Day 34

Today was a shorter day of driving. We drove about 250 km to Stewart Alaska. Stewart is an offshoot of the highway that leads to the town of Stewart and Hyder. Hyder is in Alaska and Stewart is in Canada. The offshoot from the main highway was very scenic. There were mountain views and even a glacier that was calving into a lake. We arrived in Stewart and checked into the city campground. The only hookup is electricity so we filled our tanks. The campground was rather scenic and a bargain at only 17 bucks a night. They have electrical hookups to keep the fish cold. Just past Hyder is a National forest service area where there is a salmon spawning stream and an area where bears often come to eat them while they spawn. All of the guidebooks say that when you cross into Hyder you must eat at “the bus”. Hyder is a tiny town of 100. The only road there is through Canada and all other access is by plane. There is no customs to get there. The Bus is an old school bus that has been converted to a kitchen. There is a lady that works there and has always worked there. Her husband is a fisherman and gives her a small part of the catch to sell out of the bus. We all ordered Halibut fish and chips and a bowl of chowder. It was so delicious and the food tastes so fresh. Probably the best meal we have eaten all trip. She had old photo albums to peruse as well as an account written by some friends of hers of one that got mauled by a bear. Apparently they escaped by bashing the bears head with rocks until it aborted the attack. After supper we continued on to the national forest and the bear viewing area. At first there were no bears. We sat down on a bench and tried to keep a grumpy rant from going nuts. Alex met several old ladies that were very glad to play with her and keep her company. Finally a bear showed up. It galloped through the water and after several misses finally caught some salmon. It ate it right there on the banks in front of us. What a raw display of nature. It was quite awesome to see. Amy was bale to get some pictures. We watched the bear for a while and went back to the trailer. The kids fell asleep on the way back. We let them sleep and Amy and I went for a walk while Shari made a blueberry tart. A long drive awaits tomorrow.