Down the Cassiar Highway…

We got up a little later than normal, around 8 to be precise. We had a good night’s rest and after our usual cup of Joe we set off again. The weather is somewhat overcast with a bit of sunshine and the temperature is 10 deg C. The forecast is for clouds and periods of rain, so we are prepared.

We stopped at the local gas station to fill up. The gas in the Yukon is a lot “cheaper” ($1.10/l) than in BC so we want to start off with a full tank. After re-tracing about 20 km on the Alaska Highway, we turned south on the Cassiar highway or highway 37. The term highway is somewhat grandiose; it is more like a country road. Most of the time, the road is pretty decent but there are some very rough sections as well. I really pity the big motor homes and campers that travel these roads. Again lucky for us, most seem to travel in the opposite direction. Our Honda is holding up splendidly so far. On a negative note, our trusty travel refrigerator gave up the ghost. Since I have no tools with me, I'll have to wait until we get home again before attempting fixing it.

The scenery for the first 40 or miles is similar to what we’ve seen along the Alaska Highway, rolling hills and a lot of bush. After awhile, we get into more mountainous terrain and the scenery becomes more interesting. There are beautiful lakes and rivers and of course the mountains. Too bad that it now rains but it still looks beautiful. If by now you’ve gotten the impression that I really like mountains, you’re absolutely right, I just love them.

Along the road we stopped to check out a sight at the bottom of the road, about 90m down by the river. There was a small goldmine operation going on, manned by a man and woman. That’s the interesting thing; people still go out prospecting and mining gold in the bush today, just like over 100 years ago. It must be tough to make a living, unless you really strike it rich. You can see the machine in the picture that separates the gold from the gravel or pay dirt. The method to extract gold from gravel has remained the same for over 100 years. The gold in this part of the world is placer gold which means that it is found as nuggets in and among the gravel that has washed down from the mountains. In other areas of the world, gold is mined underground where gold is found in “veins” embedded in the rock.

About 40 miles north of Dease Lake, we had to stop for awhile to allow the clearing of an accident. A flatbed truck with a bulldozer had slipped off the road into a deep ditch last night. They were getting the truck and dozer back onto the road using some heavy duty towing equipment. We had to wait for about 20 minutes before they allowed us to pass. Fortunately, they stopped their efforts from time to time to allow traffic to pass. Apparently they had been working this accident since this morning already.

We arrived at Dease Lake, after clearing the accident, a little later than originally planned but still in good time. We found a nice motel and plan to relax a bit. The Internet connection in the north is not very reliable we have found. Everything goes via satellite it seems and often we just have a period when the connection is just not there. I’ll do my best with it, often composing my blog off line and then when I have a connection, posting it. We just get used to so many conveniences at home that we take for granted don’t we? Also, most of the time there is no cell phone service here. It’s only in the larger communities that that is available.

Well that about sums it up for today. Annie and I wish you well and we keep you in our prayers daily.