Close to Watson Lake is the Stewart-Cassiar Highway (BC Hwy 37) junction which turns south into northern BC. Hwy 37 stretches 875 km from the Yukon border south to the town of Kitwanga. When planning our drive days, we found it difficult to know whether we’d be able to find predictable fuel stops, given the degree of COVID lockdown of various First Nations communities. A few phone calls confirmed that we should be able to fuel up at strategic points. Phew!
We weren’t long on the highway before I was struck with views of vast swaths of scorched forests. New growth was green and lush at ground level but the charred, branchless trunks of many square kms of forest left us with a sense of loss. There’s a real juxtaposition - the loss of life of animals, insects, and flora competing with the fertile soil and new growth opportunity. The official flower for Yukon is fireweed which is one of the first species to be seen growing after a fire. There are also mushrooms that thrive only after fires. Those in turn provide life for others. It’s hard not to feel sad seeing miles of burned forest yet we are learning about the benefits of these phenomenon.
As we journeyed southward, we wound into the Cassiar Mountain range. We started to watch the fuel gauge after passing through a few small towns with “no stopping” signs. Hauling a trailer and not knowing how much elevation gain you’ll be tackling each day can make fuel consumption calculations an art instead of a science. Then we saw a sign for Jade City. Being a family without cable TV, we had no idea what Jade City was. With no cell signal, I couldn’t look it up to see if it had fuel.
We spotted the bear statue wearing a face mask and decided to pull off and check it out. We’re really glad we did. Not only was the gift store full of pieces of jade art, but they also had a washroom and free coffee (parent fuel can be as important as vehicle fuel). We chatted with the jade miners on site and picked through the bin of reject pieces (for $20, you can fill a bag). All of the jade had been mined from the Cassiar Mountains. We were shown how jade, when dry, looks like a grey rock but when placed in water, is a beautiful, deep green. Simon thought it was magic!
After having some internal debates about what I “need” and what I “want”, we left with some raw jade, and a small container of pink rocks that Molly bought with her own money. But no car fuel. “Don’t worry,” said the kind store keeper, “Dease Lake is only 116km away and has an open gas station”. Gulp.
The Cassiar Mountain scenery was replaced with the Northern Plateau and the Skeena Ranges. We wound down the shore of Dease Lake into the town with the same name. Along the road we met many black bears, a red fox, a porcupine, and lots of hawks. We made it to the gas station just as the gas light came on. Piece of cake.
Only 80 km south of Dease Lake was our next camping spot at the Red Goat Lodge and RV Campground. It was nestled on the shore of Eddontenajon Lake and was run by a man who used to conduct highway maintenance for the Cassiar hwy. His daughter was living on site helping with the business. She had two girls in the same age range as our three and was also caring for a litter of 9 puppies. Oh my goodness, between playmates and cute puppies, Erik and I didn’t see the kids for the two days we stayed. They would show up with rosy cheeks asking for food but were otherwise busy building puppy schools and puppy nurseries and puppy obstacle courses. It was so nice to see them having fun and getting along. It was so hard to leave. All of us (maybe not Erik) were hoping to leave with a new puppy. But we swallowed the tears and said goodbye.
Our next stop was Terrace, BC where we got a nice private site in a nearly empty campground within the town borders. We celebrated our 2-month tripiversary with a dinner out at Boston Pizza. I’m not sure what was better enjoyed – the food or just being in a restaurant again after months-long COVID closures. We used Terrace to do some re-stocking of gear and found the kids some rain/snow boots that we hope will get them through the whole winter.
From Terrace, we drove west to Prince Rupert along one of the most beautiful drives we’d had (at least to my taste). We drove Hwy 16 west along the Skeena River and saw some gorgeous waterfalls, high cliffs, and wide rivers. Our campsite in Prince Rupert was muddy and unmemorable, but close to the ferry terminal for our morning departure in a few days.
As we had given ourselves an extra day in the itinerary, just in case, we had a full day to kill. We found a trail that promised a view of some rapids (Butze Rapids) and access to the seashore. But this trail was WAY more than just a walk to some rapids. This was our first walk through real west coast rainforest and there was so much to see that we barely made it through the first km in an hour. We couldn’t help stopping to examine slugs or pick up huge leaves, or look up species of strange new plants. We saw the most interesting trees that were growing sub-trees out of other sub-trees – like acrobats doing balancing tricks, finding the just right angle to reach sunlight. On the shore, the kids hauled some massive bull kelp to their play spot, had Erik slice off the roots, and used the hallowed head as pretend bowls and cups for their “royal dinner at the palace”. Had the weather not begun to turn wet, we’d probably have stayed all afternoon.
Erik and I celebrated our 14th anniversary while in Prince Rupert. We found a seafood restaurant close by, put on some nice clothes, and had a very yummy dinner while the kids stayed in the trailer watching a movie. We made it back in time for the credits and tuck-ins. It was our first time out for a meal together in over two months.
The next morning was sailing day – we took the Inland Passage ferry from Prince Rupert to Port Hardy on Vancouver Island. We arrived within an hour of sailing time and were excited for the trip South. As we were getting closer to loading time, one of the staff approached the truck and said “so this is one of our older vessels and only loads and unloads from one end. Are you able to back your trailer all the way down the ramp and into a tight parking spot with only an inch to spare on each side of the trailer? And do that with all of us watching you?” Poor Erik. I could see the panic setting into his face. The loader then said, “Or, if you’re comfortable with it, we can back it down and inside for you.” Thank goodness! Mark backed us into a spot with such precision that he never once had to stop, pull forward, or try again. He used our too-small side mirrors to steer himself into the spot all the while talking about where he’s from and how long he’s been working with the company and what things we should definitely do while we’re on Vancouver Island. It was incredible.
We got onto the ship and into our room before she set sail. The whole journey was 14 hrs with two stops along the way. With the COVID precautions, the kid play spaces were void of toys so we made sure to have enough things with us that we could keep ourselves busy. The Inland Passage provides lots to see, so we spent much of our daylight hours outside on the uncrowded decks. The ferry was only loaded to 50% capacity, again as a COVID precaution. We saw a few sea creatures from afar: some humpbacks, Dall’s porpoise, and some sea lions. The mountains were lush and green and the sun was shining. It was calm so everyone fared well and we had no problems with nausea.
We all slept well once settled but it was a shorter night than we’d hoped. Breakfast was served around 7 am as the vessel was scheduled to dock by 9 am. We got ourselves packed up and ready then watched as the boat docked. Welcome to Vancouver Island!!
