Back in the US

---

Back in the States

Missed not sending out our travels, but the WiFi was p...poor in many places and things got complicated. The first night after we left Hyder after seeing only the black bears, we went to Kitwangi. The spelling is different on the printed info and the photo gps. I think it has to do with the First Nation spelling vs the pronunciation of it. But this is a First Nation community with totems. Terrie is really into the totems while Mom was into the mushrooms! There were paper signs up everywhere for the mushroom ? brokers. Apparently there area has a Hugh amount of Wild mushrooms that the locals gather and sell to the brokers who then send them on to Vancouver. From there they are bought and sent all over the world to high end restaurants, etc. Japan, Indonesia, etc. The RV host said that they earn upwards to $900 CD a day. The wife showed Mom what she collected and the book that she uses and even gave one to us to eat. Mom enjoyed it, a Pine Mushroom, I don’t eat those. The woman told Mom to come back another time and offered

to take Mom mushrooming on her 4 wheeler on the next visit.

Then Terrie and Mom visited the Kitwanga River Salmon Enumeration Facility on the River at The campground. They count fish there. Terrie tried to talk the man into giving her one of the counted coho, but not really. Got some pics. And more totems, if anyone is interested. The guide said that if a totem falls over , as in a wind storm, as one did....it stays on the ground. “The spirits decide”.

We ended up back at Prince George for 4 nights to do laundry! Sightseeing and resting. This ended the loop that was started when we first came into Canada. As we travel south, the temperature gets warmer. But at least no rain. Cache Creek was last night and now across the border. Probably not much to be said from now on. Might send some left over pictures. Like the one Mom got at Nugget City campground. Remember that story that the guide in Denali said about the squirrels picking and drying mushrooms in the trees for winter. Mom got a picture of one that she said she saw the squirrel put

in the tree! It was a red squirrel and it lived in the hole under the power box for the campground. I saw it when it ran there!

We are hoping that cooler weather will follow us home. See ya!

---

Photos

Black bear
He was eating berries

Blue Bus
Famous in Hyder. Has her own Facebook page. Been here 21 years

Bear board walk
Only a few bears around. Lots of fish everyone spawning so the rangers feel that they are where the people aren’t!

Lagoon at the boardwalk
The black bear would come and taunt the visitors with a brief sighing each night around 7:30pm

Sitka tree trunk
It was 17feet around. Estimate age 250 years

Salmon Glacier
This glacier feeds the water to the bear board walk. Only other think that Hyder is famous for. But if the bears leave the River, then the tourists won’t have much to see. Hyder, Alaska is called a Ghost Town now, but for the bears.

Totems
This was at a Heritage center

Boat
Heritage Center

Moose hide boat
This was also at the heritage center, I think they were still working on it.

tree mushroom
Yep, that was the squirrel’s

Gitwangak Battle Hill
1700’s not between the whites and natives...but each other!

Comments

[Joy H.]

Safe travel home.
We have so enjoyed your pictures!! Hope you get home safely...thanks for sharing your trip with us. Alaska is absolutely gorgeous!