5/31 - Stewart Cassiar Highway 37 - Still moving North

I can say that "officially" - we made it to Alaska on Memorial Day 5/30.  We stayed two nights in Hyder, Alaska - just across the border from Stewart.  Hyder is in that Southeast arm of Alaska and we're still over 1300 miles from Anchorage. There's no place to drive to from Hyder except back to Stewart and highway 37 in British Columbia.  There's a lot of Canada to drive through still, but this side trip was more than worth it!

Earlier in the day near Kitwanga, BC we joined the Stewart Cassiar Highway, route 37. This is a 450 mile road that is the most remote highway in British Columbia. Signs remind you to make sure you have gas to reach the next station and to make sure it has gas.  Technically, our range on a full tank is about 495 miles so no problem.  We've seen more black bear on this road, moose, more deer, and a beaver, but all too quick to run away as we drove past, so no pictures yet.



At junction of hwy 16 and Stewart Cassiar hwy 37

  Just a few miles North, we scooted over 2 miles to see the totem poles at the small indian village of Gitanyow, who supposedly has the largest number of authentic Totem Poles in BC which recount the Gitxsan history, we counted 16.

Our next destination was Stewart, BC and across the border, Hyder, Alaska; a 40 mile side trip off route 37 to the west. Stewart is on the border of Canada and Alaska's southern arm. The little town of Hyder, Alaska is just across the border from Stewart and that is where we stayed two nights at Camp Run-A-Muck.  The border crossing into Alaska at Stewart was unmanned and we just drove across - in fact, it looked like there was no provision for a checkpoint on traffic into Hyder.  I guess they figure you can't go any further anyhow, as Hyder is on a Pacific coast inlet with no roads to anywhere except back into Stewart, Canada. 

Our new friends Fred and Olivia were just minutes behind us, as they checked into the park about 30 minutes after our arrival at camp Run-A-muck.  After getting settled, Fred detached from his travel trailer and drove a couple miles up the road to a bear viewing platform that allows bear viewing safely while the bears forage along the river bank and catch salmon when they are running. We saw no bear as it's still a little early for the salmon runs, so we headed back to Hyder to the local bar to get Hyderized; a local custom for visitors who are brave enough to shell out $4.00 (U.S. or Canadian) and to follow the rules.  The barkeep explained the rules: One shot of an unknown brew - you're not allowed to sniff it or touch the shot glass until you're ready to take it up and put the entire contents down the gullet in one quick gulp - you must keep it down for two minutes - If you can't and don't, she showed the way to the toilets and pointed to the exit door; either one would be fine as long as it was one or the other.  When you have passed the test, she would tell you what you had chugged and give you a certificate of accomplishment.  I successfully passed the test and was told the brew was a 74 percent grain alchohol.  We had some fun and I have the certificate to prove it!

Hyderizing w/74 percent grain alchol 

Our second day we rode along with with Fred and Olivia to see waterfalls over in Stewart than back to Hyder and up the bumpy gravel road to get a better view of Salmon Glacier. 

Salmon Glacier - near Stewart, BC

Olivia falls

Salmon Glacier

Tomorrow we'll be back on Highway 37 and may not have internet access for a few days.  We plan to dawdle and smell the roses along the way (We havn't seen a wild rose except at the bar)   Can't say where we'll be the next few nights, but we do have a date in Whitehorse, Yukon Territory on June 8th where we'll be staying four nights to visit Whitehorse and the Kluane Mountain Bluegrass festival.  You can look at what that is here ----  www.yukonbluegrass.com/ybms/Bluegrass_Festival.html