The Stewart-Cassiar Highway offers scenic views of the
Cassiar Mountain peaks, some still with snow on top even though it is already
August! These mountains were the scene
of the Cassiar Gold Rush from 1872 to 1880.
There is still mining in the area, though now it is mostly for jade. In fact, 92% of all the world’s
jade comes from the Cassiar Mountains.
We stopped at Jade City, a community of about 50 residents and one jade
business with its own reality TV Show in Canada. We got a quick tour and admired the
hand-carved jewelry and stone goods.
The roads turned ugly quite quickly, but the views of Mt.
Edziza reigning majestically in the sky were lovely. Simmons Lake was like glass--check out the mirrored reflection.
We arrived at Mountain Shadow RV Park and Campground, which
bills itself as “a slice of heaven in the wilderness.” How true!
The park is nicely laid out and nestled in a valley, with panoramas of
mountains, fields, and a lake for fishing.
The sites are very long with easy access to the Cassiar Highway about
1/3 mile away. We had 30 amp electric
and water at the site. There is a dump
station, but no sewer hookup at the site.
No problem—Dad hooked up the blueboy so Mom could catch up on
laundry. Water pressure at the park was
a bit low, though. Wi-Fi was quite good
but there are limits on usage. Downloading/uploading
pictures, streaming, etc., will cause the provider to throttle down the service
in accordance with Canada’s Fair Access Policy (sounds like the U.S. Net
Neutrality policy to me). Owners Steve
and Anne live on the premises in a charming log ranch home, which is surrounded
by cheerful, colorful flower gardens.
We got settled in and were ready to see the area sights. We had several suggestions from the British
Columbia Tourism representative at the Quartzsite RV Show. When we spoke to Steve and Anne, however, we
learned most things the Tourism representative suggested are not truly
accessible to the average tourist.
Take Mt. Edziza Provincial Park as an example. Access is limited to flying in or doing a
three-day backcountry hike. We asked
about aircraft services and were told there is only one left in the area. The other one is out of business since last
week, when the plane crashed and the pilot was killed. I said “pass” on seeing Mt. Edziza, let’s try
for Historic Telegraph Creek, a town from the Gold Rush Days. Well, according to The Milepost, access is via a 70-mile gravel
road that is narrow and steep, with many winding descents and switchbacks, many
sections with 20 percent grades, and steep ledges. They caution to take a spare tire—reminds me
of McCarthy Road in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park. Doesn’t sound like something we can do with
Big Boomer or the motorcycles, and we didn’t recommend subjecting Claudia/Mike’s
car to this either.
We asked if we could put our canoe in the campground
lake. After all, the sign outside the
office mentions “boat rentals”. The owners responded by suggesting we go north about 15 miles to
find a launch into Dease Lake.
Unfortunately, the roads on those 15 miles were pretty awful. There were
few hiking trails in the immediate vicinity, and we received warnings from Steve and Anne that the
trails were poorly marked since the transmission lines were installed in recent years. So instead,
we just walked along the grounds and to the lake enjoying the fresh, crisp mountain air and the sights and sounds of serenity.
Dad purchased his British Columbia fishing license, so he
was quite happy to spend time at the campground lake, where rainbow trout were
abundant. When Mom and I joined him, we
could see the fish jumping out of the water!
But none of them made it onto his hook.
Wish I could say the same for the tree branches and logs. Having no waders with him, Dad had to resort
to some hillbilly fishing tactics to unsnag his line. Desperate times call for desperate measures,
but he was successful in saving his rigging setup.
Dad had another little incident while fishing—a visit from a
black bear! Of course, it was the one
time he neglected to bring his bear spray with him. Fortunately, Mom insisted he take a
walkie-talkie with him, and he was able to reach Claudia/Mike, who had the other walkie-talkie. Like the Four Musketeers, one for all and all for one, Mike, Claudia, Mom, and I clamored along the wooded trail to get to the lake to save Dad. Armed with two cans of bear spray and Dad's shotgun, we were like the Cavalry but
with the gun acumen of Elmer Fudd. We tried to make lots of noise to avoid our
own bear encounter. Fortunately, we reached
Dad and the bear was no longer present--the swimming bear was just as surprised as Dad that he had company at the lake. The five of us high-tailed it out of those woods! Though a little scary, it is just another
great adventure from our Trek North to Alaska.
A black bear taking a dip in the lake--right where Dad was fishing |
Sure looks like your getting some nice weather for fabulous views. Don't know if Stewart and Hyder are in your plans but if so the Salmon Glacier is a must do weather permitting. There is a bear viewing area plus you can get Hyderized. We stayed at the Provincial Campground at Meziadin Lake.
ReplyDeleteSafe travels!
Oh yes, Stewart and Hyder are on the list, you will see on the next post! Although we did not get Hyderized (Mom and Dad were riding their motorcycles so they opted not to have to call a taxi!)
DeleteI think I'd carry bear spray all the time.
ReplyDeleteYes Jan, as they say "Don't leave home with out it", Mom and Dad will be making sure it is on them when they wander outside in Boo Boo country again!
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