Saturday August 21, Kinaskan Provincial Park, Cassiar Highway, BC

185 Miles

It was a wet this morning as we said farewell to our new friends, all heading the same way but with different destinations. Eric and Laura were hoping to bike about 100kms, Betsy and David were taking a side road to Telegraph Creek and we were continuing south. The rain had been very light for most of the night and continued off and on for much of the day. The temperatures have dropped, hovering around 12 degrees and in fact at one stage we got a little bit of sleet, and noticed a light dusting of snow on one of the mountains.

The road was really pretty, passing through deciduous forests, already showing signs of autumn with some yellow aspens. There were little lakes and crystal clear rivers.

This is total wilderness with virtually no sign of humanity apart from a few very small settlements, most of which are native.

There is a lot of jade mined in the area, and we stopped at a really modern looking shop selling jade products in the middle of nowhere. They had free coffee …. and wifi so felt I should buy some little earings….

Arrived at the settlement of Dease Lake and filled up with fuel and got a few supplies at the local store which looked as though it hadn’t seen a broom or bucket for years. It is so hard to imagine how people survive in these communities, so far from anywhere and really no source of income.

Stopped for the night on Kinaskan Park and have a wonderful little site that is about 3 metres from the lake edge with a wonderful view of the mountains and the lake.

I heard a Loon calling and got the binoculars to check them out. They are such beautiful birds and as yet haven’t managed to get close enough to take a photo. While I was watching a bald eagle swooped down on the water, talons extended and plucked a small fish from just below the surface, then flew off into the trees. It was such a wonderful sight.

The camp host said that there are no bears in the area….a great feeling, so might try a little walk to the river mouth later.
Tonight we cooked some of the halibut that Ian had caught, in the barbecue, it was so good, and the best thing is there is still quite a bit left in the freezer.