DrewE's Alaska Trip Travelogue
I returned about a week ago from a marvelous ten-week trip to and through Alaska (and back) with my dear mother. I went in a 32' class C, actually about 35' overall with a bicycle rack on the back, w...
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I guess this write-up is a bit on the short side. This is getting to be on the home stretch, and there were a fair few days of steady driving to get back to the other side of the continent.
September 1st -- We continued to Watson Lake, stopping to get groceries and gas and Internet access and information. We then backtracked slightly and headed down the Cassiar Highway.
The Cassiar is a decent road, with a good portion of it going through pretty wooded areas (and so devoid of expansive panoramic views). It's definitely less built-up and less travelled than the Alaska Highway.
We stopped to stretch legs at Jade City, which is not so much a city or town as a store. The area is one of the main jade mining areas in the world. They sell both finished products and unfinished rock, and had some quite nice items at prices that didn't seem too outlandish.
Click For Full-Size Image.
I think this is Dease Lake, perhaps as seen from the Rabid Grizzly Rest Area.
We camped for the night at the Dease Lake Lions Tanzilla campground, run by the Lions Club. This is a rustic campground, very similar to many of the simpler state or provincial park campsites. It's a pleasant setting along the river.
Click For Full-Size Image.
Site number 7, if memory serves.
The campground seemed rather more crowded than I would have expected for the end of the season and its being fairly far from large population centers. It was only the next day or so that I realized it was labor (or rather labour) day weekend!
September 2nd -- We continued our way down the Cassiar highway.
If I had both been a little more adventuresome and had more time, I might have taken a side trip down Telegraph Creek road, but not this time. By most accounts it could be a bit tricky going with my motorhome.
Click For Full-Size Image.
Click For Full-Size Image.
While grand views aren't constant on the Cassiar, they are not entirely missing either.
Around kilometerpost 240, we had a black bear and cubs cross the road in front of us. Unfortunately the cameras were not at hand, but it was neat to see in any case. It seems this is not in the least bit unexpected along the Cassiar....
We stopped briefly at Kitwanga to peek at the (large) collection of totem poles there. My mom was rather more interested in that than I was, actually.
Click For Full-Size Image.
We spent the night at Seeley Lake Provincial Park, on the Yellowhead Highway just east of the Cassiar's terminus.
September 3rd -- We worked our way eastward, with important but somewhat uninteresting stops. There's the Hazleton visitors center, with a nice free sani-dump and a farmer's market, all of which we made use of. We also stopped and did laundry at the local laundromat, which was not so impressive, with relatively high prices and no change machine, the latter of which I'm sure the other businesses in the area did not entirely appreciate. The dryers also seemed rather lackluster in their performance.
We camped at Beaumont Provincial Park in Fraiser Lake.
September 4th -- We continued on the Yellowhead Highway east.
At Prince George, we stopped at the visitor's center for a bit, mainly to get information on the current wildfire situation; indeed, for the next several days, our route and activities were to a fairly large extent dictated by the fires. We also sought to visit the nearby railway and forestry museum, but were unable to do that as there was a block party event going on at the park next door and so the shared parking lot was filled to overflowing already.
Click For Full-Size Image.
This most impressive view was from somewhere in the general vicinity of Valemount, I think.
We spent the night at North Thompson River Provincial Park, near Clearwater. As I recall, the campsites at this park were unusually well separated from each other, almost like having your own little private campground.
Click For Full-Size Image.
September 1st -- We continued to Watson Lake, stopping to get groceries and gas and Internet access and information. We then backtracked slightly and headed down the Cassiar Highway.
The Cassiar is a decent road, with a good portion of it going through pretty wooded areas (and so devoid of expansive panoramic views). It's definitely less built-up and less travelled than the Alaska Highway.
We stopped to stretch legs at Jade City, which is not so much a city or town as a store. The area is one of the main jade mining areas in the world. They sell both finished products and unfinished rock, and had some quite nice items at prices that didn't seem too outlandish.
I think this is Dease Lake, perhaps as seen from the Rabid Grizzly Rest Area.
We camped for the night at the Dease Lake Lions Tanzilla campground, run by the Lions Club. This is a rustic campground, very similar to many of the simpler state or provincial park campsites. It's a pleasant setting along the river.
Site number 7, if memory serves.
The campground seemed rather more crowded than I would have expected for the end of the season and its being fairly far from large population centers. It was only the next day or so that I realized it was labor (or rather labour) day weekend!
September 2nd -- We continued our way down the Cassiar highway.
If I had both been a little more adventuresome and had more time, I might have taken a side trip down Telegraph Creek road, but not this time. By most accounts it could be a bit tricky going with my motorhome.
While grand views aren't constant on the Cassiar, they are not entirely missing either.
Around kilometerpost 240, we had a black bear and cubs cross the road in front of us. Unfortunately the cameras were not at hand, but it was neat to see in any case. It seems this is not in the least bit unexpected along the Cassiar....
We stopped briefly at Kitwanga to peek at the (large) collection of totem poles there. My mom was rather more interested in that than I was, actually.
We spent the night at Seeley Lake Provincial Park, on the Yellowhead Highway just east of the Cassiar's terminus.
September 3rd -- We worked our way eastward, with important but somewhat uninteresting stops. There's the Hazleton visitors center, with a nice free sani-dump and a farmer's market, all of which we made use of. We also stopped and did laundry at the local laundromat, which was not so impressive, with relatively high prices and no change machine, the latter of which I'm sure the other businesses in the area did not entirely appreciate. The dryers also seemed rather lackluster in their performance.
We camped at Beaumont Provincial Park in Fraiser Lake.
September 4th -- We continued on the Yellowhead Highway east.
At Prince George, we stopped at the visitor's center for a bit, mainly to get information on the current wildfire situation; indeed, for the next several days, our route and activities were to a fairly large extent dictated by the fires. We also sought to visit the nearby railway and forestry museum, but were unable to do that as there was a block party event going on at the park next door and so the shared parking lot was filled to overflowing already.
This most impressive view was from somewhere in the general vicinity of Valemount, I think.
We spent the night at North Thompson River Provincial Park, near Clearwater. As I recall, the campsites at this park were unusually well separated from each other, almost like having your own little private campground.
