Monday, June 11, 2007

Bears Everywhere
Hyder Alaska/Stewart B.C.

This area is one of the most, and possibly the most, scenic places we have ever been. We camped here for 2 days and the weather, despite being a coastal rain forest, has been absolutely fantastic. We rode our mountain bikes everywhere. We where able to witness the US mail come in on a Floatplane (a DeHavilland Beaver). It comes twice a week, weather permitting. It took off and looked like a romantic dream flying up the Portland canal to it's next stop.

A side trip down the Salmon Glacier road led us to bear viewing platforms that will be very busy in July when the Salmon start spawning. The bears here outnumber the people by 100 to 1 at least.
The bear glacier is a must see. The Salmon Glacier is even better. Unfortunately, the heavy snow prohibits us from driving to it. The road won’t be open until mid-summer… if at all. Aside from the snow, there are numerous mudslides. We are considering coming back this way as we travel back down. The Cassiar Highway is the most beautiful highway we have ever seen. Each turn is filled with adventure and the hope and promise of seeing either more wildlife, or grand mountains capped with Glaciers.

BTW: We were advised not to ride our bikes up the Salmon Glacier Road. The locals were calling us “Meals on Wheels”. No problem, we undocked the Toy House and drove up the gravel road and saw more bears than we could count, including a mother and two cubs.

Beware: Ursus Horribilus Kicks Gluteus Maximus