Last night’s stay at The Inn on Marsh Lake is a boutique rustic log cabin multi-story lodge. We drank water from the lake that was double purified. It was delicious. The rooms are beautifully appointed. Our bed was covered in down linens but we needed a step stool to get into it. Not a good thing for oldies who get up at night. It was a real wood frame bed that squeaked and groaned whenever we turned. The mattress had a dip in the middle that caused us to roll into each other. When we were young that would be fun, but alas not good for oldies. The ensuite bathroom had telephone booth sized toilet and shower. Pat did not sleep well and at 5:30 AM stepped out on the deck overlooking Marsh Lake. It was windy but warm and dead silence. There is no ambient light so the quarter moon was so bright it cast shadows and the stars so numerous, bright and clear could actually make out constellations and galaxies? Northern Lights viewing is a specialty of the Inn but I did not see them. Australians and Japanese are the main visitors in the winter for the lights. We were the only ones having dinner the night before so the chef cooked just for us. A roasted veg soup, pork loin sous vide with dark mushroom gravy and mash and cheesecake with raspberry coulis and caramelized nectarines, tiny edible wildflowers scattered over the top. Another chef cooked a full breakfast complete with tomato slices, so British. This area has signs along the road saying it is illegal to shoot grizzly bears within 100 yards of the road. WTF
We drove
into the sun around 8:30AM. This area is
known as Southern Klondike Lake District but we are driving on the ALCan
HWY. We are still in the vast Yukon Territory, 45k
population, with 34k living in Whitehorse, the capitol. So many lakes that fill valleys sometimes a
hundred miles long and large rivers as well as streams, ponds, bogs, etc. The mountains are around 5,000 feet and
rolling, covered in various shades of gold, rusty brown and green spruce, no
snow yet and still in the 50s, no frost last night. We pass over the Continental Divide where one
side drains into the Beaufort Sea and one into the Bering Sea.
We turn onto
the Cassiar Hwy coming into British Columbia, Pacific Time, and the road
becomes narrow and windy and no road lines. BC prohibits carrying loaded weapons in
vehicle and has a no idling law for vehicles.
We have done this route before,
it’s the road less traveled and we have done it going north now south. Tricky with large semis also using the road
and have to watch loose gravel, no guard rails and steep drop offs. But the road does not have potholes,
washboard etc. Thousands of acres of
forest fire are still prevalent. The
fall colors are beautiful and much to see with lakes and mountains, better than
the AlCan that takes us east of them with no views. Have to plan carefully because fuel is hit and
miss and better have good car repair because breakdowns are not a good
option. The only people living here are
mostly natives and gold miners. We stop
off at Jade City. We have visited here
before, they mine for Jadeite (not Asia grade jade) in the Cassiar
mountains. It is very pretty green and
cuts nicely. They have the cutting saws and huge boulders on the grounds and
then finished products in the store.
They are having a good year with return of tourists but can’t find
workers. No animal sights.
We arrive at
our destination for the night, Dease Lake, at the Arctic Divide Lodge. Another log cabin Inn with antiques and
animal heads. We have to take our shoes
off and leave them by the front door due to the dust and stones that get drug
in. The name of the Lodge indicates
which direction the area waters flow. We
have two queen beds that sit low to the ground and the bathroom is normal
size. And there is TV and Internet. Dease Lake is tiny. Local police officers are staying at the
Inn. Only one place in town to get
dinner, The Shack. An aptly named shanty,
order at the window from two characters that could only be found in fiction.
How we finally got any food is a miracle, they were out of everything we wanted
and then they would argue between them and get confused. We had to eat outside where the neighborhood
dog inched his way toward us looking for food and a local guy with a bottle of
alcohol in each back pocket decided to engage us in muddled conversation.
We are on
the second floor and sit out on the balcony reading in the last of the
sun. Even though it is Dease Lake, it
does not sit on the Lake, our view is of the parking lot and road. Although everything will shut down, traffic
will wane and anticipate silence through the night. There is a full kitchen on the floor for
patrons’ use and we are using the frig and freezer to keep our picnic food
cold. We will make our own oatmeal,
fruit and coffee for breakfast tomorrow.
Not only is that our only option, it’s the safest and least complicated.
We are
enjoying great fall weather, so warm even the bugs are still around. Host says rain will start in a couple days
and we will be well down the road by then.
This is the last night of local lodges, starting tomorrow night we will
be back in corporate chains; a little more predictable with lodging, dining
options and amenities. Adventurous
lodging is good experience but long days of travel need some predictability.
11 more days to go! Nighty night.
Miles driven today: 386
Total miles driven: 1427
Inn on the Lake
Artic Divide Lodge
