One of our favorite little side trips turned out to be Stewart, BC and Hyder, AK. The 60 mile road to get to them was the prettiest yet, with waterfalls and glaciers majestically towering on either side. Bear Glacier provided a great view from the road, but the real draw is Salmon Glacier. I’m getting ahead of myself though.We found a campsite at Rainey Creek Municipal Campground in Stewart. Nestled into trees covered with Spanish moss, we felt enveloped in a fairy grove of green, similar to what we loved in Washington state. Part of the timing of our trip was to be up north late enough to catch the northern lights. The forecast was strong for tomorrow but we’d never be able to see them through the pocket of trees we were tucked into.
Being a small town, we were able to walk Molly up and down the streets and get a good feeling of what life is like here. There were 4 restaurants in town, but only one was open so we ate the Silverado Pizzeria and with only 1 waitress on a Saturday night, it was busy! Every table was full all evening. It’s fun to be in a town where you can walk to dinner and downtown. All of the shops were already closed and unfortunately would remain closed tomorrow (Sunday) so we didn’t get to shop at all. The Aurora forecast was mild for tonight. I enjoyed peeking through our bedroom skylight to catch of glimpse. Sure enough, after 11pm, I started to see what looked like white clouds moving in ribbons across the sky. I never saw colors, but I knew I was seeing what I’ve been waiting for. Knowing the forecast was better for tomorrow, Mark decided to sleep (or attempt to). It wasn’t easy with me standing on the bed, opening the window throughout the night, in eager anticipation. We somehow got some sleep, which was good because we had a busy day planned for Sunday.
We drove across the border into Hyder and our first stop was Fish Creek. They have a platform set up over the creek where humans can view the salmon circle of life, including the bears who come to feed on the spawning salmon. The creek was full of pink and chum salmon, ugly with effort to reproduce. We did see one bear eating a salmon right in the middle of the road. We grabbed lunch at the infamous “Bus” in Hyder. Many places in Alaska advertise fresh fish. The truth is that commercial fishermen sell their fish to a processor who freezes them before they get to a restaurant. Even when you’re sitting right on the harbor watching the fish come in, that is not what the locals restaurants get. At the Hyder Bus, the husband is the commercial fisherman and the wife is the restaurant owner, and the halibut is FRESH! Mark ordered fish and chips for probably the last time of the trip, while I tried something we haven’t seen anywhere else: halibut cheeks. The texture is a bit stringier than a filet, but what a delicious diversion from the deep fried fish norm. They were sautéed in a lemon butter herb sauce and quite delicious. We invited ourselves to share a table with some locals and thoroughly enjoyed both the food and the company. We learned that Canadians use white vinegar not just on the fish, but on their fries as well, and it was good! With full bellies, we were ready to face the road to Salmon Glacier. On the way, wouldn’t you know we had to stop for a mama and 2 cubs to cross the road right in front of us?
Driving a Ford F-350 dually is not that much fun. When the camper is off, the heavy duty truck bounces grudgingly along any dirt road. Sure it can handle it, but the passengers bump along and grimace. Now, take a dirt road with potholes lining it for 20 miles and it’s just a crappy adventure. It’s even more disconcerting when we know that the truck is our transportation, not just for the day, but our ride for the long way home. Any problems are gonna be tough, time consuming, and expensive to fix. Herein lies the fun and adventure of Alaska, and Canada. Everyone (on facebook or locally at the Visitor Center) tells us “you of course are going to go see this” and so we just have to! There was a lot of silence on the road that day in our truck, which if you know Mark and I is never a good thing. The short version is that we made it to the view and it was in fact worth it, only because the truck and the two humans inside did in fact survive unscathed. After seeing many photos and knowing the reputation of being North America’s only road accessible glacier, we thought we could drive to the toe of the glacier and stand right on it. Let’s say we were a bit fooled by the pictures in advertisements. Still, this glacier is truly one to behold. It really gave some perspective when a helicopter flew over the glacier and looked like a speck. After our trip up north, there is no doubting the effects of global warming. The question is, are our efforts to reverse it too little, too late?
Leaving Hyder meant saying goodbye to Alaska for the last time on this journey. We made one last stop at the Fish Creek viewing platform to be treated to one more bear before we said goodbye to the 49th state.
Mark gathered the camera gear and I packed snacks for our late night mission to capture Aurora Borealis. The auroras are caused by solar storms. Forecasts are based on a KP value from 0-9; 0 being nonexistent and 9 being spectacular. The KP for tonight is a 6. In addition to the aurora being present, we also have to have clear skies and as little light as possible. Clouds can block the view and ambient lights from town can dim it completely. We drove out of town some 10 miles until we found a pullout to park with no light distraction. The added bonus was that there was a mountain ridge and tree line that would make for a great backdrop if in fact the lights cooperated. Never having seen them before, we obviously had never photographed them either, but Mark did a fair amount of research on camera settings. A tripod is absolutely essential as the camera shuttle stays open for 13 seconds, give or take, depending on conditions. We found our spot at 8pm just before dusk and settled in for a long evening of waiting. We brought Molly along too but she didn’t really comprehend the stakeout. After reading some books, we started our napping cycle. I’d check the sky and then set the alarm for 30 minutes for the next check. With Mark snoring and Molly breathing heavy in the backseat, I barely dozed. The clouds started directly overhead and as night darkened, the clouds thickened. Somewhere around 10:30 it started raining and hope was looking bleak. The rain didn’t last but the clouds were moving north, the horizon we’re supposed to face. That’s when I started praying. It was midnight when I saw the first hint of the lights. I knew it wouldn’t be enough to photograph or to wake Mark up for, but there was a glimpse. The clouds continued moving north until the skies directly overhead were glistening with stars. And then the dancing ribbon of moving light got stronger. “Mark, it’s time.” I whispered. (I’ve never said those words to him before.) He awoke and set up the tripod and camera. We learned that part of the challenge with shooting northern lights is being able to change settings on the camera in complete darkness. We could only see whiteness of the lights, much like clouds but the movement was unmistakable. However, as he adjusted the shutter speed, we could see the green and purple hues captured on the camera screen. You can see the clouds in the earliest shots but they did move away as the show continued for the next half hour. Mark even tried to capture me along with the lights, which meant I had to stand in one spot and not move for the 13 seconds while he blipped the flashlight in my face for as short as possible (a quick on/off) so as not to let too much light in. While I am not in crisp focus, it wasn’t bad for a first attempt and now we have proof that I was there in that glorious moment. After seeing several people on our RVing to Alaska facebook page completely photoshop their northern lights photos, Mark was careful to only portray what the camera captured without doctoring the colors. We are told that there are storms that allow the human eye to see impressive greens and pinks and purples, but we mainly saw white or faint colored hues with the naked eye. Our favorite moment was when the sky pulsed and rolled as the lights reverberated through the sky. Driving back to camp, our hearts were full, in awe and wonder of God, and thankfulness that He invited us to the show tonight.
After not near enough sleep, we hit the road again. Making our way more quickly south and east on the Yellowhead Highway. Someone told us about a fish ladder near Meziadin Junction that we wanted to check out, hearing bears and other wildlife can be seen here also. Since we weren’t sure about the road conditions on the side road and if there would be a turnaround adequate, we decided to take the opportunity to walk Molly to get the mile or so to our destination. The weather has been absolutely beautiful in the 70s, and the warmth penetrates our skin. It turns out the fish ladder is a Native American fish camp. After garnering permission to observe, we started chatting with members of the tribe as they described their version of dipnetting. Their tribe was the only one with access to fishing this section of river and they had permanent and historic cabins set up. They stay at this camp for 2-3 months at the end of each summer to catch and process enough fish for their tribe of 150. The people help with all parts of the process, including netting, clubbing, cleaning, and preserving the fish in 4 different ways. They pressure can, smoke, vacuum seal, and salt the fish. And they eat every part! The soup they were making for lunch had tails sticking out of several bowls I saw. It was really fascinating to hear them describe their culture that relied so heavily on fish. We then found out the chief was in one of the buildings. I’ve never met an Indian chief before so I asked if we could meet him. Dressed in sweats and a T-shirt, he was hard to recognize. Turns out he doesn’t wear a headdress with feathers, beads, bear teeth and war paint on a day to day basis. Of course I didn’t mention this to him. He seemed proud to tell us more about his tribe and their customs. The impact of global warming is clear even in the timing of the fish runs and numbers. He explained how the lake is 10 degrees warmer than normal so the fish are much later to leave the river because they don’t want to be in the lake that warm. This means the spawning returns are not as strong. He is fighting to be heard by the Canadian government as he fears he will be the last chief ever if resources continue to disintegrate. They no longer hunt because there aren’t enough moose. They do still trap though, for mink. We really enjoyed the experience of meeting and chatting with several members of their tribe and watching how they work together for the good of their community.
A bit farther down the road, we passed several native communities. We entered one to get a few pictures of their totem poles. Another town we glimpsed more totem poles from the road. Each tribe has their own totem and each character signals meaning about their distinct culture.
Our last diversion of the day was a short one. Not far from the highway, we pulled off to take a look at the Moricetown Canyon and waterfall. After a pleasant but long day of travel and exploring, it was a quick but satisfying stop. We rolled into Smithers for dinner and then just a bit farther into Fort Telkwa to the RV park for a good night’s sleep.
Although we had several long days of driving at the beginning of our journey, much of our trip has been short drives to the next amazing destination. Today was our first day of a long 450 miles east in the direction of home. We drove through towns called Burns Lake and Fraser Lake and Prince George, passing rolling ranches and farms, but didn’t find any diversions so we continued on and on. I got pretty antsy from driving so long. Home and work are calling and we know our journey is coming to a close. We found solace at Mount Robson Provincial Park, just outside of Jasper. There was a half hour nature trail that was an enjoyable jaunt before the next long drive. There were no Auroras, but a pretty cool sunset over our campsite. (No picture modifications of any kind. These are the colors we saw.)
Because our stop in Jasper National Park was cut short due to snow when we arrived in June, we decided our return route would be through the park again. There is actually a full city (town) in the center of their national park. We stopped at the Visitor Center only to find that even after Labor Day (which Canada celebrates on the same day as the US), the campgrounds are full and our only option is to stay at the same overflow campground we used in June, basically a gravel lot with decent mountain views. We went into a few shops in town after lunch. The thermometer showed 80 outside, yet we decided we just had to get in one hike in Jasper! We were pleasantly surprised to learn that dogs are allowed on most trails in Canadian national parks so Molly got to join us. We headed for Maligne Canyon, not having any expectations. What a hike! The first half followed the water, down a twisty turny canyon, whose narrow walls showed off a spectacularly blasting river of force. After 5 bridges (Mark and I have a long held tradition to kiss on every bridge we hike across. I don’t recall exactly when or how it started, but we always look forward to hikes with bridges), the route looped uphill. When I say steep, I mean your heels never touch the ground, there is no air, 80 degrees feels like 100, who’s idea was this, kind of steep. We conquered 3 steep hills and earned our evening dessert (brownies and Moose tracks ice cream).
Wednesday was another long day of driving. We blasted 400 miles through the famed Icefields Parkway, through Lake Louise and Banff. The national parks seem to be busier now after Labor Day, than it was at the end of June. Every pullout was full and we had a hard time finding a place to make our lunch. We arrived in Lethbridge, about half an hour from the US border. We needed to spend our last Canadian cash so we grabbed a couple groceries at the same Real Canadian Superstore we stopped at on the way here, almost 3 months ago. For the first time this trip, we’re actually pulled over at a Walmart parking lot. Definitely our least favorite way to camp, we drove until dark when none of the campgrounds answered their phones and we weren’t sure where else we could stop tonight, on either side of the border. We polished off the remaining wild blueberries in our last Alaskan cobbler of the trip before turning in for another day and a half of hard driving before we get home.