dirt

I mentioned we'd had to drive the last 100 kilometres to this place on dirt roads; I should have said they were on the edge of sheer drops of maybe 300 metres for most of the route, dappled with minor avalanches of rock. The only picture I have is from the next day on the way to the gas station.

The gas station guy explained that he regularly gets people stop by who think they are on the Alaska road, but have made a wrong turning back at the last place. He says there are people in tears when he tells them they need to go back the same 100 kilometres and take the other turning. I read a road trip book a few years ago and one of the pieces of advice from the author that stuck with me is to study signs carefully in remote places and make sure before taking the next road. Good advice in this area.

The town where I got the gas has a population of 43 and was an old mining town, but now mainly logging.

I also visited the next town over the mountains which had a similarly low pop, as well as a gas station opened Thurs-Sat, a bar (closed) and a museum about mining(closed). And great scenery in all directions. Canada has scenery police who re-arrange anything that doesn't look good enough.

Later, the lure of a mountain bike, which I took out on a trail, but this London dweller found the 'flat rides' in this part of the world a trifle daunting, with loose rocks, 60 degree gradients and twisty paths that gave numerous possibilities for falling into the lake. As it was around 30 Centigrade, I decided a shorter route would probably be sufficient to get enough of an impression without leaving one somewhere on the rocks.