Having learned that Barkersville would not be open with the characters in dress “living the life” in a gold rush town, coupled with the fact that Dottie could not even walk around the outside of the buildings with me, we decided not to make the 110 mile round trip drive to just see the buildings. And, since we only had 113 miles to drive to our next campground, I decided to go back south ten miles to the Visitors Center in Quesnel in order to post another blog this morning.
Bears and Closed Parks!
Heading north after finishing the post (BTW – a post is about a two hour plus endeavor between reformatting pictures, uploading them and writing it), we passed through Prince George (a major metropolitan area on the route 😉), heading to Crooked River Provincial Park. There wasn’t really anything I wanted to see in Prince George, so we continued onward just getting some gas.
There is a nice left turn lane for turning into the campground at Crooked River and after getting into it, we found the gate that was set back in the woods closed and locked. This was not a risk on my radar! The website said it had opened several days prior. I knew we were early on the season, but still bummer! It looked very nice! Since we had not turned into the drive, we just waited for traffic to clear and then got back onto the road.
The next provincial park, Whiskers Point, is another 33 miles north. Unfortunately, we found this park in the same state of affairs with a gate barring entrance. Now I was getting worried! One thing about Canada, they do not allow rest area or pull off camping and there were not any RV parks around the area. The next provincial park was 12 miles north. On we went.
Tudyah Lake Provincial Park
Fortunately, for us, this park did not even own a gate! We drove in to find no other campers and a very muddy mess of campsites that are open year round. We did manage to find a site we would not get stuck in and spent the night. A couple other campers showed up shortly after us and managed to find other spots out of the other 35 sites, so we were not alone. There were not any envelopes to pay, as this was a self pay location, so, it turned out to be free.
Bijoux Falls
The next morning, we drove through the Rocky Mountains with our first stop being Bijoux Falls 26 miles north of our campground.
Chetwynd
This is a town I was looking forward to seeing. It contains chainsaw art all over the town. However, before we went on to the visitor’s center to get the walking map, we had to take care of a little business. Chetwynd has a municipal dump station.
One of my techniques, to make sure I never run out of fresh water, is to shower when I know I can fill up the tank. So, we drove to the area, and they did indeed have potable water, so after parking in the lot, I showered first. Now in the US, generally there is potable water at any dump station. I have not found that to be true in Canada, so I am very judicious about assuming and using up the water for the shower.
Unfortunately, we discovered that the museum in Tumblers Ridge would be closed the next two days (Tuesday and Wednesday), and I really wanted to see it. So, we forewent the statue walking tour, and even a stay at Moberly Lake Provincial Park, so we could drive the 60 miles to Tumblers Ridge to see the museum today before it closed at 5pm. This was an alternative route and we would not be returning to Chetwynd, sadly.
Bears along the road
On our way, we basically had the road to ourselves. So, I was able to stop in the middle of it for about five minutes while we watched this spectacular sight!
I was a bit surprised to see two bears together as they tend to be solitary animals. Although, I learned cubs stay with their mothers for 2-3 years, so perhaps this curious one was really defending her cub? Yikes!
Tumbler Ridge Dinosaur Discovery
I know you have been waiting for the dinosaurs! It is a really neat story. In 2000 two kids (8 and 11) were tubing down the Flatbed Creek, when they discovered what appeared to be dinosaur tracks in the slab rock. They went home and told their parents, who of course, did not believe them! Eventually, they got one of the Dads to the area and he decided they might be onto something, so they called a Paleontologist from Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology. He flew out in a helicopter and confirmed that they had discovered a major find. They have continued to find more and more footprints and bones in the area ever since. It is a designated UNESCO Global Geopark. So, the museum I wanted to see was the Dinosaur Discovery Museum.
Other Tumbler Ridge Attractions
I have to say this has been one of my favorite areas in Canada. It has many hiking trails and I was told by the park host that there were 42 different waterfalls not to mention the dinosaur tracks to see in the area. There is canoeing, ATVing, hiking, snowmobiling and skiing in the winter. It is amazing! And, according to the visitor’s center in Chetwynd, the road to the the best waterfall, Kinuseo Falls in Monkman Provincial Park, had just opened the day before!
The Drive to Monkman Provincial Park
This drive is not for the faint of heart, and I did not know just how much of a risk I was taking. After 14 km on a nice paved road, you turn onto a gravel road for the next 51 km (32 miles). It starts out good enough, as you are driving down an active coal mining road. Once you pass the mine, the gravel gets bigger and is loose. There are no potholes, which is what I expected…just lots of loose gravel. Deeper into the drive, I ran into the nightmare for anyone driving a gravel road without a spare tire, a road grader! I was told by the Denali lady I met, that you want to drive in the tracks of other vehicles so not to pick up the SMALL sharp stones the graders turn up because they cause the flat tires. OK, I was almost there, so I thought until I saw the 21 km sign. I was planning to stay in the campground there overnight.
A car, the only one I have seen outside of work trucks, flagged me down as I was maybe 7 km from the falls. They told me a tree had fallen and was blocking the way about 5 km from the falls. Boy was I bummed. A 10 km hike was a little too much, not to mention the other 3-4 km hike to the viewpoints and no campsite. So, I turned around. This is what it is suppose to look like…..
It was an adventure!
Confessions on Bear Songs
As you are likely aware, hiking wisdom is never to hike by yourself in bear and cougar territory. Well, when you are by yourself, you either hike by yourself, or you don’t hike. So, I have chosen to hike by myself. And we were the only hikers on the trail at Nesbitt’s Knees. I carry bear spray and sing this little song I made up that goes something like this…. it changes every time I sing it.
There was this bear,
In his underwear,
He was sweet, and oh so neat;
And, that bear, in his underwear, he did stink!
And, that underwear was pink!Now, who knew bears wear underwear?
It is true, but it’s not blue.Repeat until you are so sick of it you have to add new words like paw and law.
Hi Karen! Your adventures are so thrilling to follow and the pictures are stunning. Yes, I did name my camper Buster in honor of my grandmother. Buster was the nickname her sisters gave her when she was born at it stuck through her entire life! My aunt Ruth called her Buster even after she had passed :-). Thank you for sharing Canada’s Buster! He gave me the first big smile of the day!
I love you Grandmother’s nickname! That’s so awesome! Glad to bring a smile to your face. Miss you, my friend! 🙂
Hi Karen. Catching up on your adventures…. I can only say WOW! It is incredible to read your stories of all your adventures. I am a bit jealous of all the beautiful sites you are seeing (but you know me – not so much the camping part – or the bears for that matter 😂). I am in Awe girl! Miss you here but happy your soul is being renewed through your adventures. That beautiful smile and sparkling eyes show such happiness and peace. May the Lord continue to bless your travels. Give Dottie a hug and big hugs and much lover o you dear friend. Thanks for allowing those of us who follow you the opportunity for a digital escape !
Ah, thanks, Deb! It’s an adventure! I think you might actually like camping in an RV…it’s like taking the hotel with you. 😉
Love to you and Jean Claude!
Wow! You’re into bear country! Yes I agree the best way to view a bear is from your vehicle 😀. I love the Mountain Views 💕
The dinosaurs are very cool!. Looks like you’re having a great time!
Thanks, Sue! It has been an amazing journey so far, and I suspect I’m only get started on the beauty!
I’m in an RV park in a town, and even they have signs about bears in the campground! Definitely in bear country! 🐻