Smithers, Dease Lake, to Whitehorse

Downtown Whitehorse, 9:30 at night!

Just north of Smiters where flooding is severe

 The road from Smithers up to Watson Lake was formally a poor unpaved road for adventurers only.  Half way to Dease Lake there is turn off that leads to Stewart, BC and the tiny Hyder, Alaska.  Hyder has about 60 residents and no paved streets.  In fact, going into Hyder, there is no border control.  My sense is that this lack of control is indicative of the place generally.  While Stewart has police, a border station, and even a school, its US neighbor seems more a haven for tax cheats, the wayward, and the dislocated.

The turn north. . .to the upper BC and Alaska

The road to Stewart and Hyder

Hundreds of views just like this.

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Mom and the kids

 Up to Dease Lake about the midpoint on the Cassiar Highway, the road is now reasonably wide replete with center stripes, passing zones and shoulders.  The surfaced is fair to good.  Beyond Dease Lake, however, the old gravel has been covered with a rough asphalt.  The road is narrow, there are no shoulders, no markers, and the ditches are deep. All about, rivers are wild, mountains untamed, traffic nonexistent,  The wildlife reigns!  We saw more bear than cars.  I lost count at about twenty.  One moose wandered in front of us, and a badger showed his head above the ditch and then ran for cover.

We arrived!

In Watson Lake. Signs from everywhere.

Every stream is raging right now

Such grand traditions in Whitehorse.

  Day one in Canada was 388 miles.  The same distance for day two.  Day three we covered 462,  Today, getting up to the Alaska Highway and running, first to Watson Lake and a romp through the Sigh post Village and then to Whitehorse, we covered 453.  So we are averaging a little over 400 miles a day. . .but boy, are they different miles with road surface, critters, and weather all factoring in.  And then there is the fatigue.  The first few hours each day are exhilarating with great vistas captivating our attention.  By the end of the day, the same spectacle has less luster.  Tired eyes, hands, shoulders, and seats, take their toll.  Speaking of the day's length, the sun came up today at 4:39 and set 10:55.  Amazing.

A Whitehorse bulletin board

BBQ Salmon: new one for me