Back in the USA

Greg back in his kayak

Before we left the campground on Friday morning, we walked back to the hot springs for one last dip. It wasn't quite as busy as Thursday evening, but close. It was a very relaxing start to the day. When we left the Liard River Hot Springs, we backtracked for 2 hours, heading northwest back into the Yukon. (Remember to track our progress on the live map!). We did this so that we could drive the Cassiar Highway home. We read that the Cassiar is even more scenic than the Al-Can, but we would disagree now that we're mostly finished. There are a few exceptions though. Before we reached the Cassiar, Amy spotted two black bear cubs alongside the Al-Can Highway, but we were unable to get any photos. It also seems that the young bison left its dead mother; hopefully it is safe with the rest of the herd.

Along the Cassiar Highway, we spent the night boondocking on the shore of Eddontenajon Lake. After a quick dinner, we took the kayaks out on the lake, which was a beautiful way to end the day. Greg noted that we started the day in the water (at the hot springs) and ended it on the water (in the kayaks). On Saturday morning, the sunrise was gorgeous across the lake. Who needs waterfront property when you have an RV?

Another reason to take the Cassiar Highway is to visit the town of Hyder, Alaska. Yes, we're back in Alaska! If you haven't figured out by now, we enjoy visiting geographical curiosities. Hyder is the most southeastern town in Alaska, about a 45-minute drive from the Cassiar Highway. Hyder is so small that it has no US border control! (There is border control to return to Canada). The lack of border control is because Hyder is a dead-end: there is no practical way to get elsewhere in Alaska or the rest of the USA from Hyder. The main attraction in Hyder is the Fish Creek Viewing Platform, where you can see bears feasting on salmon during spawning season. Or at least they say that you can see bears; we saw nothing but spawning and rotting fish in fish creek. Not to mention the smell of rotting fish. We will spend the night in Hyder so that we can return to the viewing platform in the evening and morning, which should be better times to see bears. Fortunately, our campsite is far from the smell of rotting fish. And hopefully far from bears.

Bear count

Yesterday: 2 black bears
Total: 50