Storyline: Westward Ho!
Wed, Jul 6
Soon we’ll say goodbye to the 60th parallel, crossing it for one last time and heading south to the unknown. Not knowing what and where we might dump Doranya’s holding tanks and refill the fresh water tank. There was supposed to be a gas station and a campground right at the intersection of hwy 37 and the Alaska hwy. According to Mr. Google, it was named Junction 37 Services and J 37 RV Park. My initial idea for the last night was to stop at the junction, however the Continental Divide RV Park was really nice and we didn’t know anything about the other. We also filled up with cheaper gas there, so it was just a curiosity that led us to stop at the corner. There was nothing. An old shack that seemed to have been dead for a while. No campground and a dead gas station. One could boondock here but nothing more.
And so, we headed south on Stewart-Cassiar Hwy, also knows as Dease Lake Highway. This is the most isolated and the northernmost highway of BC. We didn’t notice when we actually crossed the 60th into BC. It must have been about 3 to 4 km after our last stop at the junction. Road although narrow and very windy was paved and empty. No shoulders and deep ditches both sides. No places to stop either. It was initially built to serve the asbestos mining district at Cassiar. It later reached Dease Lake and with multiple extensions and connections it eventually became BC 37 in 1975, 725km (450mi) long. Currently it is one of the two highways connecting BC with the YT and the US State of Alaska.
It was quite some time before we could stop for a bio-break or any break for that matter. I was clinging on for dear life (my motion sickness) since not only it was very wiggly but it had steep ups and downs, at places looking like slalom ski hills. I wasn’t taking pictures at first, but once the mountains showed I focused on photos.
We drove through some areas with burnt trees and my initial hesitancy of taking this road was confirmed. It would have been hard to escape a wildfire, other than trying to drive through or turning back. As a matter of fact, Dease Lake, the place we’d overnight tonight was evacuated some 10 days later due to wildfires. And as I transcribe my notes two months later there are wildfires in the northern part not far from the highway.
The scenery again was spectacular with snow capped mountains towering on the horizon and white, cold curtains on the sky. We stopped for a bio-break and for me to get some fresh air at the very first small pull off beside the road by a small lake. Alex took a few photos.
Up to that moment I hadn’t taken a single photo. (I rely on the dash-cam which I have no idea when and if I’ll see. All I know is that Alex has downloaded it somewhere, but as I transcribe this with a big delay in September, he is still working on the Dinosaur Park video from June.) A second stop an hour later at another small pull off by a “Cassiar Gold Rush” sign. After that stop I recovered enough from my motion sickness to start taking photos and documenting our scenic drive.
Next stop was at Jade city. There was a big parking lot, a souvenir store and plenty of jade stones around and surprisingly quite a few people and cars.
We didn’t fall into the souvenir buying trap. However, used the stop for lunch before heading south. So far, the campgrounds on the map I had were non existent. We were aiming for Dease Lake with the hope that the place is big enough and there would be a functioning campground. More and more mountains raising on the horizon and some closer to the road.
It was close to 5pm when we finally reached Dease Lake. We stopped at the general store first. The lady behind the cash register was rude and didn’t give us any information. My booklet map showed that there was an RV campground.
Someone in the store told us that it was just down the road. We filled up with gas despite the rudeness of the cashier, because where else would we fill up? Then we found the RV campground. It was empty and the office was closed. But a lady showed up, took our money for one night and told us to park wherever we want.
We found the only shady spot behind some small trees., parked and decided to walk. As we walked out a young couple of cyclists walked into the campground and politely asked us if we knew if they could set their tent in the campground. We directed them to the lady inside her camper and continued. The sun was strong and Alex offered to bring me my hat from the van. It took him a long time before he showed back.
Apparently, the campground lady refused to accommodate the cyclists. It was an RV park, not a tent park she told them. It was getting late and they had no idea what to do. They had already asked at the inn by the general store, but it would cost them a couple of hundred dollars. So Alex went back in the van, pulled my map out and gave it to them.
You see this map had all the tent camps, RV camps, gas stations, rest stops and more. I wasn’t happy losing my map. Not the fact that he gave it to them, who needed it more than us, but the fact that he didn’t take a photo of the map for us. I hope the map though helped the French couple finding a campground. (they were just two weeks into an epic cycling adventure down to the southern tip of South America. Wow! – A) Perhaps there were bears in the area and an RV campground is not protected as a tent one would be.
Coming back, we had two neighbours. Two ladies from Washington with their dogs in older small campers had parked next to us and were envying our shade.
Thu, Jul 7
After the usual coffee/tea and breakfast we hit the road again. There were lots more unknowns and now without a map and without service I was blind as of our exact location.
Shortly after our start we crossed the Stikine River. Next big challenge was the unpaved hairpin (uphill for us).
Glad no one faced us from the opposite direction. Shortly after there were the 40 mile flats. Didn’t notice any flatness around.
Then Eddontenajon Lake, Tatogga and Tatogga Lake.
Changing scenery, same narrow, wiggly and unruly road. Steep ups and downs.
Blue skies gave a way to smoky horizons, mountains hiding behind the smoke. We still didn’t think much of it. Kinaskan Lake Provincial Park…
One of the wooden bridges has a sign Rescue Creek. If things go smoky like that and we don’t find appropriate stop we may need a rescue. We have also encountered a few closing barriers on the road. In the middle of nowhere, at least that’s how it looked to us.
Imagine driving all the way to a closed down barrier (the barriers are generally used in winter when conditions become too dangerous through certain areas. I’d rather be stopped or turned back than lying at the bottom of a mountain – A).
After crossing the Ningunsaw River the road had a painted dividing lane at least at some places. Good sign? I seemed to remember that there was an RV campground at Bell II.
Saw nothing. Next I remember was at Meziadin Junction. Yes there was and it was a nice Provincial Park campground, but it had no available serviced spots. Keep going.
The road now is as good as it will ever be. Last stop at Kitwanga, was close to the southern end of BC 73. If there were no spots there, we’d have to try something on Canada hwy 16 (the Yellowhead Highway).
We drove through the village, stopped by the Gitwangak Battle Hill National Historic Site, but we still had to find the campground. After some instructions from the locals we found it.
Yes, they has a spot for us. Phew! We are out of this twisty road.
Campsite wasn’t great, but good for a night. It was also rather smoky, with nearby mountains looking hazy and out of focus. Tomorrow is another day and we’ll see what it brings.
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