Day 36: 6/3/15
This morning we got ready to head out a bit early but on the way to the dumpsters and bathrooms, we found our way obstructed by two mama elk and two babies slowly munching their way through the camp between the facilities and us. We watched for 20 minutes or so then a fifth elk showed up as well and after a few more minutes (including elk #5 cornering a camper in the restroom) then decided to put our trash in a different dumpster, broke camp and headed for the town of Jasper.
We walked around Jasper, BC for an hour looking at various shops and restaurants. We did find a daypack for Mary and some odds and ends for the RV. As we were returning, we noticed that a long passenger train had just pulled into town and unloaded a zillion tourists – time for us to head west on 16.
We quickly dropped several thousand feet as we left the Canadian Rockies behind. Shortly after we crossed into the Pacific Time Zone, we came upon a picnic area along Yellowhead Lake at the foot of Mt. Fitzwilliam. The double tracked rail line from Jasper to Prince George ran along the opposite side of the lake and we saw 3 100+ car freights go by as we had our lunch. Really busy line.
About 2:30 we arrived at the Bearview RV Park near McBride, BC. After securing a riverfront site for the night, we headed for town. McBride is a friendly place with a pretty fair number of small businesses that mostly cater to ranchers in the Robeson valley. We bought groceries and with a few people in the store. The young meat cutter was especially enjoyable; he had never been out of the valley and was curious about everything we had seen on our trip.
Back at camp, we did two loads of laundry before settling down for a night along the river. Beautiful night in a beautiful campground.
Odometer: 81395 Miles Today: 110 Total Miles: 4195