Post - The Hopeful Life

We left Vancouver on Tuesday, April 16th to head towards Williams Lake. It was about a six to seven-hour drive, a decent distance to cover for a day. We passed through Hope, BC where there was pretty much nothing. We may as well get used to that from here on out. After a painstakingly slow lunch break, we continued on and arrived at the Wildwood Campground later in the evening. Norma and Wayne were the camp hosts and we almost stayed one more day because they were so awesome. Norma’s baked goods were so tasty and Wayne had a lot say. We all really enjoyed talking with him and will definitely stay there again just to see them if it is on our return route. The campsite itself was not very big and it was right off the highway, but those two added a homey charm and made it worth the while. We only had the one day in the area, which seemed like plenty of time. We walked the short trails at Scout Island on Williams Lake and went to the Cowboy Hall of Fame for half an hour. Stocked up on some groceries and beer. Headed back for camp to get ready for our eleven-hour drive to Stewart, BC the following day, but got a little sidetracked talking to Wayne for an hour while he hand-delivered Norma’s delicious lemon pound cake.

“Has anyone in this family even seen a chicken?” -Michael Bluth

Always on the lookout…Williams Lake, BC.

I am a miserable morning person. The plan was to wake up at 5am and leave the campsite by 6am. While Wes and Kelly packed everything up, I got up and ready around 5:50. We left at 6:30, so not terribly behind schedule, but I was definitely responsible for the late departure. I cannot read or sleep in cars, so I didn’t mind driving the entire day to Stewart. When we arrived at Bear River RV Park, Twila and her husband were very accommodating even though they were not technically open for another month. While attempting to hook up the water, the pipe severed at the joint and sprayed Wes with freezing cold, brown water. Twila’s husband, whose name escapes me, came and shut off the valve that was hiding in a two-foot bath at that point. He grabbed us a longer hose and we were able to use the water hookup from the site next to us since we were the only ones at the park. He joked that we were allowed to break one thing a day. Again, very nice people.

Stopped to play with the drone somewhere between Williams Lake and Stewart, BC.

We were lucky they had room for us at Bear River RV Park.

We stayed three nights in Stewart with not much to do. We walked around town the first day. Walked along the estuary pier and down main street for twenty-five minutes. Then we stumbled upon the only bar open where we had a few rounds of beer while the locals placed their bets on the Keno machines. We headed back to camp and started our ten-dollar, four-movie Lethal Weapon collection. Exciting stuff happening! The second day in Stewart we were going to drive to the Salmon Glacier in Hyder, Alaska. Stewart is right on the border, so we crossed with no border security, into Alaska and drove for about forty minutes until we couldn’t go any further because there was four feet of snow on the road ahead, according to the group headed out for some snowmobile fun. We stopped at a bear viewing site on the way back, but no luck. Driving through Hyder, we pulled over and got out to walk around the ten-building, mining ghost town that was apparently run by dogs. One of the dogs was extremely excited to have someone play fetch with him.

Strolling along the estuary pier in Stewart, BC.

The Hyder, AK welcoming committee. Dogs, they love me!

Heading back into Stewart, the Canadian Border Agent happily stamped our passports since she had a little bit more time on her hands than the other agent at the Washington border. It was such a nice day, so we went to check out the Bear Glacier, which we passed on the way into Stewart a couple days prior. Got some glamour shots in front of the glacier and Wes played with the drone a bit more. We headed back to camp where Wes beat Kelly and I repeatedly at cornhole. Lethal Weapon 2 under our belts. Stewart was a beautiful place.

Wes is basically a drone flying pro now.

Woke up at 5am, 5:50am for me, again the next day to head to Teslin in the Yukon Territory, another eleven-hour drive. Wes and Kelly split the driving, which was a nice break for me. We arrived at the Yukon Motel and RV Park around 6:30pm and Wes and I went to the Yukon Restaurant on the property for dinner. The food was pretty good and they had elk sausage and pierogi! Happy Easter! (Disclaimer: I feel obligated to say that though decent, the pierogi were obviously not as good as Granny’s recipe that Aunt Mimi has perfected, but they were as good as I could get on Easter Sunday.)

The next day we decided to get out of the house and see Teslin. We drove across the street to the grocery/motel/gas station to get some food for dinner and a few more five-dollar movies. Afterwards we wanted to see the sights, so we drove two minutes across the bridge. Took a mediocre photo and then decided to head back home after the long and adventurous outing. The wind had picked up and according to our weather reports there were gusts of wind up to 70 mph expected for the evening and into the night. We were deep into Lethal Weapon 3 when the power went out around 5:30pm. What?!? No! Riiiiiiiggsss! Apparently, about thirty yards away, a pretty tall tree had fallen and taken down some power lines. We obviously were at a crucial gun-fight scene towards the end of the movie because none of us noticed. That tree, plus a few fallen others, knocked out the power for the entire town…both sides of the street! At least it was light out until 11pm because there was nothing to do except drink and play Bananagrams. At least the beer would stay cold. We piled on clothes and blankets yet again to prepare for a cold night’s sleep until the hard-working employees of the power company could fix the lines by the early morning.

Got my traditional pierogi for Easter dinner and elk sausage!

We stopped at Yukon Brewing, which was only a couple hours away in Whitehorse, on our way to Haines Junction. It was snowing on and off during the drive, but it really started coming down when we got to the brewery. We took a short tour and had some beers with the locals. Haley was a great tour guide and while chatting over some beers after the tour, she suggested we stay the night. Since leaving Williams Lake, it had been very hard to find RV parks that were open this time of year. Haley very sweetly offered to have us park in front of her house for the night so we could use her electric for heat. So that was decided. The three of us parked the trailer and walked a few blocks to the Dirty Northern for dinner. The pizza was pretty damn tasty. A couple more beers later and we were feeling pretty good, but it was only 7pm and there was a bar called the Woodcutter’s Blanket on the way back. Before we could have a seat at the bar, we had met everyone there. We had a little too much fun with our new friends Dave, Lyle, Andrew, Tom, and Larry over the next three hours or so. The bartenders were awesome and super tolerant, I think. They probably hated all of us. We now have to visit Dawson, YT on the way back to California to drink the famous “Sourtoe Cocktail” (look it up), especially since Dave and Lyle did it with pictures to prove. That is as far as I will elaborate on the night. It was all downhill from there, but totally worth it.

The middle…no pictures of the end, sorry…

The following morning, at a nearby Tim Horton’s, we sipped our Coca-Cola’s and ate our hash browns while being sure to take steadying breaths in between bites. We slowly came back to life. After a two-hour ordeal of desperately searching for a place to fill our drinking water tank, we headed out of town to the Takhini Hot Springs. They were much needed. Nice clean hot pools with a decent view to rejuvenate ourselves before heading onto Haines Junction for the night.

Takhini Hot Springs just outside of Whitehorse, YT.

Sunset over the mountains on our way to Haines Junction.

Since leaving Vancouver, we have seen so many different types of wildlife along the highways…bison, deer, cattle, horses, elk, caribou, ravens, hawks, bald eagles, black bears, and even a grizzly bear! The moose has escaped us so far. The views on the drive from Haines Junction to Tok were the best we have seen along our entire trip. It was also the stretch where we saw the grizzly…by far our favorite sighting! The last day traveling through Canada was so epic that once we crossed the border, we were almost sad to leave. However, it wasn’t long before Alaska’s beauty captivated us as well.

Grizzly Bear saying goodbye from the Yukon!!!

Pickhandle Lake, YT. Best rest stop ever! Good thing I had to pee.

Tok was a nice first stop where we took it easy for a couple days. I swear I was still hungover from Whitehorse three days later. Thanks, 30. We stayed at Tok RV Village right off the highway. Like most places this time of the year, they only had electric hookups, but that’s all we really need for heat. We were finally able to conclude Lethal Weapons 3 and 4. Okay, Okay, Okay. Now we could put our minds at ease and check out the only gift shop that was open to kill some time. Lots of stuffed dead animals. I am glad we saw the grizzly bear from the truck. We stopped at the Tok Lounge Bar, where we had several beers with the longtime locals and heard some interesting stories about living in the area. Everyone was very friendly and we learned that gold-panning is not considered mining at all to the commercial miners. Mainly due to the weather this time of year, there may not be too much to explore as far as outdoor activities are concerned since leaving Vancouver, but it has given us a chance to meet and spend time with some really interesting and kind-hearted people.