North then South Again

I decided to go back up north. I'm glad I did since there's a lot here I would have missed.

Church Sunday was interesting. At the RV park I read a little sign the church put up. It said it was a King James only church. I wasn't quite sure what they meant by that but it turns out they believe that the King James version of the Bible is the only true word of God in English. I went out to supper with Camile and Doug from the church, and I talked to them about it. They would have had to give me an awfully good reason to buy into their position myself, but I really hoped to hear something that would help me understand why they believe it. I'm afraid I got nowhere with that. I ended up getting pretty frustrated. Finally, and wisely, they changed the subject. They probably saw my hand shaking. Camile did give me some literature on it that I haven't gotten through yet. Maybe that will help or I might have to look it up online or something.

Other than that, Hyder actually grew on me. They call themselves the friendliest ghost town in Alaska. That would explain why it looks so run down, and I met some nice people at the places that were open. The area around Hyder is very beautiful. Some of the best scenery I've seen yet.

The road through Hyder is only in Alaska for a dozen miles or so and then it goes back into British Columbia. That would account for why it's so "Canadian". About 20 miles past Hyder you come to the Salmon Glacier.

It's an amazing view. I think I heard someone say it was the largest glacier you could drive to. Of course photographs don't do it justice. You'll have to go there yourself someday.

I spent a few hours there that afternoon and I spent a large part of that time climbing/hiking/wandering around the mountain tundra there in search of the dreaded birds who shall remain nameless for now. It looked like prime territory for them so I thought I would give it a try. No luck.

I spent the next morning at the bear viewing area.

It was a good morning. I saw a half dozen or so Brown Bears and that's good for this time of year. Another couple of days and I would have been out of luck. I guess it's good that I rushed down there.

I also had a chance to ask around about the dreaded birds who shall remain nameless for now. They told me to try just a little farther down from where I was. I gave it a try that afternoon. I spent about three or four hours climbing/hiking/wandering around mountain tundra. No luck.

I did get some other nice photos though.

I stayed the night there and got some more photos in the morning.

Then I talked myself into climbing/hiking/wandering around the mountain tundra one more time. I got some nice photos and I found many droppings and feathers of the dreaded bird who shall remain nameless for now, but no birds. How frustrating. I knew I was in a good area for them, but no birds. It was about noon, and I had pretty much given up when I heard what reminded me of angles touching their harps of gold. Actually it sounded more like a chicken. I started to walk toward it when all of the sudden......

This Rock Ptarmigan hopped up onto a rock right in front of me!!! What a magnificent, wonderful, noble, kind, and good looking bird!!

It also had two friends. Once you find a Ptarmigan you can usually get pretty close.

I got very close to this one.

I'm glad I got it then because that was about the last good place I would come across on this trip.

I left Hyder Tuesday afternoon and headed back north toward Watson Lake on the Alaska Highway. On the way there I took a little side trip to Telegraph Creek. Someone had told me the road passed through an area know as the "Grand Canyon of the Stikine River". It wasn't quite that spectacular but it was nice.

The light wasn't good when I got to this area in the morning so I went on to the end of the road and came back. It still wasn't much good so I decided to wait for the good light and camp there overnight. I had time, it was a great campsite and I got some good photos out of it.

As I went north the colors got better and better.

By the time I got back up to the Alaska Highway they were at their peak.

Heading west out of Watson Lake you start to see signs like this.

One should take these signs seriously! Buffalo on the road. Just like they say.

I pulled over and these guys walked right past me.

I had Caribou to watch out for too.

One animal I really wanted to see along here was the Stone Sheep. I read that they could be seen in the area around Summit Lake. I did a little hiking here and there but IA didn't see any. People I asked told me they could be seen right along the road like the Buffalo and Caribou but I didn't see any until I pulled over where I thought I saw some Caribou down in a valley. I was looking down in the valley when I heard some rocks rolling around to my left. I looked over and...

there they were. I could have hit them with a rock.

They were licking up the soil next to the road because of all the minerals in it.

They're considered the same species as the all white Dall Sheep I found up in Alaska but the color is a lot different.

I could really get close to them as well.

Now I'm at an RV park in Fort Nelson, BC. The town hasn't made much of an impression on me. It's a good sized town, but it's definitely not geared toward travelers. Just one not so nice RV park next to a bar and across the street form where kids like to drive dirt bikes up a hill late at night. They also have a museum but it's closed for the season. Not much to chose from for churches either. I think I'll try the "Alliance" church even though I don't know what that is. I'll find out tomorrow. Come to think of it I better find out when they meet.

From here I Head down towards the Canadian Rockies. Technically I'm already in the Rockies but you know what I mean.

Pretty much every move I make from here will bring me closer to home and the end of my trip. I have mixed feelings about that. I look forward to seeing friends and family again and it will be nice to have a real house again but I will miss all the adventure. Anyway... take care and I'll catch you next week.

Steve