Stewart or Hyder?

Day 78 – Thursday, August 29

We had a beautiful drive this morning to Stewart/Hyder.  That is Stewart, British Columbia and Hyder, Alaska, but they are referred to as the same place!!   Stewart is named for its first postmaster, and Hyder is named for a mining engineer who helped establish the area.  You have to carry your passport around with you because you cross back and forth across the US/Canadian border!  There is no US customs station, but there is a Canadian station when you return from Hyder.   Hyder calls itself “the friendliest ghost town in Alaska.”

We left early this morning from Iskut, hoping to see bears who normally hang out on the roadside along the way, but failed to spot any of them.  But, we did see some glorious scenery--More mountains, glaciers, rivers, and lots of evergreen trees.  There was a fog hanging halfway around the mountains, which created a mystical view as we drove through.

 

The glaciers seem to be everywhere you look.  One came right down to the water along the road, as you can see from this picture out the front window as we drove by. 

I continue to be amazed by the remoteness of this area, and wonder why people landed where they did, and how they survive the winters, and the periods without the tourists and caravans coming through.   I’ve asked various locals what brought them here and many said they came for a visit, and found it so beautiful, they came back to live.  It just seems hard to think about having to drive a couple of hours for supplies and food.  --No Walmarts, Tuesday Morning or Talbots close by!

Last night we had dinner in the campground dining room, and were served by kayakers from around the world who had come to experience the challenge of the Iskut River and Iskut Lake.  They were kayakers from Spain, New Zealand, France, Tasmania and New Guinea.  They each introduced themselves and explained why they enjoyed the area.  One of them described it as the “Everest” of kayaking.  After dinner and entertainment by fellow caravaners, we had a big campfire.

 

 

 

 

 

I got up twice to see if I could see the Aurora Borealis.  The skies were full of stars, and dark and beautiful, but no Northern Lights.  I stayed out about 15 minutes, but it was almost too quiet, the trees and mountains seemed to be in the way, and then I was afraid the bears might find me, so I opted not to get back up later in the night!

This evening we went looking for bears at Fish River, on the Hyder side of Stewart/Hyder.  There is a viewing platform built along a stream, and you are able to stand and watch the salmon below, and then watch the bear come out for a snack!  We went in the evening because we heard the bears come out to eat.  After watching for awhile, we saw the bushes move, and a bear ran out, sniffed around, and then ran back into the wooded area.  But, at least we got to see one.  We thought we saw two more in the bushes, but they never came out for pictures.  It is an interesting place, and we will probably go back for another try at bear watching.