Where seldom is heard

Note: We’re publishing on Wednesday morning instead of Tuesday evening because we had limited internet at the campground.

Since we were camping in bear country, Greg skipped his run this morning, and we went kayaking first thing on Muncho Lake. We did not start at dawn though, which is around 3:45 am! Muncho Lake gave us a picture-perfect view of the Northern Canadian Rockies. Another gorgeous lake to kayak.

Next stop was Liard River Hot Springs, just 45 minutes further along the Alaska Highway. This British Columbia Provincial Park charges an entrance fee of... $5 per person. (That's $5 Canadian, which is roughly US $4!). A steal of a deal! The park was surrounded by electrified fence, so this is Serious Bear Country. Oddly enough, the electrified fence only covers the parking and campground areas; the hot springs are outside the fence, a 5 minutes along a boardwalk. We read that the hot springs attract moose, though that doesn't make us feel any safer. Despite the sulphur smells, the natural hot springs are an awesome oasis in the woods. There is an unofficial challenge for bragging rights, where you put a rock next to where the hot waters flow into the pools. Amy tried; Greg didn't bother and spent most of the time in the (relatively) cooler pool.

There were around 20-30 people total in the hot springs, so it did not feel crowded at all. We bumped into several people who were in the same campground the night before, and we chatted about the trip, both past and future. When we said we went kayaking in Muncho Lake that morning, they said, "Wait, that was you? We saw you - you had the lake to yourselves!" We spent around 90 minutes relaxing in the different pools, then we returned to the RV to clean up and continue along the Alaska Highway.

Now, the signs and our Milepost guidebook have promised wildlife, but we didn't see much until today. Today, we saw moose, deer and bison. No bears, so our bear count remains at 3. But so much bison. Herd after herd after herd of bison. The bison amble along the fields, across the road, wherever they want to go. Unlike Yellowstone, the speed limit on the Alaska Highway is generally 100 km/h (about 60 mph). So you have to be vigilant for wildlife, especially the bison. We also saw dozens of baby bison, who look absolutely adorable. Hard to believe that anyone would not slow down for a long look, though we saw one commercial truck just speed on past. We followed the local custom to turn on your flashing hazard lights when slowing down for wildlife.

A couple of hours later, we finally reached the Yukon Territory! It took a week of driving to cover all of British Columbia, which shows you how huge it is. Tonight, we're camping in the town of Watson Lake. We're staying by the lake itself in Watson Lake Territorial Park, though you can barely see the lake from the campgrounds.