Hyder to Beaumont Prov. Park 84 miles W of Prince George

Bear by road
Bear in Hyder
Dead trees
Crossed several bridges with wooden decks.






6-26-06
Drove 355 miles today About 7 hours
Started out in mist, but by about 9:30 we were in sunshine.
This morning we went back to Fish Creek, but still no bears. A couple from Prince Rupert came by and said they had seen bears at the dump, but we didn't find any there either. We left at 7:45 and stopped by to dump the tank and wash the trailer and then stopped for a few pictures of Bear Glacier. Finally left the glacier at 9:10. We topped off the tank at the same station where we filled up yesterday and headed on down 37 toward Highway 16 which is also called the Yellowhead Highway and runs from Prince Rupert on the coast east. We saw a black bear crossing the road in Hyder then 3 more along the roadside and one hawk. We couldn't stop to take pictures as there was traffic and only a two lane road with few pull offs. I drove from 11:30 to 1 to give Harold a break. After we got on Highway 16 there were pull offs every ten miles or so. The speed limits are about 70 to 100 klicks per hour so we made good time today. We decided to try a provincial park and it is great!! It is Beaumont Provincial Park on the Fraser Lake just west of Vanderhoff for those following us on their maps. No hookups of course, but the cost is only $14, they are very nice and not crowded. At least this one isn't. We have talked to other people who have been staying in them and have had good reports. We stopped for lunch at 11 and it was 76.1 degrees and just kept getting warmer as we headed east. Finally at 3 pm we stopped at a rest stop so I could put on my shorts as the sun was on my side and I was getting pretty warm.
As I mentioned in an earlier posting there are many dead trees in this part of the province. Today we found out that it is from the mountain beetle that eats the lodge pole pine. I know in Oregon they have had some trouble also. In BC the beetles have destroyed 75 million hectors of lodge pole pine. They are harvesting the logs trying to get them to market before they are all rotten inside. Also if they leave all these dead trees there will be a fire hazard. When I am able to put more pictures on, I will include one of the dead trees. Then they will plant new trees and hopefully get the forest growing again. It is hard to capture in pictures just down much of the hillsides are brown from these dead trees.
At Smithers we were back into hay farming and dairy cows. Something we did not see in Alaska. Perhaps they grow things somewhere in Alaska, but we didn't find it. Paid $1.12/liter for gas in Smithers.
I probably won't get this posted until we return home which should be June 28 if all continues to go well.