Alaska Travel Update #13 - The End

If you click on a photograph, it will enlarge and should place a row of thumbnails on the bottom of your screen that you can navigate.

Today the drive was from Hyder, AK to Hazelton, BC. After dumping the holding tanks, bringing in the slides and lifting the jacks we were on the way to BC. After a stop at the Canadian Port of Entry just outside Hyder, we stopped at the Toasterworks  in Stewart for breakfast. Toasterworks is a Restaurant and Toaster Museum. 

Service was slow and the meal was unremarkable. The Strawberry Jam was good. After breakfast it was off to Petro-Canada for fuel. Once fueled we were on the road to Hazelton. We followed Highway 37a from Stewart, BC to the Meziadin Junction. 37a passes the Bear Glacier and the glacier lake at the bottom. Old scenery for us at this point. 

The road then picks up Lake Meziadin and follows it to the junction with Highway 37.  Here we turned south on Highway 37. This section of Highway 37 is a nice wide lane, narrow shoulder section of road that follows along Meziadin Lake. Again we cross several rivers and creeks. We do notice more logging activity here than any other place in Canada or Alaska. We had noticed a log yard in Stewart, BC and it appears that is where the logs are headed for shipping by ship.

As soon as we crossed the Skeena River, we turned east on Highway 16 and followed the river toward Hazelton and Prince George.

Highway 16 is a very nice road, almost like a freeway compared to the other roads that we have been on. After about 15 miles we arrived in the outskirts of Hazelton. According to our mapping program, we missed our turn onto Brewster Road. So, we continued down the road and made a U-turn at the Hazelton Information Center. We got to Brewster road and as soon as we turned off the road surface changed to gravel. 

OK, no problem, after about a mile and a half, we end up in the yard of a shop, junkyard, something. 

Well, this is wrong. We got turned around and headed back out toward the main highway. I stopped and called the Campground and they provided me directions that included turning at the Visitor Information Center. Back on the highway we retraced our steps to the Visitor Center, made the turn and followed it for more than three miles into the village of KSAN, where we found the campground. 

Of course along the way we found a narrow bridge - that we had to cross.

Of course there were some great views of the river looking off the edge of the bridge - Did I mention it is a one way bridge. 

This is a nice campground, relatively new looking on the banks of the Skeena River. 

The roads are paved and the sites, 30A FHS, are dirt/gravel. There is lots of lawn and open spaces. No shade and when it is 85+ degrees out, then it is very hot in the Motor Home - especially with the main HVAC Unit not working properly.

Today, Thursday, August 8 - we left the Ksan RV Park headed to Prince George. From the RV Park it was simply going back to the Trans Canada Highway 16 and turning toward Prince George or east. 

This highway is wide, smoother pavement than in the past and a speed limit of 63MPH give or take. The road passes through such towns as Moricetown, Smithers, Telkwa, Burns Lake, Houston, Fort Fraser, and Vanderhoof before arriving in Prince George. Though the road was good and the scenery pleasant, it was still a long drive of 250+ miles. 

Along the way we came across an accident scene that was being worked by four RCMP (Mounties), and a car fire that had a RCMP on scene. 

Going through Prince George, we turned south on Canada 97, which follows the Fraser River for a ways, to the MaMa Yeh RV Park. This is a new, still in development RV Park owned by Ed Yeh. Currently he has about two dozen sites, an even mix of back in and pull through, all appearing to be FHS. Ed did warn me that the water had a high Iron content and though clear, did have an odor. He stated to run the water for a minute before connecting. I just put my dual filter system in place and that should take care of odor in the water. Though he advertises WiFi, he admits it needs improvement and said it probably would not reach inside our Motor Home. We did have satellite reception, good Cell service on Rogers Net (AT&T). Not a bad place to spend three nights. Upon getting setup it was off to do the laundry. Ed Yeh gave us directions to a Laundromat about 16 miles away. Once we found it, the attendant stated that there were at least three other Laundromats, some much closer to us.

A late start today, this 9th day of August. We went into Prince George, a distance of about 17 miles. The first stop was Grama's Restaurant. This is a small restaurant located at the Grama's Inn Hotel. The food was good, the service good and the waitresses were hilarious. It was clear that no one ever left the restaurant a stranger. Blueberry pancakes, eggs and ham for me, ham, eggs, home style potatoes and toast for Deb. Definitely a place to come back to.

The next stop was the local community Railroad Museum. Which seems to have a little of everything.

1929 Durant

One of the first "portable" radios that were in use in the 1970s.

When I started as a Dispatcher, I used a remote similar to this.

These sirens and emergency lights were still in use in the 1970s

There are a number of old railcars, an old rail station that had been relocated years ago from its original location to the museum property. Called the Penny Station, the building was moved across a frozen river. They had a wait for just the right time when the ice would be thick enough to support the weight of the building and the truck that it was loaded on. 

The interior was setup the way it was when it was in operation. The living area contained furniture and appliances from the same time period. Included were some old telegraph equipment. 

They had a few old automobiles on display also. There was also a telephone museum. It contained things like test equipment to check relays, old telephones and switch boards.

Telephone Switchboard

There were also displays of the different types of wire/cable used in the telephone industry. 

1,500 pair copper telephone cable

 

But, as we have seen in other community type museums, the place had a run down look and feel to it. I give them credit that they did have volunteers doing some painting and other projects while we were there.

Upon returning to the Motor Home, we decided to wash it. The last time it had a bath was during our first visit to Whitehorse. Since Ed Yeh allowed RV washing, we started by washing the side and end of the Motor Home that was in the shade. We will finish the rest in the morning.

Saturday, August 10, the first thing this morning, we finished washing the Motor Home. Once that was complete it was off to a dog park that we found in Prince George. On arrival we found a large area with dying grass fenced off. The area was next to a school and adjacent to a bicycle trail riding course. While we were there, one dog and owner came through. Annie got to explore some new area, but no interaction with other dogs.

From here we proceeded to a carwash to get the Jeep washed. Clean Motor Home deserves a clean Jeep. Once that was done we were off to find Tree Bark carvings.

The Cottonwood Island Park is a Cottonwood natural area. It is on the Nechako River. Cottonwood produce a very thick bark, and prior to 2005, City Employee Elmer Gunderson carved a couple of faces into the bark of the trees. Gunderson had helped construct the trails in the park in the 1980s. According to the legend, the carvings brought so much attention that in 2005 the City sponsored him to complete eight carvings in the bark of several trees. Additional carvings were added in 2016 and in 2017. 

Today there are about 18 carvings. Annie and I walked the trail and found four or five. The carvings are not all facing the trail. They are high on the tree and not really large. 

In fact I walked by three of them before I knew what to look for. I met a local resident who imparted the story of the carvings and explained that they were only on trees that had very prominently thick bark. Quite unique. We did not walk the entire trail.

In other things around the area, we found Mr. PG.

Mr. PG came about in the 1950s as a way to promote the forest industry and the City of Prince George. Mr. PG came to life in 1960, starting out as one and a half meters high.  He now stands more than eight meters tall.

Fraser River in Prince George

 

Travelled today, Sunday, August 11, was from Prince George to  Cache Creek on Highway 97. The road was two lane with sections of four lane around some of the larger settlements. It was a 200+ mile day going through towns like Redrock, Woodpecker, Hixon, Cinema, Williams Lake and Quesnel to name a few. The terrain is mostly rolling farmlands with small farms and ranches interspersed with wood products operations. 

In Cache Creek, we stayed at the Brookside RV Park. This is a small park nestled in a little valley, just off Highway 97. It is below the main road surface so it was relatively quiet. Wood with a mix of evergreen and cottonwood. 

There was a small stream that you crossed on a wood decked bridge, and the stream continued around one edge of the RV Park. 

A trail lead up to a large open meadow at the foot of some rolling hills. 

Debbie commented that it looked alot like the terrain around The Dallas, Or. No OTA television and trees blocked the satellite signal.

Annie's favorite position when we were stopped for the night. During our travels she really prefered her kennel (box).

Today, August 12, From Cache Creek we headed down the TransCanada Highway 1 toward Abbottsford and Sumas, WA where we would cross the border back into the US. The road started out fine, following and crossing the Thompson River, which originates in the Kamloops Lake,

and then we entered Fraser Canyon. At Spatsum you continue along the Thompson River and the road begins to have a few curves along the river. Once you cross the Thompson River at Spences Bridge, the curves increase and the road continues to twist and turn like a snake on the river bank. 

Look close and you will see a train on each side of the river.

We also had to pass through five tunnels along this path. A couple with curves. Most tunnels that I have been through are straight. Not here.

This continues down to Lytton where the Thompson River empties into the Fraser River. The road straightens out some, but not much as you go through settlements such as Conrad, Falls Creek, Keefers, Boothroyd, Boston Bar, China Bar and Hells Gate.  The road finally becomes four lane freeway, once you cross the Fraser River again in Hope, BC. The TransCanada 1 continues to follow along the Fraser River until Chilliwack, BC where the highway turns more south. In Abbotsford, we made the turn to Highway 11 to the Border. 

There was a line of vehicles waiting to cross, it fact it was about an hour before our turn at the crossing both. The usual questions were asked by the Customs Agent, where we had been, any firearms, any cannabis, any firewood or fruits. When asking about the fruits, she reminded us it was a $10K fine to lie about what we had on board. She then returned the Passports and told us to have a nice day and off we went.

Back in the US of A

To get from Sumas over to I-5 is very interesting and confusing. This included a little side trip through the downtown area of Lynden. We finally made it to I-5 and continued south to Washington Highway 2 where we turned east for a short trip into Monroe, WA. Things got a little cloudy as to where the RV section of the Evergreen State Fairgrounds was. Finally we stopped at the Fairgrounds Administration building and I asked for directions, Finding the we had not driven east far enough on Highway 2, we continued east another quarter of a mile and found the RV lot. This is a gravel lot with RV pedestals containing electric and water. we found our spot, connected utilities, disconnected the Jeep. 

Once the setup was complete, we loaded the dog in the Jeep and headed for Debbie's brothers house in Kenmore, WA about 15 miles away. There Annie was introduced to their dog Luna. It turned into a mutual acceptance agreement. We had dinner with her brother and his wife and then it was back home to Monroe.

Well folks, we decided not to bore you with the visiting of family and friends in Washington State, or the trip back across the country. We had a great time.

This blog is written so that we could add more photos, videos and other information than we could in the email updates that we sent out.. We estimate that more than four thousand photos were taken on this trip with five different devices. 

There will probably be two more posts. One on the Fountainhead Auto Museum in Fairbanks, AK, and another epilogue posts that will include some off the wall things that we saw along the way.

Thanks for riding with us - 

Happy Trails to you - Until we meet again.....

Michael, Debbie and Annie