Jasper National Park
Taking the Yellowhead highway west from my home near St Albert to start my trip to the Great Bear Rainforest, my first stopping point for a quick leg stretch was in Jasper National Park at the confluence of the Athabasca and Snaring rivers. No time to linger, this was less than 1/2 way through my 8 hour drive to Prince George.
Lunch with a view
Traditional view of M Robson in the fall, an impressive place to stop to eat my packed lunch.
Stopping area in BC
Typical river in BC at fall time, on the way to Prince George from Jasper
Willow River Service Station (Deceased)
A pretty name for such a place. Thwarted by parking lot reconstruction at my planned first photo stop at the Ancient Forest just east of Prince George I took a sign to a place called Willow River in search of other photo opportunities, this was it.
Dahl Lake Provincial Park
Early on the second day of driving, just west of Prince George I left the highway to try and catch the morning mist.
Canoe Launch into the mist
Dhal lake Provincial Park just west of Prince George
Misty morning
Stopping point along the Yellowhead
View from a typical stopping point on 16, they nearly all seem to be built to have a scenic lookout - well done BC! Couldn't stop at them all though, I would never reach my destination!
Mountain and mist
View from a stopping point on 16 east of Smithers
Scenery near Smithers
Near Smithers just off 16, again left the highway to go to place called Driftwood Canyon, nothing much there but the scenery going and coming back to the highway was spectacular.
Near Smithers on the road to Driftwood Canyon
On my way back to the highway, these horses and an old schoolhouse, presented another beautiful photo opportunity
Moricetown rest stop
Stopping to take a look, noticed some activity down on the rocks
Moricetown Canyon
West of Smithers on 16
Fishing for Steelhead trout
Moricetown canyon
Fishy story
Skeena at Hazleton
The end of the navigable water for stern wheelers coming up from the coast in the day
Bridge to Hazleton
Single lane bridge over a steep gorge
Willow Dale Plaza, just off 16 at the Hazleton turn
A pretty name for such a place (the use of the name Willow seems to be a common method to give cachet to a place in BC, I guess this place needed Dale to be added to bring it a bit more upscale)
Leaving Kitimat
Having met up with the group in Terrace over breakfast at the hotel (easy to tell who they were, we were the only ones up that early) we rode the passenger van to Kitimat where we embarked the Ocean Light II and soon set sail down the Douglas Channel.
Douglas Channel
View from the bow of the Ocean Light II heading down the Douglas Channel
Scoters in Devastaion Channel
Our skipper and guide Chris steered along he rocky shoreline for our first close look at the birdlife