June 7-10: Prince Rupert to Witset
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.
