Day 20 - Prince Rupert, BC to Hyder, AK to Stewart, BC

The view from my hotel room in Prince Rupert.

The following three photos were taken on the Yellowhead Highway.

The above picture shows a rare glimpse of the mountains along the southern part of the Cassiar Highway.

The mountains along Highway 37A on way to Stewart, BC.

Bear Glacier. Hopefully you will see the blue if you enlarge the picture by clicking on it.

Well, the "or Bust" part of "Alaska or Bust" is no longer a factor since I crossed the boarder into Hyder, AK, USA this afternoon. And along the way, I saw my first glacier (ever)! So for me it has been a quite fulfilling 304 miles of travel.

The day started off with a surprise in Prince Rupert. Someone had rummaged through my PakitRak (the trunk that I put on the back of the Wing to carry my camping supplies) and all the non-lockable compartments on the motorcycle. I am so glad that they didn't try to pry open the locked compartments. It seems that nothing is missing or damaged for which am extremely grateful. But I felt violated none the less. Until this incident, I've never had anyone mess with my stuff while camping (many times over the years) or traveling on a motorcycle. Prince Rupert is a very economically depressed area so I imagine that their crime rate is up.

I left Prince Rupert wearing my heated clothing and rain gear to protect me against the rain and 53 degree temperature. After about 40 miles the rain let up and I was able to take some pictures that yesterday's rain prevented me from taking on the way into Prince Rupert. It certainly is a scenic ride along the broad and mighty Skeena River as it cuts its way through the snow capped mountains of rock. The melting snow has created many, many waterfalls. What a privilege it is to have seen this part of God's handiwork.

After backtracking on the Yellowhead Highway (Route 16) 150 miles, I turned off onto the Cassiar Highway (Route 37). So far I am very disappointed with the Cassiar as the new growth of trees along the road blocks the view of some awesome mountains. It is almost like driving through a tunnel with very small windows offering up tiny glimpses of what you are missing.

(Just a comment about BC scenic byways in general. I am used to seeing signage telling me about the geological features that I'm seeing. Scenic viewpoints with adequate notice to allow you to slow down without missing the pull off. And pull offs strategically placed to offer the best possible view. Well in BC, it isn't that they don't do any of the above. They just don't do a lot of it. And most of what they have done could be improved. I am blessed to be on a motorcycle which is small enough that I can stop along most of the roads to gawk or take pictures. But I do have to say that for the most part the roads are in great repair!)

After turning of onto Route 37A on my way to Stewart, BC the view opened up and I was once again traveling through majestic mountains. This is where I saw my first glacier, the Bear Glacier. I don't know if it was the altitude, cold air, or the sight of the glacier but I almost felt lightheaded when I stopped to take a few pictures. There is no way that I can describe the blue color that the ice emits. It looks "electric". It is as if the ice is generating the light rather than reflecting it. Bear Glacier, I'm told, is quite a small one. I can't wait to see the Salmon Glacier tomorrow as it is supposed to be quite a bit larger.

I passed through Stewart and continued on a few miles to cross the boarder into Hyder, Alaska. There were no boarder guards to protect Hyder from Canadian terrorists. (Maybe there isn't such a thing!) Hyder is a small town with unpaved streets and almost looked deserted this Sunday afternoon. I will do some exploring tomorrow but for now I headed back across the boarder into Canada. (I had to go through Canadian customs on the return.) I'll spend the next two nights in the King Edward Hotel in Stewart.

Tomorrow is a day for exploring Hyder, the Glacier Highway (a dirt road beyond Hyder), Salmon Glacier and possibly backtrack to Bear Glacier.