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Today we travelled from Iskut to Hyder as the trek winds down and the action heats up. It was a day of lows and highs in that order. We woke up early as usual and got ready to leave. Ziggy and I had a nice walk around the grassy campground and we drove off up the long gravel road to the Cassiar Highway and headed 197 miles to Hyder.
Just as we turned onto the highway the campground owner stopped us to say that we were dragging our car and had ruined his road. Turns out that Jeff had not released the parking brake and the wheels were not turning. We were glad to get this news because we could have had a fire or worse if we hadn't stopped and it is hard to know this is happening with a towed vehicle. Anyway Jeff released the brake and we set off. The ride was like being in a fantasyland. Fantastic views in every direction. Mountains, valleys, lakes, trees, snow, shades of green. And, oh, road construction. We travelled on some gravel and came to a work site. After we passed a pickup truck pulled us over and the young guy said, "You have a flat tire and it's real bad." So we took a look and our rear right tire was shredded and hanging on the rim.
We were able to find a level area with good sightlines and we pulled over to put on the spare. This road has very few rest areas, pullouts, or even shoulders. As Jeff got out the spare tire and jack another worker drove up to tell us that there was a grizzly hanging out in the area and we should be careful. Luckily he hung around to protect us and even changed the tire. What a nice guy - so thank you!
The bad news is that the other tires all had flat spots from the dragging and the left rear was pretty worn. We decided to go on as far as we could. We drove slowly and after 70 miles we pulled into the only gas station we would see until Hyder and filled up. We had been checking the tires every fifteen minutes and they were holding up. I have to admit a little praying works. At the gas station I smelled gas and our LP (liquid propane) alarm went off. I grabbed Ziggy and got out quickly. When I went to tell Jeff he was noticing a water leak from under the unit. What else could go wrong?
The alarm was touched off by the gas pump which had no protective cover on it and Jeff got the water down to a drip as it was coming from a hose in the back. Two of our trek members came in and agreed to get things settled at the campground as we limped along hoping to get to the next major intersection.
We were very lucky to get to the junction where we turned to Hyder. On Tuesday we will come back to this junction and take the other arm. So we decided to leave the car there and pick it up on the way back. The tires are not a stock item and we can't get them in the Hyder area so we will try to get to the larger cities on Tuesday or Wednesday. We locked the car, left a note and parked it in a rest area where several of our group saw it. A few of them posed for a picture with the car. I'll update the story on Tuesday when we return there.
Feeling much better we drove on to Hyder and passed more incredible scenery. There are avalanche areas, hanging glaciers and a tidewater glacier on the entrance road. Lots of waterfalls too. You drive in on a two lane road and enter the town of Stewart, British Columbia. About 699 people live here and that's a metropolis compared to 100 in Hyder.
Stewart has two hotels, a few cafes, a gas station and some businesses along the narrow Portland Canal which goes out to the Pacific. Then you travel along the waterfront to enter Hyder, USA. The US doesn't even bother with customs as there is no way to get out so to leave you go back to Stewart and Canadian Customs.
We got to the campground which is called Camp Run-A-Muck and our dear helpers had things organized. It took until 4pm for everyone to arrive and we were pooped. At 6pm we went to dinner with several new friends. We have no car so everyone is offering to cart us around which is greatly appreciated. Dinner was at the Bus which is an old bus with a few outside and inside tables. They specialize in halibut and shrimp either fried or sauteed. It takes a long time to get your food and it was just okay. Several years ago they filmed the movie Insomnia here and Robin Williams ate at the bus so they had pictures and notes hanging on the walls.
After dinner six of us went to the town dump in search of bears. No luck so we drove out to the Fish Creek where a large boardwalk allows protected viewing over a stream. The bears come here to catch salmon, but thre are no fish yet. However, just as we were leaving another car pulled up and said two grizzlies had just walked down the road and entered the stream. We went back and sure enough the next hour was spent watching the two young bears play in the water and then cavort in the area next to the viewing platforms. The best was when they rolled around in sawdust near the new building and one scratched his back on the wall. One bear made number two prompting Jeff to say he had answered the age old question, "Does a bear sh-t in the woods?"
The down side was that I forgot my camera and the kindness of others provided us with photos. We finally came home and everyone who witnessed the bears had big smiles. We're all going back tomorrow because that's what we came here for. It is amazing to see the animals in their natural habitat and we are so lucky to be here.
It's after 10:30 and I'm tired so I'll post the pictures tomorrow.
Good Night.
Just as we turned onto the highway the campground owner stopped us to say that we were dragging our car and had ruined his road. Turns out that Jeff had not released the parking brake and the wheels were not turning. We were glad to get this news because we could have had a fire or worse if we hadn't stopped and it is hard to know this is happening with a towed vehicle. Anyway Jeff released the brake and we set off. The ride was like being in a fantasyland. Fantastic views in every direction. Mountains, valleys, lakes, trees, snow, shades of green. And, oh, road construction. We travelled on some gravel and came to a work site. After we passed a pickup truck pulled us over and the young guy said, "You have a flat tire and it's real bad." So we took a look and our rear right tire was shredded and hanging on the rim.
We were able to find a level area with good sightlines and we pulled over to put on the spare. This road has very few rest areas, pullouts, or even shoulders. As Jeff got out the spare tire and jack another worker drove up to tell us that there was a grizzly hanging out in the area and we should be careful. Luckily he hung around to protect us and even changed the tire. What a nice guy - so thank you!
The bad news is that the other tires all had flat spots from the dragging and the left rear was pretty worn. We decided to go on as far as we could. We drove slowly and after 70 miles we pulled into the only gas station we would see until Hyder and filled up. We had been checking the tires every fifteen minutes and they were holding up. I have to admit a little praying works. At the gas station I smelled gas and our LP (liquid propane) alarm went off. I grabbed Ziggy and got out quickly. When I went to tell Jeff he was noticing a water leak from under the unit. What else could go wrong?
The alarm was touched off by the gas pump which had no protective cover on it and Jeff got the water down to a drip as it was coming from a hose in the back. Two of our trek members came in and agreed to get things settled at the campground as we limped along hoping to get to the next major intersection.
We were very lucky to get to the junction where we turned to Hyder. On Tuesday we will come back to this junction and take the other arm. So we decided to leave the car there and pick it up on the way back. The tires are not a stock item and we can't get them in the Hyder area so we will try to get to the larger cities on Tuesday or Wednesday. We locked the car, left a note and parked it in a rest area where several of our group saw it. A few of them posed for a picture with the car. I'll update the story on Tuesday when we return there.
Feeling much better we drove on to Hyder and passed more incredible scenery. There are avalanche areas, hanging glaciers and a tidewater glacier on the entrance road. Lots of waterfalls too. You drive in on a two lane road and enter the town of Stewart, British Columbia. About 699 people live here and that's a metropolis compared to 100 in Hyder.
Stewart has two hotels, a few cafes, a gas station and some businesses along the narrow Portland Canal which goes out to the Pacific. Then you travel along the waterfront to enter Hyder, USA. The US doesn't even bother with customs as there is no way to get out so to leave you go back to Stewart and Canadian Customs.
We got to the campground which is called Camp Run-A-Muck and our dear helpers had things organized. It took until 4pm for everyone to arrive and we were pooped. At 6pm we went to dinner with several new friends. We have no car so everyone is offering to cart us around which is greatly appreciated. Dinner was at the Bus which is an old bus with a few outside and inside tables. They specialize in halibut and shrimp either fried or sauteed. It takes a long time to get your food and it was just okay. Several years ago they filmed the movie Insomnia here and Robin Williams ate at the bus so they had pictures and notes hanging on the walls.
After dinner six of us went to the town dump in search of bears. No luck so we drove out to the Fish Creek where a large boardwalk allows protected viewing over a stream. The bears come here to catch salmon, but thre are no fish yet. However, just as we were leaving another car pulled up and said two grizzlies had just walked down the road and entered the stream. We went back and sure enough the next hour was spent watching the two young bears play in the water and then cavort in the area next to the viewing platforms. The best was when they rolled around in sawdust near the new building and one scratched his back on the wall. One bear made number two prompting Jeff to say he had answered the age old question, "Does a bear sh-t in the woods?"
The down side was that I forgot my camera and the kindness of others provided us with photos. We finally came home and everyone who witnessed the bears had big smiles. We're all going back tomorrow because that's what we came here for. It is amazing to see the animals in their natural habitat and we are so lucky to be here.
It's after 10:30 and I'm tired so I'll post the pictures tomorrow.
Good Night.
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