Day 17 - On to Liard Springs, British Columbia

Travel   From: Fort Nelson, BC   To: Liard Springs PP, BC   Distance: 191 mi (307 km)   Travel time w/brks: 4 hr 03   Distance since start: 4,756 mi (7,648 km)

Friday 7/7/2006

It was raining when we got up so I was not exactly jumping for joy to hook up the trailer. It was 50F (10C) outside. We eventually cleaned up the trailer. We did not hit the road until just before 11AM. The drive to Liard Springs is not that far so we drove it all in one go, eating snacks in the trailer as we drove along. The weather was not too nice for stopping. We saw a herd of buffalo just outside of Fort Nelson. It was fenced in, not a wild one.

Rain and fog as we leave Fort Nelson

One of many twisty passages along the Alaskan Highway

Karl taking a nap in the truck along the way

When we drove by Muncho Lake we could infer that this place must be very nice if it wasn't for all the rain. The clouds were hanging low and our visibility was limited. If the sky clears up over the next two days we should make a day trip down to Muncho Lake. The ride to Liard Springs took just over four hours. I made a reservation at the Provincial Park while back in Merrimack. When we arrived at the gate, the attendant directed us to just drive around, pick a site and then come back to register. There was a sign as we got in showing vacancy. We drove by plenty of empty spots. The kids picked site #24, which was nice and deep. There is no hookup at this campground, so we will be boon docking. As we opened the doors to the truck, a flood of mosquitoes entered.

Getting closer to our campground

Our campsite in the woods

When I got back to the entrance, a different lady was manning the booth. I told her that we had picked a site but that we also had a reservation. The new attendant told me that they had picked site #53 for us. I told her that we had already parked and that we were not interested in moving, unless it was an exceptional site. As I returned back to our site, I quickly checked site #53, which was not much different from the one we had already picked. No need to move in other words. One of the things the boys immediately spotted near our campsite was a traditional well water hand-pump. Moments after we had parked the trailer, the boys wanted to go over there and "clean" Karl's cars.

Provincial Park Car Wash

Nice and neat, everyone

We ate a late lunch in the trailer and then headed out to visit the park's main attraction: the hot springs. It was nicely arranged with board walks from the campground area into the woods, where pools were located. The weather was still on and off rain.

Looking at fish swimming in the shallow and lukewarm water along the boardwalk

We tried both pools. We started with the Alpha pool, which was quite a bit warmer than the Beta pool. The bottom at the Alpha pool is gravel. The water is clear. In the upper end the water reaches 52C (125F) and gradually gets cooler the further down in the pool you get. There is a tiny wooden dam construct below which the water is much cooler and where kids play. After a while in the Alpha pool we walked up to the Beta pool. It takes about five minutes in along a boardwalk that runs in the woods. The Beta pool is more of a circular pool. The water is murky and 10ft deep. The bottom is muck. There are bubbles coming up from the center of it. It is a bit cooler, at 42C (108F). We were the only ones when we got up there, unlike the Alpha pool, where lots of people hung out. We only stayed at the Beta pool for a short while.

Isabella and Karl on the slimy stairs of the Beta pool

Isabella, Erik and Karl playing with other kids in the lower part of the Alpha pool

There were tons of big mosquitoes at the pools. We all got bitten. The largest collection of them hung around in the change room at the Alpha pool. I looked like I had been hit with a sawed off shotgun. We hurried back to the trailer and took showers. I swung by the entrance again to check on fire wood. When we arrived, earlier today, there was still a fire ban in effect. Fortunately, it had been lifted due to the rain. I ordered a tub of wood which was promptly delivered to our site. The boys immediately ran out and made a fire. Erik made a pizza for dinner, from scratch. It tasted very good. We sat outside by the fire for a while. We sense that the daylight hours have been extended. We all used DEET (mosquito repellent) and it worked very well. After a while we went back inside and went to sleep.

Campground   Name: Liard Springs Provincial Park   Our hookups: None   WiFi: None   GSM service: None   TV Channels: None   Cost: $23.42 CDN/night   Reservation mode: Web site for Canadian provincial parks

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