My Journey

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

First off I decided that Sandpoint, Idaho is one of my top 10 cities to visit. Looking back last night , I really wish I'd stayed there longer.

But I didn't and we crossed into British Columbia, Canada yesterday. We breezed through customs after a quick check of the passport and a few questions.



The drive was beautiful as I passed by huge mountains, and awesome lakes and rivers. We stopped at the first major city, Cranbrook. Not much going on here, but after a stop at the visitor's center, I was told that the park road north of Banff may be closed due to forest fires. So I'll just drive slowly and hope that the fire gets contained. Last night we slept in a lot owned by:



I had dinner at Tim Horton's and back again this morning. Free Internet draws me in but excellent fast food as well.



Headed north this morning.....

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

Fifteen miles outside of Cranbrook and we stopped at this beautiful lake and went hiking. Great start to the day.



Continuing north we headed into Kootenay National Park. The road quickly ascended into steep mountains and then followed along the glacier fed Kootenay River. The views continued to be magnificent. We made a second stop and did some more hiking along the River.





Our last hike of the day was a short one, through Marble Canyon. Amazing little canyon, deep yet so skinny. Pretty cool the way the creek has made it's way through the rock walls.



We spotted some mountain goats along the way. Eight total with four being new borns. They had the cool factor going on big time !



We spent the evening hanging out in Banff, Alberta. Way too many people in such a small area for my likings but a beautiful town none the less. We got a campsite just outside town since you're not allowed to camp in town since it's national park. The upside was that Johnson Lake was close by and at 10:00 p.m. I decided that I needed to go swimming. Johnson Lake is fed by glaciers so it was unreal cold but oh man it felt good.



The road north has been closed due to forest fires but they are opening the road this morning for a few hours so I'm out of here.....

 

[Wainiha]

I always liked mountain goats...

Canada is beautiful.

 

[crzymud14]

Cranbrook picture of mountains and lake is amazing!! Great to hear you sound happy and healthy! Keep it up!

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

Pulled out of Banff early Sunday morning and drove north through Banff National Park and then Jasper National Park. The day consisted of driving (too much), hiking (not enough), and swimming. Unfortunately the fires are really taking a toll on the air quality and the mountain views are all hazed over. The good news was that we made it through the small window of opportunity as they did indeed close the road again due to the fires.



We made plenty of stops along the way, often taking way too many pictures. But the scenery is truely phenomenal.









One of the hikes we took was to a set of waterfalls. Amazing how the temperature drops near them.



I saw this plaque near one of the falls. I can't even imagine what a tragedy that was for a family.



The best part of the day was the bear encounter with the Grizzlies. They were both young and I loved seeing them. They weren't the least bit interested in us as they foraged for food.







We spent the evening in Jasper and left town late sleeping near Robson Park.

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

And here's some more pictures from the day starting with the swimming hole. These guys were cliff diving.







And this is where we camped that night. What a beautiful lake and filled with trout. All evening we watched them feed on bugs.

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

Yesterday we continued our drive north and west on highway 16 with Prince George being our goal. Of course the drive was not near so beautiful as we descended from the massive mountains and passed through a much smaller range. Temperatures once again soared topping out at 97 degrees. We ate lunch along the Fraser River and then did some hiking along the river. Later in the afternoon when the temperature reached 90 degrees we stopped at a lake and spent a few hours lazing around and washing up a bit.



I was amazed at the number of tadpoles that were in this lake. It was actually difficult to swim because the shoreline was so thick with the little guys. I couldn't stand the thought of crushing them. The dogs unfortunately weren't near as concerned.



Later in the afternoon I saw a small sign which only said "Ancient Forest". Wow what a little gem this turned out to be. It's the furthest inland rainforest known to man, almost 800 kilometers from the coastline. The hiking here was magnificent and it must have been at least 10 degrees cooler. Signs said that some of the trees could be at least 2,000 years old.









We pulled into Prince George last night. I think we're all tired of the heat right now and am seriously considering changing plans and heading for the coast. I'm at a point now where I need to make a decision......

 

[crzymud14]

Bear!!!!! So cute!! Look!! Montana and Yukon!!!!!!!!! I miss them!!!
Haha "The dogs unfortunately weren't near as concerned" hahaha wells said!

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

So the last (48) hours has been kinda crazy. I woke up yesterday and just wasn't feeling it when it came to Alaska. So I headed south on Route 97 for Vancouver. Not sure how far I drove but I got off the main road at William Lake and headed southwest to Alkalai Lake which is actually an Indian reservation.

I saw my 5th bear of the trip.....



I don't think that a whole lot of white people drive out here cause everybody seemed puzzled with me. Eventually they warmed up to me and then the great conversations began. And it was awesome. I even got an invitation to go fishing for Salmon which I declined since I hate fishing. I spent the night near the town square. Very peaceful night out there.....

Here's a couple shots of the town....







The Indians obviously have a sense of humor.....



So this morning things got interesting in regards to where I was going. The road quickly turned from gravel to dirt and the dust was unreal. But more importantly I began to question my decision of not visiting Alaska. But I had (70) miles of dirt roads, going south, to think about it.





I passed one other small town on the way.



I finally reached Route 97 and I had already made up my mind. I turned left and headed north to Alaska. So I am once again posting from Prince George. I would imagine that I drove (500) miles the past (2) days. But I'm reenergized and ready to roll.....

 

[memetotes]

Hey there! It's me...Glo

Just caught up on the past couple of weeks. Wow...Jerry, you've posted some beautiful photos! Sounds like your trip so far has been wonderful so far but can't believe the temperatures that far north. The boys have enjoyed receiving your post cards. I'll have to tell them about the bears...and grizzlies no less! I'll remind Lisa to check your thread so she can show them the pictures.

Happy travels and pats to the pups! Love ya...

 

[2wheelbob]

Cassier highway…Stewart B.C. and Hyder, Alaska…check them out if you are near there. The road is along the coast and cooler. Be careful if you go to the Salmon Glacier. A lake forms on the north side and eventually melts under the glacier and floods the river to Hyder. We almost got stuck as the road was washing away when we passed. Let me know if you need more info. Bob in Cody, WY….

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

Hey Glo.....

Hey Bob.....well I took that route on my 2008 trip and I'm wishing that I'd taken that route today. But I didn't and I paid for it....good to see your following my trip. I like that. Thanks....

So yea got out of Prince George this morning and decided to take the Alcan Highway rather than the Cassier Highway. Not far out of town I spotted bear #6 crossing the road. He was running at a pretty good clip and good thing or else I would have had a big black bear on my grill. And he was big, the biggest bear yet. Anyhow we continued north headed for Chetwynd. Made a quick stop to mail postcards and I loved their sign. Remember there ain't much out here.



Continued north and arrived at Chetwynd where I saw the largest stockpile of timber ever. I stopped and took a few pictures. I don't know.....maybe not the biggest but there sure were a ton of them out there.





So I took my pictures and headed north. Bad luck....the road north was closed due to forest fires. There's actually (125) active fires in the province right now. That left me no choice but to drive east through Dawson Creek and then go north from there. As I headed east we ran into big storms. That sucked. The drive was OK....nothing special. We made into Fort St. John and are spending the night here.

 

[digitaldelay]

FYI, the Sasquatch Crossing Lodge (2 hrs N of FSJ) has good soup. Looks like soup weather tomorrow.

Jason

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

Yep definitely soup weather....

But I woke up this morning and started thinking about the long drive north. I wasn't feeing it again and I talked with a friend back home and he said if I wait until next summer he'd ride along with me. So I thought heck yea it'd be way more fun with a friend. Now I'm posting from Grand Prairie, Alberta. Headed for Edmonton, Alberta.

One thing that was pretty cool was a drive down an original part of the AlCan Highway. Just north of Dawson Creek, B.C. They have maintained about (6) kilometers of the original road. It was pretty neat to drive it and walk across the bridge and think back to the 1970's when I made my first trip to Alaska. It was my first real journey in a vehicle and that one lasted nearly (2) years.









The fires continue to burn in B.C. This morning they said that there are (160) active fires of which (17) are considered to be major fires. Lots of rain today and it's keeping the smoke from releasing into the atmosphere. It was actually bothering my breathing this morning. The skies are black and everyone has their headlights on. It's almost like a night sky. I tried to capture it in these pictures but I don't think it quiet shows how dark it really is.





And a couple of pictures of the B.C. countryside. Such a beautiful place it is.....





Well...back on the road...hate driving in this weather....

 

[digitaldelay]

Oh, I'm so glad you got to see the curved bridge. I didn't mention it yesterday because I figured you missed it, the way you went.

If you end up in Edmonton tomorrow sometime, and are looking for something to do or need anything, let me know. FYI, there is a new Cabela's and a nice Petsmart by my place, haha.

Jason