Trip South Mon. Aug,08,2011 to Dease Lake Brit. Col.

The British Columbia road 37 south to Dease Lake is improved gravel and without the intense frost heaves that the Alaska Highway had at times . Granted it is in permafrost country so one has to be aware. I found that 40-45 mph was about right so slowing quickly was not a problem.We did see a Sow Grizzly bear and her two young cubs (4-6 week) so that was a welcome sight and we watched her until she felt that moving away from this "big white thing" along the road was the better part of valor. There were no other animals. The road is mostly shoulder less, and the trees come quite close to the road. (See pic). There are many lakes along this route and the best gift of the area is its' fishing for grayling, trout and other lake fish. No salmon here. Tomorrow we head for Telegraph Creek (see Below), see some bits about that town. The sun is shining and it is 66 F. Good stuff

Telegraph Creek

Stikine River, Northern BC On a terrace overlooking the Stikine River, one can step back in time in the beautiful little community of Telegraph Creek, which gets its name from an overland telegraph line to Yukon, the assembly of which started in 1866. The project was stopped when the first Trans-Atlantic submarine cable was laid, then started again during the Klondike Gold Rush. The cable was finished in 1901, and abandoned in 1936, when wireless radio killed it. Though the Yukon Telegraph Trail is mostly overgrown over to the south of Telegraph Creek, a 265-km stretch still survives between Telegraph Creek and Atlin, and is open to the serious backpacker. The fascinating history of the Dease Lake and Telegraph Creek area dates back a century to the Yukon Gold Rush era. Telegraph Creek witnessed the discovery of gold by prospectors on the Stikine River in the 1860s, and was the head of navigation for paddlewheelers during the plans for the Collins Overland Telegraph Cable. Today, Telegraph Creek is a predominantly Native settlement, with many restored buildings dating back a century or more. There are many deserted historic buildings in the town itself, as well as some that have been restored, including the original Hudson's Bay Company Store, which is now a cafe, general store and lodge. Probably the most remote town in BC assessable by road, Telegraph Creek is reached via a rough Forest Service road that runs southwest from Dease Lake, passing through the Stikine River Provincial Park, skirting the Grand Canyon of the Stikine River, and passing through Telegraph Creek to end in Glenora, another gold rush boomtown in its heyday. This is 60 mies and a tough drive with some 15% and one 20 % downhill