many canneries established along the coast. It also became a railway town at the terminus of the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway. After the war a pulp mill was established. Today Prince Rupert is developing as a tourist town, but remains largely unspoiled by the influx of tourists during the summer months from cruise ships and also those in transit on their way to Alaska by ferry. It is also becoming one of Canada's most important ports as the trade with China continues to increase exponentially here, as in most western countries.
The weather was overcast and cloud hung low over the surrounding mountains the entire time we were there and it still looked that way as we watched it disappear quickly into the mist as we left on the Alaska ferry on Saturday morning.