Bowron Lake Paddle

Bowron Lake Provincial Park is a BC wilderness park covering more than 300,000 acres of land with a system of six major lakes two rivers and several portages. Forming a backdrop are the rugged and majestic Cariboo Mountains. The complete canoe circuit is 72mi and Kim & I decided to do a 3-day, 2-night trip known as the West Side Trip, that takes you from the top Bowron Lake (Start) to Unna Lake and back.


Bowron is quite large, and I guess we were lucky today, the wind was nil, sun shining brightly through an indigo blue sky. What a great way to start a paddle!

We took our time crossing the Lake, alternating between open water and jaunts along the rocky shoreline.

As we approached the southern end, we noticed a few boats returning. After a couple of conversations, it was apparent that doing the entire circuit was indeed worth the effort. Most of the others had spent a week or so out, enjoying this great water wilderness.
The Lake narrowed into a flat, dead calm marshy area. A few puffy clouds developed overhead, adding to the beautiful reflective drama unfolding in the water and mountains ahead.

It wasn't long before we found the small channel through the brilliantly colored grass, a helpful sign seemed to point directly towards this muskrat lodge, signaling a short break to just enjoy this area that reminded us of Louisiana marsh!


We reached a wonderful campsite in the Swan Lake area, and decided to just stop here and enjoy the area. Our new 3-man REI sale tent popped right up, firewood was already provided...a little splitting, and we were in business!

We enjoyed a fantastic sunset, and as darkness grew, I setup my ham radio rig in the tent to try to get info on Hurricane Ike.

Morning brought another spectacular day on the water. An exploratory paddle was in order, so south we headed along the twisting shores of Swan Lake. Interesting shallows & pockets added to the diversity of views. Misty fog hung in the backwaters, while ultimate stillness across open stretches laid out vast mirrors ahead.

Having picked up some more firewood on the paddle "home", we settled in early that afternoon to just relax & enjoy the sites & sounds of camp......


On the way in, we had noticed an interesting campsite that deserved a closer look on our final day. Hidden at the rear of a quiet pocket, we found an old cabin, a well preserved piece of history. Although it was locked, we did manage to get a view of the nice modern king bed inside!!

Just a hundred or so yards away was a more recently built cabin, open for group use. We enjoyed "exploring" it's interior, paying particular attention to the numerous hand-made artifacts hanging from the ceiling.

We sat for a while out back, just enjoying the beauty of the marsh, and watching the many birds looking for an easy breakfast aong the tall grass.
The trip out was every bit as enjoyable as paddle in, and now the current is with us, allowing us to just sit back and enjoy the colorful grasses sway like Hawaiian skirts below.


Again luck is with us on our return through Bowron Lake, and as I watched Kim round the last point with "civilization" in the distance, deep inside I know that one day we'll be back to explore & enjoy the entire 70 miles of this Canadian treasure!

Hazelton Totems

Someone along the way told us that Hazelton had the best collection of authentic totems in all of Alaska & BC, so off the beaten path we go to find a nice, low-cost municipal rv park. To our surprise, the park is located next to a row of preserved & re-created long houses, very authentic in their construction and the contents inside. The fronts of these were decorated in intricate patterns, all hand carved & painted.





They offered a great tour inside, complete with an individual guide, and ceremonial artifacts and a fire going in each. We respected their request of no pictures within, so I guess you'll just have to take a vacation there to see for yourself.

There were several nice examples of totems outside...but we learned from our tourguide that a few miles away, in the older section of town, a larger number of well preserved totems were standing at a public park. It was an overcast day withlight rain falling when we found the place. So, the light was pretty poor, I apologize for the pix, but at least you'll get a feel for the uniqueness of these giants....

Hidden Hyder (Alaska)

After a few hundred miles through Canada, we pop across one of the smallest. most remote border crossings in the North into the small hideaway of Hyder. It's late afternoon, chilly, we're near the water, what there is of a town appears deserted, but we amble along muddy, pot-holed streets and find a small RV park behind the only local bar. Though sparce with no hookups or other guests, the view out our back door is actually pretty nice.

The attraction....Fish Creek! One of the best places in Alaska to see bears. So, next morning off we go, noticing a few of the unique old buildings & signs heading north along the Salmon River.


A small interpretive area informs us of the story of the local bears, and how the Park Service built the long, protected (well somewhat) catwalks for tourist to enjoy an overhead view of the magnificant creatures feeding below.


It wasn't long before some of the "locals" started showing up. This particular "mom" had actually learned to hunt underwater, an extrememly unique trait according to the rangers.
With her skill and years of experience, it wasn't long before a meal was captured.

After a couple of hours of bear viewing, we start the twenty mile drive northward up the River valley to see Salmon Glacier, the most accessible view of a glacier in North America. The winding road was built buy the gold mining interest which flourished here in the twenties. As we continue to ascend, we get our first view of the Glacier, only to realize later that is is actually the southern finger of the massive iceway.

After more careful driving around muddy hairpin curves we reach the overlook, where this backdrop is a stunning setting for a relaxing picnic lunch!
Kim takes a short hike up the mountain on the opposite side, fascinated by the mixture of rich color & textures.
We decide to explore farther north, and it isn't too long before evidence of active mining appears...yes, there is still gold to be found in "them there hills"!
We're greeted soon by a curious marmot, who allowed me to get this nice closeup...I think he was fascinated by the sparkle of my lens...what a great pose. Around the next bend is more evidence of past mining, as we find an open tunnel to explore.


Shortly before turning back, we find a series of "mini-glaciers", along a unique stretch of the upper valley that resembled a moonscape. Later in the afternoon, we're treated to those saturated afternoon sun colors, a great prize to end an awesome day above the glacier!

Cassiar Highway - Boya Lake - Hidden Jewel!

One of the best benefits of staying flexible on the road is the opprotunity to stop anywhere that looks or sounds interesting and stay a while. One of the best of these impromptu events occured within the first fifty miles on the Cassiar. As we were driving along, this talently crafted BC parks sign caught my eye.

I slammed on the brakes (well, as best you can with a 7000lb load in the back!) actually bypassing it by a couple hundred feet, and said "It's about lunch Kim, should we just do a quick picnic here?" She answered, "Well maybe, I don't see anything about this place." I backed down the highway and made the turn into the park.

So, we drive back to the camping/picnic area, step out, walk over to the lake, and WOW!

It didn't take more than a moments discussion to park the rig and enjoy this fabulous view...

Needless to say, as the afternoon wore on, we couldn't wait to get the boats in the water to experience paddling across these "bluer & greener than the Carribean" waters.

The next day on a longer paddle, I discovered a small island with a high bluff. Quite a climb, but
you have to admit that this view was well worth it...

In contrast to the wide panoramic, here's a tele shot from atop the bluff that really illustrates the dynamic colors and reflectivity of these beautiful waters.









So, what started as a quick lunch stop turned into a two day stay at one of the prettiest spots in all of Alaska! As we took one last look before leaving, we looked at each other and agreed that we'd definitely be back.




 Perhaps we'd plan a future paddle up here with friends. Are you onboard?

Fall Colors - The Glenn & Denali Highways

We looked into the possibility of taking the Alaska Marine Highway Ferry through the Inside Passage directly to Vancouver Island, our next major playground. After realizing the cost would be over $4000, and that we would miss the fall colors and the famed Cassier Highway, we left Anchorage and headed across the Glenn Highway.

It wasn’t long before the scenery affirmed we’d made the right decision. The fall colors along the Glenn appeared to be just starting and we were treated to a continuous palette of warm fall color as we drove along…again here’s another instance of letting the photos speak for themselves:

While camping on Tangle Lakes a few weeks ago on the Denali Highway, we were told that it’s fall colors were magnificent, and checking the map proved a short jog further north for a couple of days was in order. So, a left at Gakona, and up the Richardson we go back to one of our favorite areas in all of Alaska!

Earlier in the summer, we had discovered this small lake on the eastern end of the Denali, isolated off the beaten path, fabulous mountain views in the background, and a nice campsite right down on the lake’s edge. As luck would have it, not a soul to be seen as we crested the top of a high hill looking down on the site.
The colors surrounding the lake were a treat, but it did appear that the reds were a bit brown and perhaps past their prime. A nice, quiet evening at the lake and up early to take advantage of the golden light rendered more examples of fall’s paintbrush at work in the nearby hills.

A stop at the lodge at Tangle Lakes confirmed our suspicions about the colors. We had indeed missed the “grand show” of the “reds” by only three days! But as we wondered westward Kim continued to point out some fine examples of the brighter hues…..even the swans seem to enjoy this time of year, drifting lazily across the colorful settings.

I stopped along the way to talk with several hunters, most of whom were after a moose for “subsistence” (yes, “we fill our own freezers up here, not only with fish, but also tasty game”). One of the groups was an adult led Boy Scout troop, camped along side the Highway. Although they were not in camp to tell the story, they obviously had success by taking this small “bou” (Caribou).

As we headed back to pick up the trailer and move on, this bright group of poplars on the near hill seemed to be waving farewell from another enjoyable drive along the Denali Highway!