Today we changed directions. At Prince George the Fraser River kept flowing north, and we turned west onto The Yellowhead Highway ( Hwy 16). We skirted the city and were quickly driving along a plauteau which felt as if we were on top of the world. There were stands of young aspens and scattered farms with pastures full of blooming dandelions. There were also many marshes and what looked like moose ponds to me, but we never saw more than the caution signs for moose.
When we arrived in the town of Vanderhoof we stopped at a Tim Horton's for a sandwich and a donut for David. Vanderhoof's claim to fame is its migratory bird sanctuary on the Nechako River, where thousands of Canadian Geese stop by each year. Since we had seen many caution signs for moose, but no moose, we made a bet on who would spot the first one. The winner would get another Tim Horton's treat. You know what David would choose, and I'd take one of their trail mix cookies.
I took over the driving at Vanderhoof and drove miles through forested land where the bright spring green of the new aspen leaves was accenturated by the dark green evergreens. As I drove into the Lake District we passed Fraser Lake. It is a very big and beautiful with the surrounding trees reflected in the water.
Simon Fraser (1776-1862) is well remembered in these parts. He was the first white person to decend the Fraser River in 1808. Now there is a river, a lake and a town named after him. Soon after we passed the lake, David fell sound asleep while listening to his Ipod. Not too far down the road I spotted a moose in a small pond right beside the road. I yelled to David, but could not break through the tunes. When he did wake up, I announced that we were on our way to Tim Horton's for my treat. I won the first round!
Coming into Houston we caught our first glimpse of the Babine Mountains, snowcapped and towering majestically over the rolling forests. Houston is located on the famous Bulkley River and is a sportsmen's paradise. Outfitters are readily available to give you the experience of a lifetime in fishing, hunting, canoeing, or snowmobiling, .
At the Visitor's Center they practically guarantee a big catch! Here is a fisherman with the eternal illusion of catching a record fish!
We drove up the Bulkley River Valley, and as we drove along more and more snowy peaks appeared in front of us. Many peaks were shrouded by clouds, but we saw enough to realize how breathtaking this valley would be with clear skies and sunshine. By the time we reached Smithers, we were in the shadow of the mountains and could see the ski trails on Hudson Bay Mountain. This is a popular ski area from November until April. However, with an average January temperature of 14 degrees, I will definitely never check it out. Smithers is the largest town in the Bulkley Valley. We stayed one night at the municipal park that was right beside the river.
This had been an effortless day of driving. The roads were excellent and there was very little traffic. At one point we were listening to NPR and someone said, "Don't put off 'til tomorrow anything you can celebrate today." Well, this was Queen Victoria Day, we were at the end of a beautiful day in what used to be New Caladonia, and I had won the moose bet, so why not celebrate? We opened a bottle of "Two Buck Chuck" from Trader Joe's and toasted .... to Life!
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