Storyline: Westward Ho!
After a wonderful visit with Alex’s nephew Michael and his fiancée Erin in Haines Junction (HJ) it was time to turn around and head for home. July long weekend was over and they had to go back to work. Ahead for the kids, Jade and Halia, was a long-anticipated summer vacation, or so I think. The anticipation, not the length that is. We had a blast at their place. In an early post Alex covered most of our visit. But there is always something to be added.
So before we say goodbye, here are a few things to add to Alex’s post. We arrived on Fri, Jun 30 late afternoon. Erin and Michael had worked hard to prepare their own bedroom for us. Not a minor thing, given the fact that their home is under major renovation. They had moved into the basement for the time being. We parked Doranya by their house. The street they live on was dug up, but the digging had not reached their house yet. So Michael led us through the back streets.
After unloading the necessities, we were taken to a dinner and concert at the local bakery and restaurant. We walked through the back yard to side streets that were not yet dug up. We’d do this every time we wanted to go somewhere. Erin brought me a glass of wine and Alex opted for a local beer. The prix fixe menu was salmon with veggies and salad. We were called by Erin when our turn came to help ourselves. Dessert was served after we finished the main. The music was good, but we were too tired to stay to the end of the concert. Back home we crashed in bed, enjoying the fresh air from the open windows.
Michael had booked a flight over Kluane Glacier for Alex and Jade for July 1st. However due to low clouds and visibility the flight was postponed by the company for our last day in HJ. The next morning after coffee, tea, and Michael’s lovely breakfast all but Harry the cat and me left for a drive and a hike. As indicated in a few previous posts, I had some hard to determine pain amplified by movement, so I opted to stay and make dinner. The turbot, potatoes and some of the veggies were handy. Next day I stayed at home again.
I had already begun changing our initial itinerary, re-routing us through the famous Stewart-Cassiar Highway or hwy BC37. It was close enough to our drive and there were no indications for any fires in the proximity. Just the opposite. Many fires were already looming south of Forth Nelson and around our northern itinerary. So on return journey we’ll play it by ear. BC37 is narrow, windy and with not many places to stop and not many side roads either. Initially I was reluctant to include it in the plan for that very reason.
If a fire starts or anything happens there is no easy escape (it’s a 2-day drive so the risk is real). On our outward drive Alex had picked up a map of the Stewart-Cassiar while in Watson Lake. In it there a few campgrounds listed on this highway. We’d learn later that many of them hadn’t reopened post-Covid, but for now this was the plan. Once we reach hwy 16 we’d decide on our next move.
With the plan ready and Alex had taken his glacier flight perhaps we’ll leave Tue, Jul 4, just after the holiday, instead of July 5 as initially planed.
The evening of July 3, Michael took us to a local pub/restaurant for dinner.
In the meanwhile, the construction workers didn’t have a weekend off. They were advancing. The morning of our last day in HJ the construction crew had advanced past the house.
That day I joined the gang for a last drive and hikes in the area. Alex has it all covered in our Haines Junction post so I won’t repeat it. However, there was a small problem. The idea was that we’d drive with the van and Michael with his truck to a certain point, from where we’d all go in the truck. The road in front of the house was all dug up and the van was parked in the driveway. In the morning Michael talked to the crew. They filled it up quickly just in front of the driveway. The part to the right of it was already filled. But it wasn’t compressed. They ran the roller a few times, big mountains of dirt and heavy machinery tracks.
The van is low and weighs 4.5 tonnes. There was a concern that it’d not make it. The crew tried to smooth it a bit with not much of a success. The dug part was just at the end of the driveway, so backing out the usual way wasn’t possible After examining the road on foot Michael suggested Alex to back up to the neighbours across and then turn towards the finished part. He would watch under the van and communicate with Alex by phone. And so they did. Alex carefully backed out. So far so good. Then he pulled front. The van begun sinking. “Keep going, keep going, you are sinking…” Michael’s instructions … Eventually slowly Alex got to more stable ground. Exiting the street, he parked in the local parking lot where all the cars were. This is where Doranya will stay until we left. We all walked to the parking and boarded the vehicles for our day trip.
We had a little picnic by the Kelsall Lake. Michael, Alex and Herbie hiked to the nearby hill. Back in the truck to the gravel area to take Doranya and then we all headed towards US border for a scenic drive. At a certain point Michael and family turned around to prepare for the planned paella dinner.
We drove a bit further. Clouds were lowering and taking the mountains in, so we too turned back. Reaching HJ we washed Doranya and filled it with gas, ready for the morning departure. Communicated with Michael and he told us that the paella picnic will be at Pine Lake.
And so Doranya washed and filled we joined them in what would be our last family dinner. Fire smoked paella, prepared in the wilderness by the ripples of the Pine Lake waters was fantastic.
A great finish to our visit. Next morning we’d say goodbye to our generous hosts, hop back into our tiny home Doranya and begin our journey back home.
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