Next week I hope to cross into Vancouver and continue north with my plans for Inuvik and finally Alaska. Hopefully I can keep this blog updated on the way. Thanks for reading and following along on my second trip to the Great White North!
After a few days hiking and exlporing the Douglas Creek area, I was ready for a change of scenery. I took advantage of a warmer day in the 50's to ride further east toward the Jameson Lake area. Another coulee created during the great Missoula flood, this canyon offers a nest site for migratory ducks and Canada geese which make their temporary home on the inaccessible cliffs. The wind picked up from the west and I was happy to find a hill to tuck the tent behind with a eastern view. It was very quiet here in regards to people. Most fisherman and RV campers stayed on the other side of the hill and kept to themselves. The honk of geese echoed across the water and off the steep basalt walls providing a unique alarm clock. An occasional passenger jet would streak across the sky but otherwise it was a relaxing and quiet place to pass a few days. Meanwhile in the mountains, it was pouring inches of rain. Finally, the weather looked like it would improve so I returned to the mountains and wound up getting hailed on and then sleeted on. Come morning, the hillsides surrounding my campsite on White Pine Rd were blanketed with fresh snowfall. The road was a mucky mire from the logging trucks and every hour or two the Union Pacific would rumble past with a squealing of disc breaks and a clack of rail and ties. A few days of that and this morning I decided screw the weather, I'm going over Steven's Pass even if it is snowing. The fog was quite thick and just near freezing as I crested the pass. I could hear the beeping siren of a backhoe nearby clearing snow, it's orange light glowing a muddy beacon in the whiteness. My numb fingers wiped the inside and outside of my visor without hope in the 100% humidity. The descent quickly brought warmer temps and showers but I felt a progress to the journey. The next day will find me camping on my favorite gem Mountain Loop Hwy east of Granite Falls among the Doug Fir, Cedar, Hemlock and Sitka Spruce. Making a campfire with the soggy wood in this rain forest is a bit more challenging though than the good ol' sagebrush desert but I'll make do.
Next week I hope to cross into Vancouver and continue north with my plans for Inuvik and finally Alaska. Hopefully I can keep this blog updated on the way. Thanks for reading and following along on my second trip to the Great White North!
4 Comments
Tracy
5/19/2017 06:27:26 pm
Wonderful photos as always Mike !
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Rich G
8/17/2017 02:14:07 pm
Was this little camp spot at the North end of the lake?
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mike
8/17/2017 11:50:39 pm
No, this campsite is on the southern end of the lake past the established RV Park. I believe it is a State Rec Area but the camping is free and it was quiet.
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Mike SaundersIn May 2014 I quit my job to ride a Honda Ruckus over 69'000 mi and counting. Wild camping most nights and cooking most of my own meals, I keep the costs low and the landscape changing. Archives
April 2018
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