BLASTING THROUGH CANADA… eh?

Chena to Tok… across the border into Canada… on to Whitehorse… to Boya Lake… to Bell 2 Crossing… to Houston… Prince George…  to Little Fort… to Penticton… across the border at Osoyoos and back into the US… finally arriving at Toppenish, WA 2,300 plus miles in ten days whew! Not our favorite style of travel but effective and necessary. The heavy rains in Denali revealed a leak in Dimples’ back window that was replaced last summer.  The work is under warranty and we need to get down to Portland to Airstream Adventures NW and have them check it out.  While there we’ll also give Dimples a few upgrades… change out her tires and rims to the 16 inch Eddie Bauer style Michelins and swap out the range for a cooktop and micro-convection oven.

 In Tok we stay again at the Tok RV Village, do the Laundry and use their limited (one free hour per day) Wi-Fi to check weather and finalize our route.  We planned to eat again at Fast Eddies, but when we arrive the parking lot is filled with hunters; bloody caribou and moose antlers proudly displayed on top of the tarps covering their trailered ATVs.  Inside the restaurant the hostess is overwhelmed with the number of large parties and it looks like getting a table will take awhile.  Since our appetites are pretty much diminished by the carnage in the parking lot, we decide to go back to Dimples and heat up some soup.

Crossing the Border into Canada is a breeze.  The border guard is grumpy but he simply checks our passport cards and waves us on.  The road from Tok to Whitehorse is rough and gets increasingly better the further we venture into the Yukon Territory. At one point, rocks blast us, when a semi passes us at high speed through a gravel patch.  The two Plexiglas rock guards over the front cured windows now sport multiple star shaped cracks… (This is why Dimples has rock guards over the front windows, and it looks like we’ll be adding new ones to our list-o-fixes in Portland.)

Klondike Rib
and Salmon BBQ

Whitehorse is the Capital and largest city in the Yukon Territory. We stay at the Hi Country RV Park, go into town and do a little shopping and grab a late lunch at the Klondike Rib and Salmon BBQ.  The decor here is vintage tapper tent with log beams and canvas walls covered with lots of turn of the last century memorabilia and dead art. We order the Rib Tickler (tasty baby back ribs with generous side of fries) and Robert Services Seafood Baked Dip with their famous focaccia bread.  The Ribs are melting in your mouth delicious. The dip creamy and filled with artichoke hearts and fresh seafood…yummy!

After checking maps, weather and road conditions we opt to take the Cassiar Highway south through British Columbia. We stop for the night at Boya Lake.  Our space is along the lake with spectacular views. 

Bell 2 Lodge

Traveling down the Cassiar we spot five black bears along the highway. Four active and one road kill :-(  We stop at The Bell 2 Lodge.  The lodge resembles a mini village with fuel, lodging, restaurant and RV Park. In the winter months the lodge is home to Last Frontier heli-skiing.  It is considered to be one of the premier heli-skiing operations in the world and boasts the largest single Heli-ski area on the planet!  The ambiance is charming with pathways winding between the sod-roofed log cabins.  The restaurant serves up fresh fare worthy of a high population urban eatery.  The daily special of Shrimp with Fettuccini is creamy and loaded with succulent crustaceans and the BBQ ribs are fall off the bone, melt in your mouth delicious.  Service is relaxed, friendly and efficient.  When we asked about their beers, the waitress queried as to what type and promptly brought out an assortment to choose from. The next morning we arrive for the breakfast Buffet to find that most of the fare has been devoured by really early risers.  The tailings look really good and the assortment is impressive.  They are preparing more, but we’re hungry now so we opt for the traditional Bell 2 breakfast of eggs, potatoes, toast and sausage or bacon. Ironically by the time our breakfast arrives, the buffet has been replenished.  Next time we’re in this area we’ll definitely stop here again. 

We stop overnight in Houston (not the Houston we have a problem but Houston B.C.) at the Shady Rest RV Park. It’s clean and perfect for an overnight stop.

Dino

In Prince George we stay a bit out of town at the Bee Lazee RV Park.  After settling in, we head towards town and grab lunch at Ric’s Lounge and Grill.  Cocktails, salad, boneless beef short ribs and a grilled duck breast were perfect to sate our appetites and tickle our palates before we cross the parking lot to the Treasure Cove Casino and deposit our small amount of Canadian Currency in their stingy slots.  After checking on line for not to miss attractions in Prince George we visit Fort George Park and the Exploration Place.  This is a small regional museum with an impressive Paleontology Gallery, a Prince George Sports Hall of Fame, A First Nations Gallery and a lot of information on local history and local celebrities.

Rivermount Resort 

The Rivermount Resort in Little Fort is a real gem.  This is a full service river front resort with restaurant, hotel, RV Park with electric, water hookups and dump station, laundry, showers and tent camping. The owners Derek and Melanie purchased the resort last spring and have obviously been busy upgrading and improving.  Melanie is an accomplished chef and she offers her brand of  “Home Cooking” at the resort café. Home cooking is a bit of a misnomer though… the dishes may be of the home style but her interpretation is modern and fresh.  Her Chicken Kiev is mouthwateringly melt-in-your-mouth wonderful, the Pork Schnitzel delectable and the accompanying sautéed vegetables (snap peas, mushrooms and garlic slices) vibrant. They have a decent wine and beer selection and an assortment of quality spirits for cocktails.  We are so impressed with our dinner that we decide to return for breakfast and again we are so not disappointed.  We order traditional eggs Benedict and a variation with fresh tomato slices and bacon strips. Perfectly poached eggs and satiny hollandaise sauce satisfy our craving for this breakfast treat.  Another place to return to.

We spend one night at the Park Royal RV Resort in Penticton and then head across the border in Osoyoos. One Border patrol officer inspects the back of Dave and another rummages through the fridge and cabinets in Dimples and after finding no contraband send us on our way. 

Although we pretty much bombed through British Columbia, we did note the area’s riches, especially the wine country around Penticton and Osoyoos.  This is a must return to area in the future.  

We’re now back in the lower 48, and we head to Toppenish to chill out while we wait for all the parts for Dimples to arrive in Portland…