The Final Portion of the Cassiar

We left Lake Kinaskin this morning amidst a continuous drizzle.  Opting for a hot breakfast, we stopped at Mama's Cafe in Deas Lake.  Although not normally open for breakfast, we were delighted when the owner offered to make us eggs and hash browns.

The final stretch of the Cassiar proved to be the roughest.  Up until Boya Lake, the road was smooth.  From Boya until the Deas River Crossing, we met sections of gravel and multiple frost heaves.  The road smoothed out again for a time, then became severely heaved and bumpy as we traversed through a lengthy section of charred forest land.

I was driving and first caught sight of a magnificent brown bear with a blonde blaze running along his spine.  I pulled over to take photos, lamenting that David was not in the driver's seat.

I was able to pop off a couple of quick shots, but my focus changed as the bear ambled directly toward us.  Completely unafraid, he appeared to be more curious than anything.  However, discretion being the better part of valor, I jumped back in the driver's seat, unwilling for David and I to take the time to change positions until we were safely out of distance.

Brown bear foraging along Cassiar roadside.

Just a klick or two up the road (about a half mile), we met a bicyclist, heading toward the bear's foraging area.  We flagged him down to make him aware of the bear.  He thanked us profusely and seemed to steel himself for the encounter.  Just a few hundred meters down the road, we met one of his riding companions and flagged him down also.  Soon thereafter, we met the third.  It was comforting to see other vehicles heading the same direction after the bicyclists.  And folks think that we're crazy!

We spent Friday night at a familiar campground in Watson Lake, back on the Alaskan Highway.  Tomorrow, we will camp in Teslin, then will head to Whitehorse on Sunday for some much-needed maintenance.  Oz needs his bearings checked, R-2 needs an oil change, and we need fresh laundry and a stop at the grocery store.

It is good to finally be able to find a reliable internet connect and upload the posts.  Hopefully, we will also have cell phone service in Whitehorse... a reminder of the things we now take for granted!!!