Fort Nelson, BC to Liard River Hot Springs, BC -- 192 Miles
Well, this drive was certainly all that it was advertised to be. It was surely the most spectacular scenery we've seen so far. But first things first...After a night of light rain, we woke to a cool, foggy morning. The temperature was 51 degrees when we woke up. We had a nice breakfast of pancakes and bacon, and after a quick shower at the RV park shower facilities, we were on the road at 8:30. We drove through the fog and mist for forty miles or so, then decided to pull over into a turn-out and wait a while to see if the fog would lift in anticipation of the scenery ahead. As we pulled into the turn-out, there was a large Class A coach with BC plates parked there, and a gentleman was walking two small dogs. I mentioned to him that we were waiting for the fog to lift and he said no problem, just drive up the road a few miles to the Steamboat Mountain summit, and the fog usually dissipates on the other side. Sure enough, as we passed over the 3500-ft pass, the fog cleared and we could see the grandeur of the norther Rocky Mountains before us.
The mountains seemed to stretch forever, with hardly any sign of civilization anywhere beyond the road we were driving on. In fact, the Alaska Highway forms the northeastern edge of a vast wilderness, roughly 250 miles wide by 400 miles long that encompasses most of northern British Columbia. Look at a map and you'll see the Alaska Highway on the north and east, the Casssiar Highway on the west, and the Yellowhead Highway on the south. Except for a few minor roads penetrating a few miles up from the southern edge, this is a roadless wilderness approximately the size of Iowa.
As we continued west, we saw a sign for the Tetsa River Lodge which advertised "the best cinnamon buns in the galactic cluster." We had to stop and try one. While I can't vouch for the entire galactic cluster (that covers a lot of territory), I can say they were at least the best north of Johnson's Corner on I-25 near Loveland, Colorado. Now those are good cinnamon buns.
The road followed the Tetsa River upward several more miles to Summit Lake, a clear alpine lake that sits near the top of a 4500-pass, the highest point on the Alaska Highway. It then follows a series of rivers -- the Toad, the Trout, and finally the Liard for a hundred miles or more, travelling through a variety of steep canyons surrounded by rocky peaks. I doubt that any of the peaks are more than 7500 ft high, but because the timberline here is around 5000 to 5500 feet, the effect is the same as driving through the Colorado mountains at 9000 to 10,000 feet and being surround by 12-, 13-, and 14-thousand foot peaks.
We stopped for lunch on the shores of Muncho Lake, a natural alpine lake approximately seven miles long by one mile wide. The highway hugs the eastern shore of this lake for the entire length of the lake -- a spectacular setting. The mountains that border the west side of the lake are called the Terminal Range, because they are the northern terminus of the continuous Rocky Mountain chain that starts in New Mexico and stretches uninterrupted through Colorado, parts of Utah, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, western Alberta, and British Columbia, finally petering out into a range of low hills near the BC-Yukon border.
Along the way we saw several caribou, a couple of small herds of wild buffalo, two groups of stone sheep, and a couple of deer. We also saw a lot of wildflowers along the road, primarily slender hawkweed, wild sweetpea, Jacobs ladder, and of course fireweed, which seems to be the most common wildflower in the area.
Our day ended at the Liard (pronounced "Lee-arhd") River Hot Springs Provencial Park. We picked a campsite and quickly changed into our bathing suits and headed for the hot springs and a good, relaxing soak. It was about a half-mile walk through the campground and along a 500 or 600 yard long boardwalk through a reedy marsh and damp woodland to the springs. The water temperature at the springs themselves is reported to be 140 degrees, but through a combination of inflow from adjacent cooler springs and creeks, the water transitions through a series of pools until the lower pool is just about the temperature of our hot tub, which we keep at 104 degrees. What a relaxing way to end a long day of driving!
After dinner we joined the folks in the next campsite and sat around their campfire, sharing travel stories and plans for our trips. Of course everyone along this way is either going to or coming from the same general destination, so there's a lot to share in common. Our neighbors are traveling in an informal caravan with old and new friends, so we enjoyed meeting folks from all over the world because one of the couples was from the Netherlands. We find that one of the tings we enjoy the most about our RV travels is meeting so many other really wonderful people around the campgrounds at night.
And speaking of RV travels, perhaps this would be a good time to mention the results of an informal tally of RV types I've been keeping along this journey. By far the largest single type of RV we've seen has been standard travel trailers, mostly in the 25 to 30 foot range. The second largest group has been slide-in pickup campers, and the third largest has been 25-30 foot Class C motorhomes. We've seen a fairly good number of Class B's of the Roadtrek and Pleasure Way type, but not all that many. They seem to be popular among Canadian travelers. Next, although far fewer than I would have imagined, have been the large 5th-wheel trailers, and last are the Class A motor coaches and diesel pushers. We have not seen another Tiger yet, although, as usual, ours typically has attracted a lot of attention. And for our friends Ted and Sally, we have so far seen two Casitas.
Tomorrow we cross the 60th parallel and enter Yukon Territory.
No comments:
Post a Comment