Prince George to Prince Rupert

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Thursday, July 5, 2007
Thursday, we continued down the Yellowhead Highway toward Prince Rupert. It was a driving day. It took 10 hours to reach our destination. The landscape was scenic - -- starting with rolling hills and farmland. White, yellow, purple and red wildflowers filled meadows and the highway ditches. About 4 hours from the coast a number of lakes were visible on both sides of the road. This area is called the lake district of BC and is billed as “ a fisherman’s paradise with over 3000 miles of fishing.” . Closer to the coast snow capped mountains appeared as if out of nowhere.
In the early afternoon while I was driving we saw a black bear on the road. From a distance I thought it was a big black dog. By the time we got the camera out he had scurried into the bushes.
There are a fair number of towns going west and more houses on the side of the road. Traffic was heavier and there seemed to be more RV’s and trucks than cars. The Alaska Highway starts just north of Prince George and Prince Rupert has the Alaska ferry so RV’s are everywhere.
In the late afternoon we were stopped on the road for about 20 minutes due to road construction (we were back in the mountains again). In early June a mudslide had taken out the road (the only land route into Pr. Rupert) and now only one lane is opened as they rebuild it. Last winter snows were heavy and when the weather warmed up there were problems with mudslides. The area is prone to avalanches. When we were stopped, an older man was talking to us. He said he had worked on the roads in the past and he couldn’t remember a worse time for washouts.
About an hour and a half from Prince Rupert traffic basically disappeared. The highway ends in Pr. Rupert so there’s no reason to be on the road unless that’s where you’re going or where you’ve been. The highway had followed the Skeena River for miles and miles and now it had became very wide. All types of rivers and creeks were emptying into the waterway as it flowed toward the Pacific Ocean. The river was high and the current was swift. On both sides of the road rugged mountains displayed cascading snow melt rushing down rock faces. The sky was overcast and there was mist over some of the lower mountains. It was great.
Prince Rupert is B C’s second largest deep port. It’s a little town with a lot of wharves! When we arrived a cruise ship had just docked and there were people everywhere. We docked for the night at our campsite.

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Photos

Mud Slide Area on Road to Pr. Rupert
This area is prone to slides. This one happened in the beginning of June. The road was closed for awhile. It's the only road into Pr. Rupert.

Road Into Pr. Rupert
The last 50 miles of the road into Pr. Rupert was beautiful; a wide river, high green mountains, \waterfalls, clouds and mist. Few cars on the road.