Cassiar Highway

 

August 2nd

It is Sunday, with grey skies again with slits of blue peeking through. Sleep was much
improved, with no noises from small visitors, and a more comfortable, spacious feeling logistics
to bedding. One of my retirement goals is to be in-touch with the date and day of the week, just
for a sense of rhythm and being in the world still. Sunday still feels to be a day of rest.

A day of driving from Little Atlin Lake, and on to the Cassiar Highway late afternoon. There was
a tremendous thunder and lightning storm at the junction, with horrendous claps to our left, and
torrential drumming of rain on the windshield, that tends to throw one off at times, due to it's
power and unrelenting surge. At the gas station, a gentleman about our age or older,
approached Mark to consult about whether it was safe driving on in the storm. Mark replied he
didn't feel comfortable advising him, but that we were continuing on. About ten minutes later,
the dark blanket moved over us, and wide sunny skies welcomed us.

 

The Cassiar is flanked by healthy black spruce, poplars, birch trees, and over 30,000 hectares
(haven't figured out what specific measurement is comparable to that) of burnt forestland, from a
2010 fire, with the most stunning and vast borders of fireweed lining our drive for miles.
Surrounding the forests, are the Cassiar Mountains to the south, Coast Mountain range and
Stikine range to the west and east. Many chains of lakes are shored by lush green grasses and
shrubs, so there are many campsites consistently located on this trek.

At 6, we parked "M" at Sawmill Point on Dease Lake, another favorite spot of Mark's. It is a
huge, long lake and with only four sites, so is quiet and a paradise. We've decided to speed-up
our homeward bound journey, from a week to about three days. Several people we care about
are experiencing health issues, so it will make us both feel better, to be available for potential
support of whatever form needed. This has been an outrageous, fulfilling adventure the last two
months, feeling very blessed, and okay about missing a week more.

Dinner was yummy, with pasta with Alfredo sauce, parsley, chicken-apple sausage, smoked
salmon and mushrooms! An evening stroll around the campground, and call the night good.