Saturday’s ride out of Whitehorse was uneventful but I was happy to be on new tires and a clean(er) bike. The skies were clear and the temps hot by late morning – probably in the mid-90’s. We ended the day at French Creek for free camping once again after deciding to bypass Watson Lake. This time we arrived in the early afternoon and had our pick of the sites. Ironically we chose the same spot we had shared with the couple from Vermont in the Land Cruiser – it was the best site there. The day was so hot and I had run out of water in my pack during the ride so had to filter from the creek for the first time on this trip. Another Ramen with tuna dinner and to bed early. We are now far enough south that there is actually some darkness at night. I slept better this time at French Creek – the first time the cold temps exceeded my sleeping bags temp rating.
Sunday morning started out clear and warm so we knew it was going to be one of those days. By mid-day it was in the 90’s again. This stretch of the Cassiar is quite beautiful with snow-capped peaks rising from crystal clear lakes. The cloudless blue sky reflects down to the lakes providing dramatic color. We arrived to Bell II mid-afternoon and paid $30CAD for the tent camping area. The cabins are $200 each – ouch! There is nothing else out there so they can charge what they wish. Bell II is a heli ski operation in the winter time and the lodge has tons of photos with guests cutting up sick powder. This time of year it is just hot and dusty. It was hard to get to sleep as it didn’t really cool off until after midnight. I’m surprised how hot it is up here.
This morning we to the Junction and shot down 37A to Hyder to see if the salmon were running and the bears were out feeding. The salmon were definitely upstream to Fish Creek viewing platform but the bears apparently were still down at the mouth and had not come upstream yet. Bummer as I was hoping to get to see a grizzly bear. I’ve seen tons of bears on this trip but all black bears. The consolation prize was lunch at the Seafood Bus and halibut fish & chips – probably the best I’ve ever had. Her husband catches the fresh halibut and the catch goes straight to the bus for Diane to cook up for the patrons.
The ride from Hyder/Stewart to New Hazelton was probably the hottest I have ever been riding a motorcycle. Joe has a temp gage on his BMW and it read 101 degrees at the hottest point of the afternoon. I soaked my shirt twice during stops to try to get some evaporative cooling going. This helped for about 30 minutes and then it was back to the convention oven. When we arrived at our destination in New Hazelton we just couldn’t bring ourselves to set up tents in the stupid crazy heat so we got a hotel room with A/C. Best decision ever!
Tomorrow we will be in Prince George and probably part ways at that point. Joe heading south back to Seattle and me towards Jasper and the famous Icefields Parkway. It’s been great traveling with Joe over the last 3 weeks and has definitely helped the pocket-book when sharing a hotel. I’m looking forward to visiting Jasper and Banff national parks in Alberta and hoping for good weather to see the beautiful landscapes.