Cassiar Hwy 1

Monday, June 14 -- Woke up to rain again this morning, but the sun peaked through about 8:30.  While we were getting unhooked, three deer showed up for breakfast.

We had a low tire on the RV this morning so we stopped at the entrance to our campground and aired it up.  Dave provided the air compressor, Collins provided the electricity and inflator, and Joe and I provided the muscle.

Then we were on our way, back to Terrace and then up the Cassiar Highway.  Joe checked the tire pressure when we fueled in Terrace and it was good, so he thinks it was just leaking around the valve stem.  He'll keep a close eye on that situation.

We had scattered showers most of the day, lots of misty clouds hiding the mountaintops.  We met several trucks hauling logs that were dripping water.

John and Bridgette, I tried to show the tide pools left in the mud.   Prince Rupert and the North Coast of Canada experience some of the world's largest tides.  These 24-foot tides equate to a 4-foot change in water level every hour.  There are two high and two low tides each day, and the times they occur change about 45 minutes a day.

The drive from Terrace to Prince Rupert (and back) is like driving through a rain forest, very dense trees and brush, and water pouring off all rock walls after last night's rain.  The mountains are sprouting waterfalls all over the place.  The white streaks in the picture below are waterfalls.  I did see a bear on this road, and Mazie spotted a baby bear (that Joe and I missed).

After our stop in Terrace for lunch and fuel, we headed up the scenic Cassiar Highway.  Our first stop was at Gitanyow, an old Native village that has 23 totem poles.  However, these totem poles all seemed pretty old, did not have much color to them anymore.  But they were interesting, some were very tall, and some were very detailed, with different things on the very top (animals, birds, people).

Then we drove up to the turnoff for Stewart, B.C., and Hyder, Alaska.  That drive was absolutely spectacular.  Glacial mountains on one side, and moss-covered, waterfall mountains on the other. 
Stewart is Canada's most northerly ice-free port.

One of the glaciers came all the way down to the glacial lake below.  We should get a better picture tomorrow when we drive back to the Meziadin Junction where we pick up Hwy 37 again.  Collins and Marilyn stayed at this Junction, at a provincial park, so they did not make the drive down to Stewart/Hyder with us.

And there are still waterfalls on the other side of the road.

And then we came upon two black bears right beside the road!

We did come up with the answer to an age-old question today -- do bears poop in the woods.  The answer is no, they poop on the road.  We must have seen a dozen little piles today, right on the edge of the road.  So there you are.  This area is really supposed to be "bear country," so we hope to see some more in the next few days.

We stayed in Stewart tonight, and toured the town (that didn't take long), and then crossed the border into Alaska.  We found a "bus" that served halibut, and we had a very good meal there.  It was different, but it had a very clean sitting area in a building, and the cook fixed the food (fish) in the bus.  It was delicious.  She said her husband had caught the halibut today, but he's getting ready to leave tomorrow for 10 weeks to go crab fishing.  Maybe he'll be on Deadliest Catch!