August 6 – Iskut, British Columbia

We headed south out of Watson Lake this morning leaving the Yukon for the last time on this trip. Our lingering memories of the Yukon will be of its vastness and serene beauty.

Just three miles from our campground we entered

The Cassiar Highway is a generally paved highway, often with “chip rock” (what appears to be a fine gravel held together with some sealant). While better than gravel, it is often coated with dust which clouds up behind vehicles driving over it. The road wound over hill and dale, through miles of scarred forests which had been ravaged by fires just last year …

passing pristine lakes

including one with an active beaver lodge

an occasional site where campers had settled in for a number of days,

and with glimpses of the Canadian Rockies slowly appearing on the southwestern horizon

Our first “stop” was a Jade City (population 50)

where they rough cut and smoothed locally mined jade.

It is also a “gold mine” for selling finished jade products (with most of the carving and finish polishing being done in China … where else?). My credit card did not escape unscathed!

The remainder of the trip was relatively uneventful, passing more bikers, this one really hurting on a steep uphill grade,

an as yet to be identified roadside flower,

and some construction equipment, forcing us to move far to the right and onto potentially soft shoulders.

Dawson Creek Resort and RV Park sits on a beautiful lake

where folks regularly fish

and there are remnants of fishing huts of long ago,

and bears regularly roam through the campground. Part of the grounds are currently being used as a helicopter supply depot for exploratory mining operations taking place in the nearby mountains.

With just four days left on our caravan, we all got together around a campfire and each spent a few minutes reflecting on our lasting memories. While the glaciers, flowers and wildlife were all mentioned, the most common memories were clearly those of the close camaraderie which had developed among the group.