Back to the Lake!

 On our way back from the Yukon, along the Stewart-Cassiar highway, word was received that a nice neighbour had cut all the grass at home!  So, with no need to hurry home, and the weather being pretty decent, it was a no-brainer to head for the lake!

Revelstoke Lake, is actually a reservoir along the Columbia River.  But since it has dams at both ends, the water level is kept very constant, so it appears like a 'normal' lake, with no exposed bare banks.  It is almost 120 km long by road with the Revelstoke dam at the lower end, and the Mica dam at the upper end, holding back Kinbasket Lake.

Before the Rogers Pass road through the mountains was opened in the 60's (?) the only land route took a very long jog to the north before coming back south - it was known as the Big Bend highway.  As a result of flooding Revelstoke Lake, a new highway at a higher elevation had to be constructed for access to the Mica dam.  Therefore, many sections of the abandoned route now lead down to dead-ends in the water - which in turn provides many points of access for camping etc.

There is a provincial park (Martha Creek) campground on the lake, as well as several provincial rec areas with minimal services.  Of course, the places I seek out have no services!

There is a fair bit of logging ongoing all up the sides of the lake and adjoining valleys.  Since there are no continuous roads on the far side of the lake, there are multiple spots where primitive ferries or barges take log trucks across the lake. 

Some run on cables stretched across the lake underwater, while others are powered by attached boats.

Not sure if this one is abandoned, or just awaiting it's next assignment?

If it still floats, I think it would be a great place to park a few RV's on it and float around the lake for a few weeks!

This was sort of an unplanned trip, so our arrival was not at the best time - late Friday afternoon.  This meant that a lot of the prime spots closer to town were already taken, but with over 100km of lakeshore to choose from, it's rare that you can't find a good place a bit further north.  It was getting rather late the first night, so we just opted to head up the nearest unused logging road with a view of the lake from above.

In the morning, we took our time heading further north to look for a better option.

We ended up at a nice quiet little spot, right beside a bubbling brook! 

Sections of the old, paved highway here are almost completely reclaimed by the roadside brush.  Here, it is right to the centre line of the old highway!

Once the weekenders were gone, one of our favourite spots became available, and we moved right in.
 

At first I thought it was a squirrel, but on closer inspection, this Marten was not at all afraid to watch from a nearby tree.

I get up just for a second, and someone takes my place!  And tries to look all innocent!

Eventually, it was time to make an appearance at the home place for a while - actually, just because the good weather was coming to an end!

Once at home, Bailey insisted on checking out his 'winter home', the 5th wheel.  It apparently passed his inspection!  Still mouse-free!

The blog is still way behind, but starting to catch up a bit.  Problem is, blogger insists you be online to edit anything, unlike when I used to use Open Live Writer.  Even though I have Starlink along, at my last camp location, the 100' trees prevent any continuous coverage.  Can still download and send email, but can't do anything online that requires continuous coverage ...

Southbound on the Cassiar - Return from the Yukon

 In the previous post, we were just turning off the Alaska Highway, onto the Cassiar highway #37 for our trip southbound.  Fuel price at the junction was almost the same as in Watson Lake, so we filled to the brim!  This provided enough range to complete the entire Cassiar highway, with room to spare once down on highway 16. 

Because it was late in the day, we started to scope out likely looking spots as we drove.

I have discovered that my Starlink stays connected most of the time while driving - with the dish simply set up in a horizontal position on the bed in the back of the camper!

  

That way, the satellite view of our surroundings is always visible on my trucks large screen.  I can spot lakes and roads and possible camp spots not easily visible from the road.

Found this nice river front spot on the Blue River not too far south of the Yukon line.

As traffic was very light, and the road fairly winding in spots we kept our speed to a bare minimum, with cruise control set on 63km/hr.  Additional benefits are much more time to enjoy the scenery, much less chance of meeting up with an unexpected moose on the road, and very few bugs get splattered on the windshield at that speed.  We were quick to pull over for the occasional vehicle behind us.

The northernmost section of this highway, north of Dease Lake, there is no centre line on the road.  Much of the area had been burned by forest fires in recent years.

Boya Lake Provincial Park was just a short detour off the highway, so we stopped in to check it out and have some lunch there.

We continued on down the Cassiar past Good Hope Lake, and Dease Lake, where the road gained a centre line, and even some shoulders!  When it was time to take a break for the night, there were quite a few options just over the Gnat Lake Summit at Upper Gnat Lake.  There were a few bugs, but a bit of a breeze to keep them at bay.  Overall, there were very few pesky or biting bugs to deal with this on the whole trip.

 

While we were parked there, this small float plane landed on the lake, taxied to the end, and took off again (see video below). 

 

Bailey gives the evil eye to the noisy drone hovering right over him!

A couple more provincial parks were checked out on the way through.

We continued on southbound for another day, at that same breakneck speed of 63 km/hr (40mph) till we reached the Yellowhead Highway #16.  It is a major route, so we had to resume driving more normal speeds! 

First stop was in Hazelton for a dump and fill at the convenient information centre.  Added a bit of fuel and some food in Smithers, then tracked down another retired Park Warden and his wife in the Telkwa area, where we spent the night at their isolated property.

We sure noticed the difference in daylight as we moved further south.  Down this far, it was actually getting dark at night for a few hours!

Next day, we headed east to Prince George where we filled up with fuel, and I got an overdue haircut.  I had lunch with a real estate agent who I met while we were both working fire lookouts in Alberta.  In fact, her tower was the very first one I worked in, when she had to leave for a family emergency.

My neighbour at home announced that he had mowed grass for me - so there was now no need to hurry home!  Instead, we turned south from Prince George down Highway 97 - and I think the northern section was to be my first time on it, as we cruised down through Quesnel.

A handy forest road provided a spot to spend the night, and some entertainment for Bailey!  

I have been in Williams Lake before, and the information centre there is one of a kind!  It is a monstrous beauty of log construction, and the interior is a sight to behold!  Do not drive by and miss this one.

(See video below) 

 

 

Next post: Back camping at the lake!