Day 37 – Friday, July 19
Destination – Liard Hot Springs. BC
I didn’t know what to call today’s blog. It could have been: “Winding Roads and Wildlife” or “Why does an animal cross the road?”, or “Cinnamon Rolls, here we come”. In a short 300 mile drive, we experienced so many different things…it was a great day!
Our first stop was the cinnamon roll recommendation at Tetsa River Regional Park. 
It was a rustic rv park—I mean very rustic, well known for their bakery—cinnamon rolls and bread. That’s about all they served, except STRONG coffee, fire eggs (pickled eggs) and stew. There were only 2 people that worked there, and both had long white beards, and one wore a bear hat! While we were there, the power went out…the generator had stopped, so they went and started it up again, and the lights returned. And, the cinnamon rolls lived up to our expectations!
Back on the road, we realized the hardship that those who built the road went through. Seventy years later, it is still bumpy, sometimes gravel, and very very winding—and it is desolate…nothing for miles and miles. There was one stretch of 14 km of gravel road. Construction occurs during the summer months, and they only have a short season to accomplish it, so there is a lot of it. In one area we traveled today, they are grading and sealcoating the road. A semi passed us going the other way, and threw up rock chips that bounced off the motorhome windshield, but the truck wasn’t so lucky, and got a pretty good ding in the windshield and a crack is spreading across…our first casualty of the trip—Jim called it the badge of honor. We certainly didn’t expect these conditions until we were further north.
During our trip, we encountered several animals in the middle of the road. Apparently they like to lick the salt from the road. First we saw a caribou moving across the road at a slow pace. 
Shortly after that we saw a dead moose on the side of the road with its legs sticking straight up. (sorry, no pic). Then we had to stop for goat sheep in the middle of the road.
Later we had to stop for people in the middle of the road because they were trying to get a picture of a moose that just crossed the road!
But the highlight of the day was the black bear that ran across the road, just as we came over a hill. We pulled over to get a picture as it disappeared into the growth alongside the road, and noticed 3 baby bears hanging in a tree at the side of the road.
We decided the mama bear wouldn’t go far, so we waited it out, and sure enough, she returned. We got to watch her as she munched on the berries close to the tree where her babies hung. We stayed inside the motorhome and kept Spot away from the window…I’m sure he would have wanted to show that big black bear who’s boss!
We arrived at the campground which is a provincial park (a state park in Canada). It is one of the few parks where we will be “dry camping” (no electricity, no water hookups) That means no internet too 
We are used to dry camping at some of the race tracks, but have been spoiled on this trip with full service campgrounds.
There is a path from the park leading to the hot springs. It’s a boardwalk that crosses a marshy area to get to the springs. There are supposed to be a unique breed of orchids that grow here, but I couldn’t find them. (I think the mosquitos must have eaten them!) I’ve never been in a hot springs before…what a treat! Other than having to put a bathing suit on a white, chubby body, it was a great experience! These are natural hot springs, and the water temperature ranges from 108-126 degrees!
It was amazing how the temperature changed from one end of the spring to the other. The lower end was much cooler, and the upper end was hardly bearable it was so hot. They had little cement benches in the center to sit on, and steps going into the springs. To think that these are heated without a hot water heater is mind-boggling. The water smelled like sulfur, and the sulfur has something to do with heating up the springs. It was quite an experience.
We had our caravan briefing, and then Jim had RV maintenance to do…he put a rear end in a recliner!!
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