August 19, 2007
To Stewart British Columbia: a trip to Fish Creek 20km
There is no rain overnight, but the campground host's offer to just leave our tent pitched under the picnic shelter buys us a nice dry tent in the morning.
The sky is grey, low clouds and a drizzle. We pack up, eat breakfast and cycle back to the junction where Highway 37A branches off from Hwy 37 to go to Stewart on the coast. Or rather on the end of a long (4th largest in the world) fjord.
We expect a lot of downhill since we are returning to sea level, but we start with climbing up to Bear Lake and the Bear Glacier that runs right into it. The drizzle has stopped, the sun is even breaking through in some places and creating nice vistas on the steep mountain faces covered in pine trees, glaciers and snow fields clinging to it. We have lunch at Bear Lake, then get some downhill along the river to Stewart. We get here at about 2pm.
First, we ride through downtown, then Patrick heads to the municipal campground while Rachel does the shopping. Patrick pitches the tent, then plans to ride out to Hyder and go to Fish Creek. Rachel decides to take it easy today and save the bears for tomorrow. It's about 4km to the border and into Hyder Alaska. Then another 5-6km to a site maintained and staffed by the US Forest Service. A clear salmon spawning stream runs parallel to the wooden raised boardwalk for about 200 yards. The river is full of spawning chum salmon and many dead ones, white and bloated on the shore.
When Patrick arrives, there is just a bear sighting at the far end of the boardwalk, after paying a fee, he heads to where a throng of people have gathered. A grizzly is just moving away down the river. There is at least a hundred thousand dollars' worth of Canon and Nikon camera equipment here, together with some pro's and quite a few wanna-be pros. Half an hour later he gets a huge reward, a large male grizzly comes down into the river and walks the length of the boardwalk chasing salmon. Patrick takes plenty of pictures! Cycling back is a bit scary because the road also parallels this same stream on the opposite side for about a km! Patrick sets a quick pace to get back to Hyder okay. He shows his passport at the Canadian customs, no US customs here.
Back at the campground, Patrick showers, and Rachel returns from a 5 minute walk to town with a 1 1/2 liter bottle of red wine! We have some wine then back to town for a pizza!
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Today's ride: 65 km (40 miles)
Total: 12,882 km (8,000 miles)
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