Alaska trip Thursday 6/11/15 Hazelton BC

STARR TREKS Thursday 6/11/15 Hazleton BC

It was chilly this morning.  Larry decided to wash the bugs off the windshield (these were bugs from NM, UT, WA, and Canada!).  I did some motor home cleaning inside.  We could see an older couple across from us in a car who were tent camping— made me think of Criss and Charlie.  We got moving around 8:40 AM.  We passed lumber yards & lumber trucks.  We had decided to stop in Burns Lake where the visitor center had internet.  Naturally, as we arrived, we had our first rainfall in Canada.  We parked in a college parking lot across the street, then spent almost an hour checking email, played Words Free, and just enjoyed having an “electronic fix” —  I sent yesterday’s photos that would not attach in Vanderhoof (Judy— I think that murderer’s name was Vander Sloet).  We went on to drive the Yellow Highway thru pine and aspen forests to Topley, Granisle, Houston, Telkwa, Smithers, and final

the K'san museum

Indians used a lot of buttons in their art

totem poles by K'San center

K'san RV park-- very pretty

ly to the Hazeltons — recommended to us in an RV office in Clinton.  We could see the beautiful snow tipped Hudson Bay mountings along the way.  Hazelton is located at the confluence of 2 rivers— the Keena and Bulkley, so it was a navigation center in 1866.  The gold rushers came thru this area.  After we turned to the highway that went to the RV park, we got to cross a one lane(!) suspension bridge, very high over the Bulkley river — it gave me the shakes as we crossed in our RV, barely fitting — Larry just did not look down at all!!!

As we got into ‘Ksan RV park, it started raining more seriously— Larry took an umbrella out to hook up while  I did the inside set-up.  The girl at the desk of the RV park did not seem real sharp— assigned us to a spot that was inhabited already, so we drove to another one, and just let her know later.  The rain lightened up and we went over to the ‘Ksan Historical Village and Museum right outside the RV park about 3:45.  There was a tour scheduled at 3:30 that we missed, so we just walked around — then ran into the tour guide with another couple, and she said she would do another guided tour if we wanted.  One other lady in the museum, who was a nurse from Vancouver, joined us.  Our guide, Chrissy, was a First Nation aborigine, who has lived here her whole life.  We got to go into several structures that were recreated in the 70’s, depicting the life of the Gitxsan Village — all the longhouses were made of red cedar— you could really smell the cedar entering each building.  We got to go into 3 buildings where Chrissy played a CD, then answered our questions.  One of the First Nation men pictured was her grandfather.  We got to see a lot of the ceremonial masks, talking sticks, fancy capes with buttons, dried fish, abalone shells, + several totem poles on the outside of the buildings.   The brochure says that the top figure on the totem is not the most important— it is the figure on the bottom that carries all the weight.  

The RV park told us to show our receipt at the grocery store in town and we would get a 10% discount, so we did — I keep thinking that pretty soon we will be away from civiization, but so far we really have been in civilization in BC.  (We also get a 5% discount off gas at the gas station, so we will fill up there before we take off in the morning.  Back at the RV, it looks like we are TV-less and internet-less again— Larry got a signal near the RV office, so I may run over there to send this email— doubt that photos will attach tho.  

The rain has stopped, so we may take a walk to the river flowing near the RV park before we have supper.  Actually the sun started shining again, so we shall do that!