Independence Day

Salmon Glacier

Ever have a song stuck in your head?  The whole time we were in the Stewart - Hyder area I kept singing “Stuck in the middle with you" by Stealers Wheel but substitute middle with the word Hyder.   " And your wondering what is we should do"?  What did we do for the two weeks we had to wait for the dog sled team to arrive with our new hydraulic motor?

First, this area is very beautiful! The towns are situated on a long narrow ocean inlet surrounded by steep mountain walls capped with glaciers. The drive to Salmon Glacier is spectacular! The town of Stewart is picturesque with a pavilion and boardwalk on the estuary. The town of Hyder also has its own brand of the charm. Rustic and colorful are the words that comes to mind. 

Portland Canal

Second, there are a lot of bears!  Take a ride and you were sure to see one.  One day I was riding my bike when a bear started coming out of the brush alongside the road, we saw each other and we both promptly turned around and high tailed it out of there! We had a mama and two cubs that frequented the park.   Needless to say I was little on guard every time I took Mr. Wodi for his morning walk.  It was a little early for the real circus act the bears put on when the salmon are spawning. The boardwalk viewing area on Fish Creek is a pleasant walk even if the bears are not gorging themselves on salmon.   

View at Fish Creek

Boardwalk at Fish Creek

Third, everyone was friendly and genuine. We chatted with local business owners and even got to know the border guards while they were searching our vehicle.   Saturday mornings they have a small Farmers Market.  We frequented the restaurants and the local bakery maybe a little too much.  The local restaurants grow some of the food and bake a lot of their bread due to the fact it is so isolated.  I thought I had sticker shock at the Smither’s grocery store it was just a warm up for the food prices in Stewart. Plus, eating at The Bus in Hyder is a must do.  It is run by a married couple, the husband catches the fish and the wife cooks it.  Simple menu but it is just about the freshest seafood you will find anywhere. Yummy!

Eat at The Bus!

Everybody Loves a Parade!

We happened to be there for the Canadian Independence day celebration which runs into our 4^th of July celebration.  The two towns combine the celebration and call the 4 days of festivities International Days. And everyone is invited!  Cook outs at the pavilion, bonfires, fireworks and parades!  Hyder has an ugly car parade and pet parade which we missed because the part finally showed up.  Let’s hope it works!  Note to self - never ever ship anything from the US to Canada.  In addition to the extra cost for the dog sled team from the nearest town 250 miles away they also added an import fee which is 25% of the value of the item. Ouch!  It arrived on Thursday, Jack popped in the new motor. The slides and jacks were now working but things were still not exactly correct.  One switch and everything moves! Huh? Oh, well after playing with it awhile we got the hang of  the right sequence.  We could get everything in and out even if the individual switches did not work.  We were back on the road Friday morning of the 3^rd.  I’ll look back on this area with both fond and frustrating memories. I think Wodi would have been the hit of the Hyder pet parade.

Girls just wanna have fun!

Past winners of the Ugly Car Parade?