NORTH TO ALASKA 2025 - DAY 79 - BACK TO ALASKA!!! STEWART BC, HYDER AK, ORCA, BEAR & EAGLES

We really didn't want to leave that beautiful campsite in Meziadin Lake, but we were also excited for our next section of our journey... WE ARE GOING BACK TO ALASKA!

We will be traveling along this most beautiful route, called Bear River Canyon on route 37A, also known as the Glacier Highway.

Why are we going back to Alaska? Well, really, we are going to visit a small town called Stewart in British Columbia. Just outside of Stewart is the border that we can cross right back into Alaska! 

There's a small section of Alaska that extends down along the side of British Columbia, separating it from the ocean. This is the area that we are going to.

On the United States side of that border, in the state of Alaska, there is a very small town by the name of Hyder.

It can only be reached by driving through Stewart, BC. It's a small town and it's called a "ghost town" now as it is slowly declining back into a cluster of abandoned buildings. Right now the population stands at 16. 

It is only being allowed to decay and erode because people move on or pass away. The town doesn't have any money to fix anything up with only 16 residents paying taxes? 

But from what we've read, it's charming and it's also the gateway through to the Tongas National Forest Service viewing platform on the Salmon River. This is where you can go to see bears up close during the salmon spawning season!! 

We packed up from the campground and went back up to the junction in Meziaden, and embarked on a route 37A towards Stewart, through the beautiful Bear River Canyon.  We had seen some photos and a couple of YouTubes about the route. So we knew it was going to be spectacular!!! 

But with every amazing mile of the 40 mile route, we were also going to face a few of those miles with road construction. Sigh. 

Steve found it pretty interesting though, and we filmed part of it and put it on the YouTube video link below. Because it's such a long distance to haul big dump trucks full of hot asphalt, instead they have machines that create and heat it up right there as it's being laid. Some of the units have huge propane tanks that are used to heat up the asphalt ingredients before they are mixed and dumped onto the road. Then following behind are different vehicles who spread it and then smooth it out. We drove past slowly and got to watch the entire (stinky) process.

It was only a few miles, and then we were beyond the construction zone. What we found that is really cute in British Columbia---  they post little "Thank You" signs at the end of all of their construction zones! 

That is what you call "Canadian Nice".

We wound our way through the canyon, looking at some of the most amazing scenery. It was just as beautiful as the ride into Valdez. It's just not as popular? It had gorgeous waterfalls, deep gorges, snow-capped mountains, and raging rivers.

We came around one corner, and happened to see a black lump on the side the road to the right. We slowed down and I grabbed the camera. Yep, it was a black bear. He stopped to look at us, so I was able to snap this photo. In the meantime, I also had the video going, which is on the YouTube link below.

He loped across the road and kind of looked back over his shoulder at us. He paused a bit to see if we were really going to drive past, or if we were just stopping where we were at.

Of course, we were safely inside of the motorhome and filming through the windshield. He decided to stay on the opposite side of the road and worked his way towards the ditch.

I zoomed in on his feet to see the pad structure underneath all of that fluff and fur and claws. Pretty cool!

We have had the opportunity several times on this trip to get good photos of bears. On the way up to Alaska we got a big grizzly munching grass on the side of the road, and later a mama black bear with the two babies crawling up the cliff side, were a little fuzzier. But then we got another big grizzly sitting up in the tree near Carcross munching on the budding leaves just emerging in May. We had a few other circumstances of snapping black bears, but this is the best black bear photos I think so far.  I think I'm going to compile a blog post and video at the end of our trip of each and every animal that we saw. That might be fun. 

We continued on our way and thoroughly enjoyed the cascading waters that were crashing down out of the mountains. With all of the rain the last few days, the flow was really thunderous and raging, even from a distance we could hear it crashing down the mountainside.

There was still snow on the mountaintops ... Maybe some from the snowfall they had a few days earlier in this area. At such high altitudes, even with the hot summer sun's rays, the ice and snow are still clinging to the mountain tops in this altitude.

As we wound our way down through the canyon, we were thrilled with the new scenes around every bend.  Soon we came upon Bear Glacier! Wow, I think this is the closest we've been to a glacier on this entire trip. Even though it's across the lake, it feels really really close.

I could zoom in with my big camera and capture the details of the blue ice, frozen from over 10,000 years ago ago, and slowly sliding forward and melting backwards. 

This is what is called the "toe" of the glacier. This is where it melts and retreats backwards, up the valley. 

I looked it up and said this entire glacier went completely across the pass in 1913. And now there's a huge lake and the road. That's how much it has melted in the last 100 years.

Just look at that vivid blue color. That's from the compression of the ice under huge pressure as well as the way the light reflects off of it.  Also glaciers have minerals and silt deposited throughout the composition of the ice. Aps they melt, the waters coming off into the rivers and lakes have a turquoise blue appearance. 

We worked our way all the way down through the canyon and finally reached sea level and entered the town of Stewart BC.  We stopped at both of the grocery stores to stock up on a few things. What one didn't have, the other one did. We were happy to refresh some of our produce and get milk as well as some eggs. Prices were a little higher, but after the exchange rate they weren't too bad with the US dollar conversion on our credit card. 

We drove around and looked at both of the RV parks in Stewart. The one out of town was nicer than the one right in town. But we decided we would drive on towards Hyder and check out the one there before making up our minds. Both of them had many empty spots so getting a campsite for the night would not be an issue.

We drove along the Portage Canal area and headed towards the border. This is really funny, you can cross from Canada directly into the United States with absolutely no inspections, and no showing of passports, or anything at all. You don't even stop. You just drive right through! The other side is the town of Hyder with its 16 residents and a few businesses. That's it. There's nowhere else to go. So there's nothing for them to worry about you bringing in with you.

Here is the pillar 

that stands between 

the two countries.

And just like that, we have entered the town of Hyder, Alaska!  It's all good to be back in the United States again.

Here are some information on Hyder: 

Hyder bills itself as the “Friendliest ghost town in Alaska.” Hyder explodes with activity in the summer months. Hyder is a world-class destination for Grizzly and Black Bear viewing during the salmon spawning at the Fish Creek Wildlife Observation Site.

Hyder was the only practical point of access to the silver mines in Canada; the community became the port, supply point, and post office for miners by 1917. Hyder's boom years were the 1920s, when the Riverside Mine on the U.S. side extracted gold, silver, copper, lead, zinc, and tungsten. 

We drove down the main drag which is really the only road in the town. There are a few businesses scattered here and there. We decided to drive all the way down, loop around, and then come back so we could scope it all out.

Many of the buildings are dilapidated and the weeds are slowly overtaking them. It's kind of sad, but also if you don't have the infrastructure or finances to fix anything, it is going to all erode away just like the old western "ghost towns" did in the lower 48.

In another life, I could see myself buying this little red and white building. Making it into a beautiful weaving studio and quilting shop. Living in the upstairs and selling my finished products to the tourists traveling through.  Of course, that is a pipe dream. It would not be feasible nor financially sound to do such a thing.  In speaking with another business owner in the area, Caroline, she is here for the summer to sell her jewelry and famous fudge, but she spends her winters down in Arizona. She avoids the harsh winters of Alaska.

But wouldn't this make an adorable little shop???

It is located right across the street from Caroline's Boundary Gallery and Gifts. 

http://www.boundarygalleryandgifts.com/

She has a wonderful little business, and we bought souvenirs here as well as her very, very delicious fudge! We also met her brother at the post office, and her other brother sells fish further down the road. 

I felt so at home here, this could be a town that would be interesting to live in. What a community. But of course, Wisconsin and the grandchildren beckon our hearts and souls that we would never consider moving. 

But there was something about this little community that drew my interest and made me curious to experience it further.

I wondered about the businesses that resided in these buildings over the years. 

I wondered about the customers who came in to spend their precious pennies and dimes and dollars. 

I wondered about the first person who built it with their hopes and dreams. 

And I wondered about the last person who closed the door for the last time on their business and walked away from it.

Our next task was to find the post office. I had to send out some birthday cards to two of our grandchildren. I felt shipping them out from United States at an Alaskan post office would maybe get them to Wisconsin faster than shipping them out at Canadian rate from a Canadian post office. 

We finally found the post office, which was located in a mobile home covered with a roof over! It was set back from the road a ways and we almost missed it. We were busy looking at the beautiful red telephone booth out front, and didn't realize that it was right in front of the post office. It still has a phone inside, but it is no longer functioning.

I took my birthday cards and headed on into the lobby. The counter barrier was closed down almost shut tight. It was supposed to be open during this time.  The poor clerk behind was struggling with tech support on the phone trying to get the machines to work on the other end of the counter. He was having quite a difficult time. I waited patiently for about 10 minutes to see if he could recover the machinery so they could y online and print again. 

In the meantime, Carolyn's brother Dick came into the lobby. He quickly introduced himself and we put two and two together. He was there to get an international money order to pay for a vehicle that he was buying over in Stewart, Canada.  Of course, he wasn't able to complete his transaction without the money order. And the post office wasn't able to sell him one till the machines got operational.  

So we chatted for a while... Dick is a real engaging fellow with a lot of information about the area. Then I mentioned my dilemma of just wanting to print off postage to send a priority envelope to the grandchildren. I said that I'm able to print my own postage from my phone with my own business account.... But only if I had access to a printer. He ever so kindly said that he has the keys to the library and he could go unlock it so I could use the printer! What a guy... 

In conversing with the clerk behind the counter, he said by tomorrow morning the machine should be operating properly. He said the head postmistress should be there who knows how to circumvent the problems he is having.  So we both shrugged our shoulders and said that is that, and we would come back tomorrow. 

We chatted some more outside, and I got the lay of the land and who was who in town and where to go. 

It felt like such a close-knit community.

From there we headed on down the road out of town further to the north. We were going to check out the viewing deck for the bears, as the salmon come upstream to spawn.

It was only a few miles up the road, and on the way there, lo and behold, we had a bear across right in front of us! The salmon were just coming up the river and he was crossing over to check out what he was having for dinner? 

We drove the rest of the way over to the Tongass National Forest building, and made up a lunch in the parking lot. Then we got Nick all settled in with the air conditioning on and the generator running. No dogs are allowed anywhere within the parking lot, boardwalk, or the building. That's understandable because there are signs all over saying the bears commonly walk on the roadways to get over to the river. So even to get from the overflow parking lot area over to the main parking lot & building, people walked in an enclosed walkway that would prevent any accidental encounters with a bear.

https://www.fs.usda.gov/r10/tongass/recreation/fish-creek-wildlife-observation-site

It turns out that today was a "free" day, and they would not be charging admission.  

There were a few people here and there, and a group of motorcycle riders just leaving. A father rode up on a bicycle with his two children, and exclaimed they had just seen a bear coming around the curve of the road. It must have been the same one we just saw? 

We got some information on being "bear aware" an examined some pelts and skulls of black bears and grizzly bears on display. You could touch them and see the size of their paws and their claws. I would not want to meet one out in the woods, that is for sure.

After our introductory talk with the ranger on duty, we were told we could go in on the walkway although no bears had been spotted yet today. They had a list posted on the wall of some that had been there in the days previous. But so far today it was hot and quiet and not a lot moving around. 

We walked along on the enclosed boardwalk after going through a gated area. Nobody else was on the boardwalk, and we were all alone.

About halfway down the walk, there was this beautiful tranquil setting of vivid blue glacier water in a little pond. Yes, this blue is exactly the blue that it was. I don't enhance my pictures at all. This is straight out of the camera. It was like a private little hideaway, tucked in among the trees. How perfect.

We continued our walk along the elevated boardwalk, looking down into the river here and there as we worked our way along the length of the walkway.

We didn't see any bears.

But we did meet this really nice naturalist ranger named Bill.  We had a really nice chat with him. He was originally from Michigan. He comes up and spends the summers working at this location.  He had a lot of great information to share. He said he had been told the fish are on their way and he's seeing a few here and there. But there is not a large amount of beer activity right now. But if we came back in the evening we might have a better chance...

We slowly walked our way back over to the building and the parking area. Is absolutely great that they built this platform up high enough that you can look down over and see the bears. That keeps enough of a degree of separation between you and them. Their focus is on their food down in the river. But if you are quiet and observe them in a non-threatening manner, you have a chance to see them up close eating spawning salmon in their natural habitat.  So much better than a zoo! 

And here is what they are coming for... The spawning salmon come upstream in large amounts, following their instinct to go back to where they were born. They spawn and then they die off. So the bears either catch them on the way up, or catch them as they die off and float away. What the bears don't eat, the birds and everything else down the food chain takes care of the remains.

See the fish???

We stopped to do a little tourist thing. Our obligatory selfies. So this is as close as we got to black bears and grizzlies on this day... Was

We went back to the motorhome, and Nicholas was just fine and cozy in the air conditioned comfort in the parking lot. 

We drove away, back towards Hyder. Alongside of the road is where the bears are sometimes spotted so we looked closely.  Instead of bears, we were treated to eagles! There were bald eagles and golden eagles feasting on the salmon.

I was able to get some close-up shots of this bald eagle. He had some blood on his head, mixed in his feathers. It looks like perhaps he had a little tussle with another bird, or maybe that was just blood from a fish that he was dining on.

He sure looks fierce and rugged. I know that I can watch eagles within a half a mile of my own house in Wisconsin... Many are out on the bay at the Breakwater Harbor at home. But seeing them in this wild location in Alaska was such a treat.

I am really appreciating the camera that Steve got for me for this trip. These birds were quite a ways away, but look at the detail I was able to capture with the long zoom lens.

I especially liked this parting shot...

We scoped out the campground right on the edge of Hyder. We decided that's where we would stay for the night. That way I could be around in the morning to go to the post office and mail the birthday cards. 

But it was early in the day and we still wanted to explore. We found a long route alongside the water of the canal. It lead out to the harbor and this interesting bridge to reach a public boat landing. 

This area had one time been settled as Portland City. The entire town was built out on pilings because two brothers had filed a homestead claim on all the solid land in the area. So the town boomed up during the Gold Rush on pilings out in the water. All that remains today are just the pilings...

You can see them off in the distance as the tide goes up and down and covers them or exposes them.

We drove out to the end of the causeway right into the harbor. What a beautiful spot to stop and relax for the afternoon. We looked out over the water and opened all of the windows up in the motorhome. The temperature here was maybe 10° cooler than further back in town just a mile or two away.

There were some boats parked around the edges and there was a boat landing nearby for the public to access the harbor.  It was so quiet and peaceful. All we heard were birds and felt the breeze blowing across the canal.

Off in the distance we could see the town of Stewart along the shoreline, and enhanced by the beautiful snowcapped mountains surrounding it. That is where we had just driven through this morning, to get to here.

In the distance to the right, in the deeper water of the canal, there was a boat that was moored in place. We are not sure what it was transporting, or meant to transport. It appeared to be empty like it was waiting for something to get loaded on. A lot of the area of the harbor was used for logging. The logging trucks would come and dump the big logs into the water. Then they were gathered up and floated over in groups and loaded onto boats. Maybe that's what this boat was for? We are not sure.

We sat there in the afternoon sun. There were a couple bumblebees lazily bouncing from flower to flower along the shoreline. It was such a beautiful scene, and tranquil and peaceful.

Then it occurred to us, perhaps we should grab out the binoculars and look for a whale or other sea life. We did a little research online, because we had the Starlink up and going in the skylight, that orca whales were known to come into this Harbor chasing after the spawning salmon Hmmmmm. 

We knew the fish were coming in because we saw some of them already up the river.

With some time and patience, I saw something rippling in the water. We grabbed the binoculars and looked closer. I saw a fin and part of a tail. That's when I grabbed my camera. Sure enough, here was the head of an orca bobbed up to look around. It was only there for an instant. And then it dipped back down again.  I just happened to snap the camera at the right time. It was so far out I really couldn't focus and if I had tried to zoom in, I may have lost it in the viewfinder. This was the best I could do.

It went underwater, and we waited for a while. Bit by bit I saw some ripples moving across the canal. I knew he was under there somewhere! Sure enough, he tipped his head up a little bit. I snapped again and caught him in the viewfinder. I was hoping to get a full lunge up in the air, or a big flop of a tail. I wasn't so lucky to get that, but at least I did get these two shots. Success. We saw an orca.

It was so beautiful just sitting here in the parking lot. The breezes were cooling enough that we did not need to have on the air conditioning. Just look at this view.  I believe the way these hills and mountains slant down deep into the canal are called fjords. 

We were so relaxed, we decided to push out the backslide and extend the bed. Sure enough, we took a nap right then and there in the harbor parking lot. We had a restful nap, and got up to look out and see if we could see any more whales. Nope, but we did see something else flicker across the water a few times that was small. Perhaps a harbor seal? Maybe an otter? But it wasn't anywhere near close enough for us to take a picture.

As it got close to supper time, we decided to head on over to the campground and get a spot.

There were plenty to choose from, and we found a nice level one to set up in. Time to make some dinner and relax for a while...

This is Eagle Shadow Campground in Hyder, AK.

https://www.eagleshadowcampground.com/

The campground rate was $45 a night. At least we could be plugged in and have the air conditioning on. The temperatures are just going crazy in Alaska this week as well as down along the shoreline of the ocean. Usually it's much cooler here.

The guy camped down from us a little ways even brought his sail boat!  There was plenty of room to pick out a site and to get plugged in. We paid our fee and settle down to make some dinner.

When we brought Nick out to do his bathroom thing, I had to do a double take!  I had forgotten this wooden cutout was here when we had first pulled in. Sure caught my eye and made the heart pound a little bit.

After dinner, we mentioned to the campground owner that we were going to vacate our site to head back up the road to the bear viewing platform. He offered to even set a cone on our site to reserve it. There were plenty of others, so we said that was fine if someone took ours. We would just pull into another one. 

We drove up to the platform area. Nobody was around, not even the rangers. It was supposed to be open until 8:00 p.m. It was only 6:30. We walked on out on the raised boardwalk. We didn't see any bears. But it was a nice quiet evening to walk out there all by ourselves.  We listened to the birds, and enjoyed the peaceful solitude of the woods. Minus any bears, of course.

We headed back to the campsite, and parked right back in our same spot. Now it's time to hit the rack after a very busy busy day. More tomorrow....

Here's the YouTube video that goes along with today's blog post:

61 miles traveled today 

6,784 miles traveled so far