Cassiar Highway, Part 2 (day 14)

Day 14 – Friday, July 13th (390 miles, Stewart, BC, CA to Nugget City Campground, YT, CA):

Today was my last day riding on the Sewart Cassiar Highway. I left Stewart, BC around 8:30am, riding back towards Meziadin Junction and passing all of the mountains, waterfalls, and streams that made up some of the most amazing scenery I have ever seen in my life.

I filled up my gas tank at Meziadin Junction and rode till I reached the Bell II Lodge and gas station. While I was waiting in line for gas, I began talking with a retired couple (Brad and Candi), waiting in front of me, from Indiana that were on their way back from Alaska to Indiana. We chatted for a few minutes and then it was my turn to fill up my bike. I went inside to pay and saw Brad and Candi sitting down at one of the tables drinking coffee. I decided to grab some coffee as well and sit down for a few minutes to continue talking with both of them before getting back on the road. After a few minutes of talking with Brad and Candi, I found that this was the second time they had ridden their motorcycles to Alaska. I also found that they have taken many motorcycle trips across the US, and even some in Europe, visiting some of the most beautiful national parks and other locations that can be found in the US. Hearing them talk about the different journeys they had been on previously got me so excited for the rest of my trip as well as trips I hope to take in the future. After speaking with Brad and Candi and getting back on the road, I couldn’t stop thinking about how great it was to have these interactions with others that have done similar trips and hearing their stories and experiences. Meeting people has by far been the best aspect of the trip!

In the afternoon, rain began to come down at a steady pace, making it hard to see at times. While I was riding in the rain, going about 60 mph, a massive moose suddenly came running out of the woods about 20 yards or so up the road, on my left side. This was the first moose I have seen on the trip and almost my last! I had nearly no time to react in the situation, besides swerving some towards my right to try and avoid getting hit. As soon as the moose made it to the road, it did a u-turn right back into the woods. I don’t think my heart has ever beat so hard in my entire life! Needless to say, it would not have been a good ending had that moose continued running out into the road.

Later in the afternoon, the rain eventually subsided and the rest of the day turned out to be a fairly nice day. I continued riding until about 8:30pm, when I reached the border of British Columbia and the Yukon Territory. I pulled over to the side of the road (although there was no one else to be seen for miles and miles) and took a few pictures of the Yukon and BC signs. I stood there for a few more minutes, looking back down the road from where I had just come from, thinking about how amazing the past two days had been. I had seen a few moose, several bears, glaciers, waterfalls, huge mountains, totem poles, and met such great people on this stretch of the trip. The Cassiar was on the top of my list for places to see while on this trip and it certainly did not disappoint! This is a place I would highly recommend to anyone riding up to, or back from Alaska!

I eventually rode a few more miles down the road to the Nugget City Campground/RV Park and ate a very mediocre hamburger and camped at a mediocre campsite. While it wasn’t the most ideal location to spend the night, it was a place for me to rest up before getting on the Alaskan Highway, which would take me all the way up to Alaska.

Filling up at Gas station on Cassiar .JPG