Strange Things Done.....: Ever feel like you're being followed?

Our stay in the Dragon's Den in Watson Lake was uneventful. When we got up, we checked on the weather forecast, and found rainshowers and thunderstorms predicted for our entire route. It seems that as we drive out of this weather system, it catches up with us and follows us east. At any rate, we were able to hand in our passport entries for the Yukon Adventure contest (we had more than enough stamps). The Passport theme for the contest seems to me to be quite a good one. We definitely visited many places we might otherwise have passed by, and for the most part, they each imparted a bit more information about the places we were visiting. Because of the weather forecast, we phoned ahead while we could, to stay at the Liard River Lodge, a hotel across the street from the Hotsprings Park, and got confirmed reservations. We then continued east and south, crossing out of the Yukon and into BC several times before we were finally out of the Yukon Territory for the duration of our trip. We passed three more bears - I won't bore you with another bear picture, but they certainly aren't endangered here. We also passed several lone bison, and a few groups, for a total of 7 bison (I have to give you our wildlife count!). These bison have no fear of traffic. In fact, they apparently occasionally get angry with cars stopped nearby them, and attack and total them! We stopped for a snack at a cafe about 100 km out of Watson Lake, and had to settle for stale coffee and a chocolate bar, as the cafe was really only a gas bar. Pretty much all the restaurants and cafes have closed down along this stretch of road.

Bison

This one was getting too close to the car.

When we arrived at Liard River we checked into the Hotel to discover that the wi-fi they advertised, and the restaurant they featured.....were closed and not available. We'd deliberately not purchased groceries in Watson Lake on the premise we'd be at a motel with a restaurant, so other than a bit of wine, crackers, cheese, and bread, we had nothing and no way for lunch or dinner. So I got back my money and we decided to forego the hotsprings. It may have been dangerous to bathe in them in thunderstorms, anyway. Continuing eastbound on the highway, we decided to fake it, and if worst came to worst, we could make it a long day and find a place in Ft. Nelson. Just east of Liard River we passed several more bison, and then had a few construction delays as we entered into the Northern Rocky Mountains. No restaurants or grocery stores, or campsites available for hours. But at Muncho Lake we came to a very high-end Lodge, the Northern Rockies Lodge. Here we were able to get a restaurant....but alas, the chef had closed the restaurant an hour ago, after lunch, and was preparing dinner for re-opening in 4 hours. They did allow us to order food to go, and we got some very nice schnitzel and fries, half of which we consumed right there, and kept the rest for dinner. We then continued on a very pretty drive along Muncho Lake, winding into the mountain valleys. At 1600 we came upon a spot with cabins, rooms, rv and camping spots, as well as gas pumps and a restaurant. We were able to get a cabin here, and found it extremely pleasant, roomy, and clean. Situated on a small lake created by a resident beaver, with wi-fi available, we were happy. It continued to rain off and on all day and evening, but it didn't dampen our spirits, as we'd discovered a gem of a place here at Toad River - and it cost less than the Liard Room would have. We watched a moose foraging on the far side of the lake, several swans and ducks were paddling around. All was good. This weather continues to follow us....forecasting sunny skies a day or two beyond our range, but then changing to rainshowers as we go on. It just seems to mean more rooms and less camping for now. On day 28 of our vacation, we've now gone 7800 kilometres, and spent 13 nights in the tent, 13 in hotel/motel rooms, and 2 with friends. All is well. Stay tuned for the rest, as we try to get out of the rain.