Stewart to Dease Lake

 This is a retrospective from Watson Lake... we couldn't find any internet, radio, cell phone service or news since Hyder-Stewart and frankly, that was ok. It was raining the entire day when we left our little spot along the Bear River in Stewart and we drove more than we usually do after doing our usual chores in the rain in Stewart.

 The next morning at Mehan Lake dawned crystal clear and so we had a number of beautiful days lumbering up Hwy 37, taking time out for exploring on the few bumpy unsealed and unposted back roads.

 One such stop was a lunch and hike on the Forestry Road over the Iskut River.

 The forests became different with lichens and mosses of the muskeg. The land changed as we rolled along, stopping to process veggie oil, hike or camp, depending on the day and access. We saw more bears-- grizzly bear jiggly with fat stores running ahead of us on the back road by Eulue Lake and black bear cutting across the deserted highway in front of us. The road had no signs, no houses, no divider strip... remote and serene and a welcome relief, often festooned with the lowly fireweed but also others-- clover, daisy, coreopsis in the margin to the forests... a soothing reminder that large expanses of open wild space still remain here on the planet we call home.