Alaska-Canada Adventure Ride

Day 3 - Bellingham, Washington to Helen Lake campground (near Lake Lahache), British Columbia
(298 miles)

After topping off the tanks on the US side in the morning, we then crossed the border into Canada at the Sumas checkpoint. It was relatively uneventful, but noticed a few additional gotcha's that Canadian customs have with Americans. If you have a DUI offence on your record in the states, they will turn you back. I was surprised to see how much access Canadian customs seems to have into US residences driving and criminal records. Later while in Alaska I heard complaints from some local Alaskans that they couldn't drive through Canada to the lower 48 because of this rule. Also, they are particular about what you declare as bear spray. They are okay if it is a relatively large canister clearly labeled as bear spray. But if you have a small personal protection dispenser of pepper spray, they won't allow it. Thus if you have the latter, you may want to ditch it, assuming you don't accidently forget you have one at the bottom of your camping gear bag :^)

After the border crossing we made our way up the scenic Fraser River Canyon (Highway 1), then stopping for gas and lunch at Clinton after eventually breaking off toward the east to a more arid climate. A popular fast food restaurant you will find quite common is Tim Horton's. It is kind of like a cross between a Krispy Kreme, Subway, and typical burger joint. I found the combination to be quite flexible, making it a convenient stop for any time of the day.

The other thing to note is how the gas pumps work in Canada. In addition to the shock over the cost of gas compared to the states, when you use your credit card, the pump will prompt you to declare the (maximum) amount you want to spend (in fairly large intervals). At first I was thinking that I needed to undershoot the amount so as to not overflow the tank or get overcharged, but found that this is used for just the pre-authorization for the pump charge. After you complete the pumping, the terminal will reconcile and only bill the credit card company the amount of gas you actually used.

The next stop was at 100 Mile House to decide where we would camp for the night. But after arriving there and getting gas and a few supplies, we realized a lot of weekenders were in the area and camping at the nearby lake, which looked very crowded. For this reason, we decided to keep heading north as the day was still early.

Using Wikicamps, I found a remote lake (Helen Lake) at the end of a ~8 mile dirt road with campsites. The road had signs of mud given it had rained the previous day, but was passable by the time we went through. Helen Lake is fairly scenic, but the mosquitoes were horrendous, getting our first introduction for the trip. There were also quite a few locals camped at the lake that had the better spots closer to the water where the mosquitos are less.  One commented with surprise of how we found this place, as it is not well marked with any signs from the main road. I mentioned the use of the Wikicamps app, which seemed to be met with a dumb stare.  Another curiosity that would become common for the rest of the trip is the sound the Common Loon. It is quite distinctive and loud, with an eerie tone to it, being most prevalent at dawn and dusk.

 

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All content and images are property of Stephen Fischer Photography, copyright 2019 - 2020.      Last updated: 1/10/2020