Category: Uncategorized

July 23 – 30: Homer to Fairbanks

We couldn’t leave Alaska without visiting Fairbanks, and besides, it was supposed to be warmer up there! Stayed at Quartz Creek Campground on the way up – Site 8.  We’d sussed it out on the way past going down, and so reserved that very spot.  Very pretty, quiet. No services, but you could fish from the site!

Stayed one night at Springer Park again (Palmer, near Anchorage).  Very nice people, and we knew the place.  The farms and gardens around the area are beautiful and green; we could walk all round them.  Gardens like we would all love to have! Only downside is there is a flight school next door, and they do stop and go’s starting at 7 am!

Stopped at Cantwell RV Park (near Denali National Park) again, on the way up to Fairbanks.  It was there that we made the commitment to stay on Vancouver Island rather than going back to Texas for the winter.  So even though the park is not especially beautiful, it had good Starlink, so we took the time to re-plan the rest of our trip.

The drive from Cantwell (Denali) to Fairbanks was rainy and boring, but we got through it. Stayed at River’s Edge RV Park, Site I-12, 2 days. On the day after we arrived, it was sunny and quite warm, so we walked up to the Museum of the North at the University of Alaska.  Up being the operative word. 1.7 miles in each direction, UP all the way there.  13K+ steps for the two of us was quite the hike!  Well worth it though, with views across the valley of farmlands and over to the mountains, bracketing a fascinating 2 hours in the Museum.  Excellent video on the Aurora Borealis, which is seen frequently from Fairbanks because of its world location. (We didn’t see it, sadly.)

Headed to Valdez, via Paxson Lake, on what is supposed to be the most beautiful drive.  Unfortunately, it was raining almost the entire time, so all we saw was fog and drizzle.  Dried up a bit at the end, so we did catch a good view of one of the enormous falls (hundreds of feet tall) along the way.

July 30 – Aug 2: Valdez

One bucket list item was a trip on the LuLuBelle, out of Valdez, and to include whale sightings and a trip to the Columbia Glacier base.  We had not reserved a spot because of our uncertain timing.  So when we got to Valdez, we went immediately to the LuLuBelle office, to see if we could get on the next day – mainly because that was the ONLY good weather day for the upcoming week.  Well, our luck was good, and we scored a couple of tickets.  Went back to take out all the warm clothes we had with us – the stories of getting really cold next to the glaciers were rampant!

The day dawned completely fogged in, but we could see the blue sky above, and knew we were in for a good day. Captain Fred, at 85 and having done this for 44 years, talked the entire time about the scenery, the history, the stories of Valdez.  What he didn’t know wasn’t worth knowing. There were about 50 of us on the boat, the weather was perfect, and we spotted whales, otters, sea lions, puffins, and of course, finally, the glaciers. There was a small kitchen on board, where they served chowders and baked goods.  A bit pricey, but all part of the experience.

August 2 – 14: Tok

We decided to make the longer than usual drive to get us to Tok (250 miles), rather than make an interim stop.

We stopped at the Alyeska Pipeline Interpretive Centre along the way.  It’s actually just a spot where you can have a look at the pipeline itself, and read a couple of info boards, but it was quite fascinating, actually.  We had seen some of the pipeline story at the Museum in Fairbanks, so it was interesting to see the actual pipeline.  It’s such a big part of life in Valdez – it’s what brought many of the residents to this beautiful area.

A bit of an overview – lots more can be found on the internet, of course. The Alyeska Pipeline Service Company (Alyeska) owns and operates the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System (TAPS), also known as the Alaska pipeline or Alyeska pipeline. TAPS is an 800-mile pipeline that runs from Prudhoe Bay on Alaska’s North Slope to Valdez on Prince William Sound in southcentral Alaska. The pipeline is 48 inches in diameter and is supported by 11 pump stations and the Valdez Marine Terminal, where oil is loaded onto tankers for shipment to market.

Anyway, our decision to continue all the way to Tok turned out to be fortuitous. The morning after our arrival, (the 3rd) Garry awoke feeling “off”, so we went to the local (excellent, full-service) health clinic to check him out for low sodium levels, a problem he’d had before. Turned out to be not a problem, though they gave him a saline drip just in case. He felt somewhat better, but it was short-lived.

We’d intended to leave on the 5^th, Monday, but Garry was still feeling very tired, so we decided to delay another day or so.  Then, no surprise, on Tuesday morning Ann started to feel “off” as well, so on Wednesday we figured we had better go back to the clinic to get tested. 

Nothing’s free anymore, but testing is also more sophisticated than it used to be. They have a new DNA-based test for Covid, RSV, Flu-A and Flu-B. Lucky us, we “only” had COVID.

So, for the next week, we slept, ate (a little), napped (a lot), walked (a little), and tried to recover.  It was not a fun experience, more exhausting than either of us expected. In the end, we stayed 9 days more than we intended!  Luckily the park was large and mostly empty (except for one night when a caravan of 25 Class A’s came through), so we were able to get outside and breathe without getting near anyone.

We had taken our fresh stores down to almost zero, as the day after leaving Tok we would be crossing the border back to Canada, and the border people can be quite fussy about fresh food. But fortunately, we were able to mask up, go to the local grocery store every couple of days, and keep ourselves eating reasonably healthily. 

The big problem was that we were both so very fatigued, and the two days of driving right after Tok were expected to be difficult (gravel roads, lots of potholes).  So we really wanted to wait till we were in top form.  Finally, on Tuesday the 13^th, we decided we were ready to go the next day.

August 14 – 17: Tok to Whitehorse

The first day of this leg, crossing into Canada, we kept very short, staying at Beaver Creek just inside the Yukon border.  The crossing itself was a non-issue. The only interesting thing is that the actual customs (and immigration) station is 20 km INTO Canada. Another 30 km further on, and we were at our RV Park, Discovery Yukon.  Delightful little park that accommodated us (site B2, drive-through) without a reservation.

They have a spectacular vegetable garden with everything looking as if it could be eaten right from the ground. They had lettuce for sale, and of course we bought some.  What a treat! Wish we could have bought all the rest of the veggies!

The next day was going to be a short one to a Kluane Lake Campground, with a second longer day to get us to Whitehorse. The short day was to accommodate the fact that the road was supposed to be horrible – gravel and full of potholes. Well, it just wasn’t so bad. So we stopped at the campground, but it wasn’t that appealing, and you couldn’t see the lake.  But then, a few miles along, there was an empty rest area, right next to the lake, so we stopped for a little walk and a break.  We could have stayed there, but the day was so beautiful, the traffic was negligible, and the road just kept getting better. It was a perfect driving day.  450 km altogether, but we got in by 3pm, and even managed to give the Benz a bath (the bug coverage was intense). And in fact, we had a first post-Covid beer – did it ever taste good.

Whitehorse gave us a day or so to stock up on food and fuel, and so after 2 nights there, we headed out south and east along the Alcan.

July 15 – 17: Soldotna: A major supply center for the region, thus a good stop for us as we headed to the Kenai Peninsula. Most importantly, Ann was able to get her hair cut. Normally done every 5 weeks, it had been 8 weeks since the last one, and desperation had set in. Also, based on a recommendation for good bread from another LTV’er, we stopped in at Lucy’s, a small boutique market. Well – yes, it was expensive, but SO worth it. We even went back a second time to get an “inventory” loaf before leaving. We stayed at Klondike RV just outside of town.

July 17 – 19: En route to Homer, we had wanted to stay in State parks for a couple of nights. Preferably along the coast.

First, we stopped Deep Creek State Recreational Area (Ninilchik), a no services campground, with a million pot holes getting to the RV area. But once past the day use area, we found an RV site right on the beach, facing the water. Could just see the volcanic mountains across Cook Inlet. These state campgrounds are consistently $20 per night. Hard to beat the value!

We had Homer reservations for the 19th, and intended to stay the previous night, the 18th, at Anchor Point, about 1/2 way from Deep Creek to Homer. We found a spot at Halibut Campground there, but it was hidden in the trees, with not a sight of the water, and we had been spoiled by the night before at Deep Creek. We parked while we thought about it, and did manage to check out the beach nearby, where we saw a number of wonderful eagles.

So we continued towards Homer, and beseeched the people at KOA at Baycrest, very close to Homer, to let us have a spot for one night. They did, and it was excellent. Again, directly facing the water, though this time from a bluff that was several hundred feet up from the beach. Full services, full price. Slightly difficult to get into the site, and very close to each other, but we were glad to have it.

July 19-23: Homer. We arrived early in the Homer area, and drove down onto Homer Spit right away. There are many campgrounds on the Spit, all full at this time of year, and all the parking lots were also full. Fortunately Homer has designated an area for free day-use parking for RVs only, and we were able to park and walk around and check things out. Bought more fish, this time including some halibut. Mostly tourist shopping, with ample opportunities to charter if one wants.

We had reserved at Ocean Shores weeks before, and were looking forward to it. It’s slightly outside of town, on a slope from highway down to just above the beach, with the RV sites stepped down the hill. Supposedly one should then have a view to the water over the RV below you. NOT. Still, a pleasant place to be. We were able to walk the 1.5 miles to the Farmers’ Market on Saturday morning. And on one sunny day, the views from the beach and bluff above it were spectacular.

We also stopped at the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge Visitors’ Center. Twice in fact. First time we watched a short film about the Research Vessel Tiĝlax̂, a 120 meter vessel that supplies eight remote camps in the Refuge every summer. There are more than 40 million marine birds and mammals that live in the Refuge. On our second visit, we ended up studying the map of the National Wildlife Refuge System. Begun in 1903 by Teddy Roosevelt, it has grown to more than 150 million acres, including 560 National Wildlife Refuges, plus 38 Wetland Management Districts. As well, the System includes four National Monuments in the Pacific (covering more than 418 million acres of coral reefs, submerged lands, deep waters, islands and atolls), and 677,000 acres of wetlands and grasslands known as Waterfowl Protection Areas. You can check out more details in this map.

Arrived Seward Resurrection Campground – the only one that has water and electric. Most of the rest of the Seward CGs are dry, or occasionally there is electric only. Nevertheless, all the spots are taken, every night. Mainly because of the spectacular location. Every site on each of the 6 or 7 CGs has a view of Resurrection Bay. Some sites are right on the water, with the walking path immediately in front. We were a couple of rows back, where the height allowed us to see over the RVs in front of us, and out to the water. The sites are very close together, with no visual or spatial separation, so it’s a bit like a parking lot. But if you look out the front, it’s pretty gorgeous.

We only intended to stay for 3 days, but in the end we stayed for a whole week. 3 different sites, but moving wasn’t difficult. Our old boat life “demanded” that we do a boat walk – wandering through a marina has always been a favorite activity for both of us. The ramps down to the docks were open (not secured closed), so we were able to meander to our hearts’ content.

The older part of the town of Seward is quite charming, with a 3-block x 3-block section of interesting stores, restaurants and bars. All around the town there are murals, painted locally, depicting various aspects of life the the Seward area.

The newer section of town, near the marina, caters to cruise ship passengers. It has an excellent visitor center, as well as many restaurants and fish shops. Unfortunately, one can’t really buy fish off the local fishboats. The only option, unless you want to go out on a charter, is to buy frozen packages of fish. They are from local fishermen, just not fresh. So we did buy some rockfish, and it was excellent.

A side story – while we were buying our rockfish, which we actually thought was quite expensive, a cruise ship couple was at the next register, finishing up their order for king crab and halibut, to be shipped to their home. The total on the register was $1,037. Not a typo. Not sure if that included shipping or not. And then … the clerk added another $27 for a shipping box. Truly, with a $1,000 plus order, couldn’t they have thrown in the box ?!?!? Anyway, it was our smile for the day.

We did some wandering around the town, discovering a lively set of falls, and the beginning of the original Iditarod “Seward-Nome Route” Trail. Today, the annual Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, which follows much of the original trail, starts in March in Anchorage, and goes to Nome. You can read more about the trail and the races here.

Finally left Denali area on July 2, headed for Anchorage. En route, stopped at K’esugi Ken Campground. An Alaska State CG, it was a bit unusual, as there was power at the site. Up a winding road from the main Seward highway to the CG itself, and then a big loop with mostly back-in sites off it. All well-separated, and each very attractive. There was an excellent interpretive center, with lots of info boards. The one below we found most interesting – lots of tall tales about the first climbers to reach the top of Mt McKinley, now renamed Denali.

The campgrounds in Anchorage proper were not very well regarded, so we decided to stay in Palmer, about 45 minutes north of the city. Palmer is a bustling small town, and a close neighbor of Wasilla, of Sarah Palin fame. Both towns provide local services, but we had some chores that required a bigger city, so we spent a full day in Anchorage, washing The Benz, (RV washing places are few and far between!), having a new pair of Garry’s jeans hemmed, and of course, visiting Costco.

Our campground in Palmer, The Springer, was small but well managed, easy to get in and out of, and had good services, including laundry. We had wanted to stay 3 days, but could only get a reservation for 1. And the missing days included July 4th! But the manager, Mara, was extremely helpful, and when a cancellation happened, we were in for the extra 2 days. In the end, we decided to stay another 2 days, mainly because the parks on the way to Seward were mostly full, and Springer could accommodate.

Finally left Springer on the 8th, and had a beautiful drive down Seward Highway to the coastal town of Seward. A couple of the scenes from the way down.

We left Tok early on the 28th (well, early for us), planning to go through to Paxson Lake Campground. The route took us on what’s known as the “Tok Cutoff”, a southerly highway that goes way south, then we make a sharp turn north and head up to the start of the Denali Highway, which runs between Paxson and Cantwell. Here’s a map from Trip Wizard, our planning tool, with some annotations to help put our travels in perspective.

The Denali Highway is another route that is always top of mind for Alaska travelers. We were apprehensive about its condition, but as it turned out, it was in better shape that we expected. Lots of potholes, but most were marked, or at least visible. And the drive was beautiful. We were fortunate to catch a glimpse of the elusive Mount Denali during the last few miles of the drive. Only 30% of aspiring viewers actually get to see the mountain, so we were very pleased. The mountain vistas during the lead up to that were terrific also. The only problem was the mosquitos and horseflies – they swarmed us whenever we left the van.

We had anticipated boondocking one night along the Denali, but in the end, we found we wanted to be in a campground for the night. We found Brushkana, a small state campground with no services, but at least there were a few other people around. The mosies were just a bad, unfortunately. We knew this would be the case in Alaska at this time of year, but this was the first time we had encountered them.

The couple on the next RV stopped by because they were from BC and saw we had BC plates as well. We got to talking and it turns out he was from Nelson, the town where Garry was born and raised. Garry didn’t know him because he was born three years before Garry left Nelson. But, it turned out, they did know some of the same people. Small world!

The next day, after a very short morning’s drive, we arrived at Cantwell, the terminus of the Denali Highway, where we had reservations, on Saturday, June 29. But we were very early in the day, and it was only about 25 miles to the entrance to the park, so we made a preliminary trip to the Park’s Visitor Center, which was excellent. Lots of info, well-organized, lots of day use parking for RVs. We then did the 15 miles into the park that we are allowed to drive. In the pic you can see the road going past the “end point”, where tour buses and those actually reserved in campgrounds are permitted.

Later we went back to our Cantwell park, which was quite modest, but the people running it were friendly and helpful, and we settled in, with plans to do more exploring the next day.

The morning dawned bright and clear, so we hustled up to the park entrance, planning to walk the Horseshoe Lake Trail. A 4 mile hike, with 250 feet of elevation change, we felt it was about right for us. (It’s called moderate – perhaps a different definition than we’re used to, but more on that later.)

When we arrived, we decided to drive the 15 miles again, hoping to catch a glimpse of Denali again, perhaps better than the day before. Well, we were lucky – around mile 12 we sighted the mountain clearly and against a blue sky. Took many pics over the next couple of miles!

Once back at the parking lot, we wandered around till we found the entrance to the trails. Oddly, they are not particularly well marked until you get into them. The Horseshoe Lake Trail is in two parts. The first is through the forest, up and down in gradual steps, leading to the lake. Perfect for us.

Once arriving at the trailhead to the lake, or rather, well above it, we began the second part, known as the Loop, descending over 300 wide log steps to get to the lake’s shore. We were undoubtedly the oldest people on the trail, and we knew that the climb back up would be a challenge. But we felt that taking it slowly, we’d be OK. Best laid plans …

We got to the north end of the loop, where the trail meets the Tenana River’s edge, and saw immediately that there was a wildfire started on the far side of the river. We walked a bit further, and found a couple phoning in the report – it seems everyone knows where to call if there is a wildfire. We continued to go round the loop, deciding that the trip back up those 300 steps was going to take us a while, and we should get going. About 50 steps up we met a ranger coming down, telling us that the trail was being evacuated, and we should head back to the trailhead as quickly as we could. Well, there’s only so fast you can go up steps, at 81 and 75! A few people came along, and asked if we were OK, and did we need help! We didn’t, and not sure what they would have done, but it was good of them to ask.

We made it back to the visitor center and The Benz, and were glad to be there. The fire, as many of you might already know, became the Riley Creek Fire. It grew to 388 acres, and is still, a week later, only 25% contained, and that mainly thanks to smokejumpers, hotshots, and local fire crews as well as planes and helicopters dropping water and retardant on the fire since its start. We heard the planes for the next two days while in our campground in Cantwell.

The Park has been closed since we were there, and most of its visitors were evacuated. Still not clear what started it, but there were rumors that it was human-caused. Very distressing. Some pics …

Open only in the summer, this 65 mile (106 km) drive follows a ridge “highway”, mostly gravel, with lots of potholes and washboard, but offering spectacular views of the Alaska Range. Starting in Dawson City, Top of the World ends officially at the US Border, turning into Taylor Highway (same road, same conditions, different name), which travels a short distance to the town of Chicken, then continues south to Tetlin Junction where it joins the Alaska Highway. Most continue on to Tok, a major stopping point for road visitors to Alaska.

We were fortunate to travel this road in excellent weather, with no troubles at all on the gravel surface. We stopped in Chicken for one night, then spent 3 nights in Tok.

We chanced upon a large bridge crossing the Tanana River at Tetlin Junction. An information spot nearby drew us in, and we discovered the history of this bridge. The original bridge, built in 1943, was the only one of its kind in Alaska – it’s called the “Tanana River 3-span cantilevered subdivided Warren steel through truss bridge”. It remained in excellent shape, but vehicles got wider and taller, and in 2010 it was replaced with a concrete girder style bridge. The inset picture in the info-board (below) shows the two bridges together. Today, only the concrete bridge remains, but a number of the original trusses are on display at the information rest-stop.

June 17-20: Hi-Country RV Park, Whitehorse, for 3 nights. (Sites 98 for 2, 104 for 1). Very convenient to central Whitehorse, easy in and out. Great laundry – you’d be surprised how important laundry facilities become! Sites a bit slim, with little privacy, but for a city park, it was great. We really enjoyed Whitehorse, finding it a beautiful, complete city. Population of around 32,000. Lots of shopping, with, most importantly, a Superstore, as well as the usual Walmart, Save-on-Foods, Marks Wearhouse and Canadian Tire. We sampled them all, but also got some walking time in, just admiring the city. They had an excellent RV washing station, which was very welcome.

June 20-21: Drove North Klondike Highway, through Carmacks, Pelly Crossing and eventually stopped in Stewart Crossing at Moose Creek Campground. (Site 33) Very quiet, clean, campground. WAY too many mosquitoes and horseflies to do much walking.

Best part of the drive was our stop halfway through the day. We had read about the little store in Braeburn having “the best cinnamon buns” in the Yukon. “Huge, but expensive – $10 each!” Well, being cinnamon bun fans, we decided to treat ourselves. So we went in to this little café, and there were indeed cinnamon buns. Yes, large. But wrapped in plastic wrap, looking as if they had been there for a day or so. And the price list was posted. The $10 had been crossed out (not erased or replaced), with $20 overwritten! I asked the young woman if that was correct, attempting to bring my jaw off the floor. She said yes. Well, I said no. (We did finally buy two butter tarts at $4 each, not wanting to seem TOO cheap. They turned out to be average. Sigh.)

June 21-23: Bonanza Gold RV Park, Dawson City. Drove rest of the North Klondike, stayed 2 nights in Dawson. Was our most northerly stop, and it was the longest day of the year. Sunset was at 10 minutes before 1 in the morning, with sunrise at 3:45 in the morning. A 3-hour night! Twilight, really; it never got dark. Our blackout blinds got good use, as did our sleeping masks.

Washed the Klondike dust off the Benz – goat rodeo! The wash site was very muddy, making sure we got some dirt back on the van right after cleaning. Best was us trying to fill a bucket with a high-pressure hose. Managed to get water over both of us, along with soap and muddy splatter. Fortunately we just kept laughing!

The town has lots of history, and we spent a gorgeous, warm day walking around. Very colorful buildings, bought a trinket or two, and had our first beer of the trip.

The morning of our final day there, we took the ferry across the Yukon, to start our trip north on the Top of The World Highway.

Left Witset morning of the 10th to head back to intersection with Highway 37, often known as the Stewart-Cassiar Highway, or just the Cassiar. By whatever name, it’s the main road that heads north from Hwy 16 to eventually connect with the Alaska Highway (aka the Alcan). It has a bit of mystique about it, with rumors abounding about its conditions and traffic. We found it to be in excellent condition, with a few frost heaves, and a few potholes, but all in all, not nearly as bad as we had expected.

June 10-13: Meziadan Lake Provincial Park was our first stop. We stayed 2 full days so that we could visit Stewart/Hyder on one day, and just do R&R on the other. It was a great park, with lots of visitors, but quieted down completely at night. We had a site (59) right next to the forest, with a decent view of the lake. 30 amp electricity was available, so we plugged in. Weather continued to be cold the first night, so we had our little electric heater going all night. That is, until around 6 am, when … a bear pulled the plug out of the post!! We didn’t hear it happen, but the temperature inside cooled down pretty quickly. After an hour of wondering where our heat had gone, Garry looked out the window and we thought someone had stolen our power cord. However, two big piles of bear scat, and a plug tossed away with severely bent prongs, gave us the clues. Fortunately the plug was fixable, and we were able to reconnect and all was well again. Quite a lot of excitement before 7 am!!

We drove to Stewart (about 1 hour away), so we could go into Hyder (Alaska), and say we did. And we came right back out (no option, really). Both towns are very small, with little to offer except gorgeous mountains surrounding them. The drive was beautiful, and we were glad we did it. Our next day was solid rain, so we caught up on some of this blog, and did a couple of chores around the Benz.

June 13-14: Kinaskan Lake Provincial Park, Site 23. About half-way up Highway 37. This was our first experience with “First Come First Served” parks, and it was very positive. There were few others there when we arrived, and we chose a spectacular little site right on the lake. And as we are seniors, we actually only had to pay $10 for the privilege. No services, but we were able to use the Benz’s systems (batteries, inverter and generator) with no difficulty. Potable water and tank dumping are always a challenge with dry camping, but we can last for 2-3 days if we are careful, and so we were.

June 14-16: Boya Lake (Tā Ch’iLā) Provincial Park, Site 5, then 28. About 100 km south of Alaska Highway. Once again a beautiful drive to get there. We were joined by a mama Moose and baby for a little bit. We also saw a lovely fox which was too quick for a picture. Quite exciting!

Our sites at Boya Lake were both right on the lake. The bottom of the lake is comprised of marl, a mixture of silt and shell, and when the sun is shining it looks like the waters of the Caribbean. The coastline is indented by great variety of inlets and there are several islands. Great for kayaking and canoeing. Fishing too, probably! To cap of our first day, we saw two fat Ruffed Grouse on our walk around the campground.

It’s an international campground at the moment with two small campers next to us, one from Germany and one from Switzerland. In another double site, there is a Hymer on a Mercedes 4×4, modified for offroad with a 25cm lift. Their travelling partners are in a custom off road vehicle on a large Iveco chassis. We had a very interesting conversation with the Hymer folks yesterday. They are travelling with a young son, and are on a two year parental leave which is apparently quite common in Germany. From here they leave for Whitehorse and then up the Dempster Highway to Tuktoyatuk, returning to the Alaska highway and traveling to Fairbanks where they will then transit the Dalton Highway to Prudhoe Bay. They then explained to us that the real part of the trip will begin for them as they travel south all the way to southern tip of Patagonia. Brave and adventurous souls!

June 7-8: Prince Rupert RV Park, Site 37. Arrived at 1:30 AM, after ferry finally landed and disgorged us. Park is right near the terminal, and while convenient, is not ideal for more than one night. Site was perfectly level as it turned out! We left early the next morning. Had a beautiful drive north beside the Skeena River almost the entire way.

We stopped at a small white chapel, all on its own beside Highway 16, the Yellowhead Highway. Part of the town of Usk, directly across the Skeena River and about an hour north of Terrace, the original chapel was a center of worship for the locals. Floods in 1936 destroyed the town, including most of the church. In 1967, in celebration of Canada’s centennial, this chapel, a replica at 1/3 size of the original, was built by volunteers and trucked to its current location on Highway 16. An arson fire in 2022 nearly destroyed it again, but a local passing by saw smoke, and used his fire extinguisher to save the small building once again. It is always open, and many locals and passersby still stop in for a quiet moment. There are over 50 years of guest books, as well as the original bible that was the only thing not ruined in the floods. The whole story is here. This was also a spot where there was a statue honoring the forestry workers.

June 8-9: Smithers Municipal RV Park, Site 13. Again perfectly level. (This is important for sleeping, and for keeping the fridge level, especially when on propane. We do have levelers, but tend not to use them if there is lots of wind, or if the site is very unlevel – too much strain!) We had intended to stay at Kitwanga Park (at the beginning of Highway 37, the main road that takes us north to Alaska), but there was no one there when we got there, and somehow, it didn’t feel like a good place to stay. So, we continued on to Smithers, an area where Garry had worked a lifetime ago. The town is small, but cute, and the Municipal Park was well-populated with families – we got the last site! A quiet night was followed by a walk around the town. The drive in and out was through the beautiful Bulkley Valley.

June 9-10: Witset RV Park. Site 25. Again, level, with all services. Only half full, and very quiet. Near a lively set of falls on the Bulkley River, which could be accessed by what seemed like 100 stairs (down from the park. We didn’t go – coming back up seemed like a LOT of climbing!) All on First Nation Land, with a small museum (closed, unfortunately) on site. The falls were known previously as the Moricetown Falls though certainly known today by their First Nations name. Garry last visited in 1961 and watched the FN fishermen standing on the rocks high above the falls gaffing salmon using 25 foot poles out of a backeddy after the first stage of the falls. Unfortunately, the salmon don’t run until late July or August so we weren’t able to see that on this trip.