July 31st 2023 – Stewart, BC

Kelly invited us to stay for as long as we liked. We gratefully decided to stay for two nights and take a day off the bikes.

Kelly left for work early. Mom and Dave invited us down for breakfast. In the afternoon Leah and her dog Monty dropped by for a couple of hours. They arrived on a Daytona 675. That is how they get around in the summer. Not long after Kelly got back from work, we were joined by Claudia and Joel, a Swiss couple traveling on Groms. They had been on the road for 11 weeks. This was their first experience with private accommodation.

Mom had prepared dinner for everyone. Earlier in the day Katrine and I had picked up cake for dessert. Nobody left the table hungry.

Kelly, Mom and Dave obviously enjoyed hosting travelers. During the short BC summer they have people staying almost every week. Friendlier and more welcoming people are hard to find.

As we left the following morning we got an invite to visit again on our way south – unless you get on a boat and take The Inner Passage you pass through Prince George traveling north or south through BC. We accepted the invitation but had no idea about when we would be back, as we hadn’t decided how far north we wanted to travel before turning around.

For the first time on this journey we had the pleasure of proper rain while riding. We hadn’t missed it a whole lot. Besides the weather we were also blessed with the monotony of The Alaska Highway as it cut through the endless forests of northern BC. The combination made it a struggle for Katrine to stay awake. Not even a bear and later a coyote on the road could perk her up.

Over the intercom we discussed our options. If we continued to White Horse and beyond there was a good chance we would have to endure several days with similar conditions. It would become more about the destination rather than the journey. That didn’t appeal to neither of us. It dawned on us that it was time to change course. As soon as we had made the decision we knew it was the right one.

We checked into a motel in Dawson City. A lull in the rain made us go for a run to a nearby park with some workout facilities we could use to build up a sweat. After a quick shower we did some shopping and cooked dinner back at the motel.

The rain was still pissing down in the morning. At one point it’s so bad that the bikes try to squeeze into the room. There was no sign of the weather improving. We just had to suck it up and get on with it.

The weather did improve as the day wore on, but showers continued to drop by occasionally to say hello.

We had booked a motel in Fort Nelson for the night. The plan was to continue to Liard Hotsprings the following day. The weather forecast promised rain the next 24 hours at the hot springs and camping was our only option. Katrine suggested that we postponed for a day. She needed a break from the rain. The motel we stayed at was relatively cheap and the room nice. I went to talk to the owner. I told her that we considered staying another night if possible. She had room and after a bit of haggling she came up with a very reasonable price – if I paid in cash and didn’t need a receipt. So we ended up staying 2 nights in Fort Nelson. We really enjoyed the day off. Most of it was spent in our room catching up on stuff. The rain outside added to the coziness.

The morning fog obscured the sun as we left Fort Nelson. It added a touch of mystery to the scenery. At one point a bear appeared on the road in front of us – it was standing on its hind legs looking straight at us. As we drew near it dropped down on all fours and disappeared into the forest.

We stopped for lunch at Toad River Lodge. During the entire meal a moose is grassing in the adjacent lake.

At Liard Hotsprings we checked in at the lodge across the road where Katrine had booked a campsite. The place was a dump. We put up the tent and headed for the Hot Springs. To get there we had to pass through the Provincial campsite on the other side of the road. It was built like Fort Knox with high voltage fences and Texas gates… We were told that the area was infested with bears and roaming bison… At our campsite there were no security measures whatsoever, and we had been assigned a spot on the outskirts right at the edge of the trees… We had only been at the Hotsprings for 5 minutes when one of the rangers had to fire a warning shot to scare off a bear…

The prospect of a potentially interesting night didn’t ruin our experience in the Hot Springs. They were fantastic! We soaked until our skin was ready to peel off.

Against all odds we slept like babies that night. Maybe bears don’t like the smell of sulfur?

It was a cold and clammy morning but who cares – we were still alive!

We crossed into Yukon on our way to Watson Lake where we did a bit of shopping and had lunch by the Sign Post Forest.

West of town we turned left on Cassiar Highway.

We followed it south for 3 days all the way to Stewart.

The first night we stayed at Ta Ch’ila Provincial Park. It was maybe the best place I’ve ever camped. It’s perfectly located by the shore of Boya Lake where the water is crystal clear and full of fish. The campsite was meticulously maintained, with everything from an artesian well to cheap canoe rental.

Katrine and I decided to put on running shoes and explore the trails leading out from the campsite. We forgot to bring the bear bell. Instead we took turns singing – me inappropriate songs from when I served in the army – Katrine Disney theme songs. That should be enough to scare off anything furry. Back in camp we went for a swim in the lake.

In the evening I had an interesting conversation with another of the guests, Nicolas from Santiago in Chile. He had been on the road for 4 years making a living as a digital nomad.

The second night we camped in Kinaskan Lake Provincial Park. It was another great campsite – and again we found a nice spot right by the water. The standard of the provincial parks in BC is impressive. You get a lot for C$ 20.

Hounan and his dog Blue stayed next to us at Kinaskan. They were fishing when we arrived. Later they caught a trout. Hounan cleaned and cooked it immediately and shared it with Katrine and me. It tasted delicious!

We arrived in Stewart yesterday. The last 65 kilometers into town was the most spectacular stretch of road we have ridden in Canada so far. At first we just passed through town, entered Alaska and continued on Granduc Road to The Salmon Glacier. The last 30 km/18 miles to the viewpoint was gravel. It was good riding. We had some nice views going up, but the viewpoint itself was in the clouds. We hung around for a while hoping it would clear up, but it didn’t.

On the way back we snooped around Hyder. It’s a quiet place bordering on becoming a ghost town.

Stewart is alive and kicking in comparison. We are staying here for 2 nights. It allows us to explore the town and catch up on things.