Spoffords Travel

Day 26 July 27, 2025 100 Mile House British Columbia to Osoyoos British Columbia 268 miles

The town is foggy but as soon as we started up the hill the fog cleared and the skies were partly sunny.

We came to our first big hill. It was a very long slow drive. Thankfully there was a passing lane. It’s a busy road with four lanes most of the time. In fact traffic today was much more than we have been experiencing. We decided some of that is because today is Sunday and the weather is nice.

Lots of motorcycles are out. Some in groups of six or more but others are one or two. Some are out for the day and others are packed for a long ride.

As we came down the hill we could see a deep canyon. Two of the hills in the canyon had flat tops. Different crops were being raised on the top with the aide of sprinklers.

The trees have thinned out and have been replaced with sagebrush. The ground cover is no longer green and lush. We can still see mountains but no more snow.

We have not been on this road before because we came to a very strange lake. Well we think it is a lake. It looks more like the Salt Lake in color. Lots of what appears to be white sand surrounds the lake. Then we came to a huge mining operation. It’s an open pit mine to mine copper. Several of the mountains have been systematically carved away. We read later they expect to mine there for another 21 years.

On the opposite side of the road and down a little further is a large gathering of horse trailers. There are a few horses and people standing around. Would be interesting to know what was going on.

Oh no. Another big long hill. It’s lunch time and there have been no rest areas. At the top of the hill is a rest stop on the opposite side of the road. It’s not intended to be used by people going up the hill. It’s real purpose is to give semis a place to check their brakes. There is one outhouse. We pulled in anyway. Then we saw the signs that said to limit your stay to 15 minutes. Well we stayed longer because we ate lunch. Maybe the limit ment 15 minutes for each person? A big sign said this was Hamilton Hill with a 6% grade and a stop sign at the bottom.

The next area was dotted with numerous small lakes. They were like mirrors. One of these had numerous paddle boarders at one end. There was a nice beach there too.

Canada deserves some real credit for the number of electrical vehicles charging stations they have. Some are even at rest stops. Small towns may have one or two as well. Not sure how many electric vehicles there are. We rarely saw any at the fuel points.

We passed another odd lake. The sign said its called Spot Lake. Sure enough there were large spots floating on the surface. An internet search revealed that it is a saline endothermic alkali lake. It is full of minerals too. Then it changes colors.

Now we are in a large area of orchards and vineyards. One small town had more fruit stands than anything else. Cherries and peaches seem to be the current highlight.

We got to the hotel a little before 5:00 pm. Check-in is not till 5:00. We think that is the latest we have ever seen for a check-in.

The car took the hills slowly and did not overheat. However, the gears are grinding more than normal. Hopefully we can make it home without any major problems.

Day 25 July 26, 2025 Vanderhoof British Columbia to 100 Mile House British Columbia 270 miles

The clouds this morning are absolutely incredible. They are huge white puffy shapes. The sky directly overhead is mixed clouds and blue sky.

A deer jumped over the barrier and ran across the road in front of us. Not close enough for concern thankfully. Rob did honk the horn at it. That might have hurried it along.

We went through an area where rain was falling. Thankfully it didn’t last long. The passing trucks put out a lot of spray and help wash away some of the mud from the Dempster Highway.

One section of road is being resurfaced. Nobody seems to be working today so the flaggers and pilot cars aren’t there.

We noticed several saw mills along the way. Sure is a lot of logs and lumber stacked up. Makes you wonder why it costs so much at home. (Unknown excise taxes?) Thousands of board feet just sitting there.

We went through the town of Quesnel. The sidewalks are lined with beautiful petunias. Flower baskets hang from the buildings.

We stopped for lunch at one of the rest areas. One lady came over with her dog to talk. The dog is a working service dog but not on duty. He sure likes to be petted.

We see more livestock. One yard had a pen full of turkeys. Rob tried to say they were wild turkeys but I don’t think wild turkeys are white.

We checked into the hotel and then went in search of the laundromat. We missed it the first time, but eventually got there. Another customer gave us clues as to the best machines to use. We loaded up the washing machine which cost $8.00 CA ($5.84 US). I have never heard such noise. I thought the building was coming apart. The dryer cost $2.00 CA ($1.46 US). We loaded up and returned to the hotel to eat our leftover pizza. Pizza two nights in a row. It was good but not as good as Flying Pie Pizza in Boise.

The car ran fine today with the exception of the transmission. Now it grinds a little when you downshift from 3rd to 2nd. At least it is not sticking in 3rd. We do have a cracked headlight lens and a couple of new rock hits on what used to be a new radiator. Oh, and a couple of very small rock hits on the windshield.

Day 24 July 25, 2025 Kitwanga British Columbia to Vanderhoof British Colombia 241 miles

We were getting up and loaded up when a man in a jeep pulling a small trailer came into the campground. He wanted to show Rob what he bought an what he panned to do with it. He had talked to Rob yesterday.

While he was talking three logging trucks went the same direction on the nearby road. Two were empty and one was loaded. There is some kind of mill further down the road from the campground. We could hear the noise from it. This town is so small that at least one member of every family must work there.

The skies are cloudy again today but not much rain. The clouds make the mountains difficult to see. They also make for some interesting photos.

The volume of traffic has increased significantly. There are more towns and increasing is size along the way. Fuel prices are dropping the further south we go.

One of the mountains to the west of the town of Smithers has a visible glacier. Too bad the side curtain is so dirty the photo just looks out of focus. The blue tint to the snow and ice is clearly visible.

The landscape now has more open space for ranching. We saw lots of grass hay both in bales and dry rows ready to bale. We also saw more cattle.

A bird actually hit the passenger side door near the windshield. We are pretty sure it died. We have had some come close but this was the first solid hit.

The road is being resurfaced for a few miles. They use a pilot car to lead the one lane flow. Traffic really backs up. There must have been close to a mile of vehicles behind us.

When we got to the hotel a couple came up to us and asked if we had been on the Dempster recently. We talked with them for several minutes.

The town has what sounded like a wonderful bakery. Unfortunately they are closed until August 4. Then we tried the laundromat. It closes in 1.5 hours and we don’t have everything located. Therefore it must be time to go have pizza. My, but that was a busy place. The crew was all hustling. Most of the orders were take out until a little later in the evening. Then the dining area filled up. We ordered their special and have enough leftovers for tomorrow.

Since the mosquito population here was less Rob spent time adjusting the brakes. He also bolted the license plate back on. Lots of things need tightened up after a thousand miles of gravel road.

Day 23 July 24, 2025 Dease Lake British Columbia to Kitwanga British Columbia 307 miles

Today is very cloudy. We had rain off and on most of the day. Good thing Rob put on more RainEx.

We ate half the cinnamon roll for breakfast. Rob had tea and Connie had luke warm coffee. We are beginning to think that is the way Canadians like it.

After filling with gas we went in the little store and bought more cookies and crackers plus a Dease Lake T-shirt. You can never have enough T-shirts.

Our exciting wildlife for the day was a rabbit and several ground squirrels. A fox may have been on the side but it ran into the brush too soon to know for sure.

Not as much construction today. One section however was good gravel road but it was on a hairpin turn going up hill. We really had to slow down causing us to lose our momentum.

The mountains along our drive are breathtaking. Still some snow in streaks going down the sides. The forest on them is thick. The tops of the taller peaks are craggy. Some of the snow patches look like former glaciers. Many times the tops are covered with clouds.

Two big logging trucks are parked in one of the pullouts. When we stopped at the junction to fuel they went by. They are headed for Stewart where the logs will be placed in the river and then barged somewhere.

As we left the fuel point we thought there was a new noise. Rob checked around but couldn’t find anything. We think it might be the passenger side door. It will not stay closed. In fact we Velcro it closed. Since the roads are so bumpy it makes a lot of noise. The headsets with a story sure help with that.

We came to the small community of Kitwanga. Connie thought there might be some lodging here but no. They do have a small free campsite. We went to the gas station which was further than expected and returned to the campsite. They actually had one pull thru and we used it.

While at the gas station a pickup pulling a flat bed trailer with 14 large round bales stopped in. We have seen the bales in the fields but this is the first we have seen loaded and transported.

The microwave isn’t working so Rob walked the short distance to the General Store to get something for supper. Turns out it closed at six and it’s now a few minutes after that. So we decided a cup of soup would do. Somehow those didn’t get packed. We ended up with the Chunky Campbell soup that the couple in the nearby camper heated for us.

The campground had one camper, one motorcyclist, one bicyclist, one pickup and us. A minivan pulled in after we went to bed. A gentleman who voluntarily maintains the campground stopped by and chatted for quite. Another very friendly Canadian.

Day 22 July 23, 2025 Teslin Yukon to Dease Lake British Columbia 295 miles

It’s mostly cloudy today. It rained some in the night but everything is still covered in mud. Good that it doesn’t show as badly as it could.

We stopped for gas at the Continental Divide Motel where we have stayed in the past. A group of Hells Angles motorcyclists had stopped for a break. They were so excited to see the car. They all took pictures. The gas attendant was telling everyone about the car. She had paid good attention because she had the story down really well.

The weather rained on and off all day. Never really heavy thank goodness because we still don’t have a windshield wiper installed. The droplets managed to clear off before the next storm.

The north bound traffic seems to have more motor homes. Up on the Dempster the preferred camping equipment was pickups with campers. Quite a few of those were rentals. It costs $5000.00 Canadian ($3675.00 US) for 13 days. The motor homes didn’t go up on the Dempster. Lots of motorcycles with camping gear.

A black bear ran across the road up a ways. A cub followed and then a second cub. By the time we got to the spot they couldn’t be seen. Lots of places to hide.

A little further down the road a fox was on the side of the road. It also quickly ran into the brush. It probably did not like the sounds we make.

We had to stop briefly for some one lane road work. The flagger said a bear was just in front in the brush. The driver of the car behind us was out with his camera. He said it was a cinnamon black bear. We never saw the bear.

We got to our hotel about 5:30. We went across the road to the food truck that serves chow mein, spring rolls, kebabs, and a bbq pork. The lady who runs it is Philippino. It’s the best place in town. (There are only two choices.) Both are take out only. We ate in the break area of the hotel. (No mosquitoes.)

Day 21 July 22, 2025 Pelly Crossing Yukon to Teslin Yukon 287 miles

Sure enough the tire was flat this morning. Rob changed it before we even had breakfast. The wheel has numerous cracks which may have caused the flat. Time to look for another 21” wheel.

Not far down the road from the campsite we encounter another major road construction. This highway will really be something once all of this gets done. We had to follow a pilot car again for several miles.

We stopped for gas at Carmacks. A motorcyclist on his way north was excited to see us. He knew we had transmission problems and had been towed. Our picture is on a facebook group of the Dempster Highway. He encouraged us to get a YouTube channel and to post to the facebook group.

We stopped once again at Braeburn Lodge for a cinnamon roll. It’s nearly lunch time so we each had a bowl of their soup. Rob had Spanish Rice and Connie had sweet potato pumpkin with ginger. They came with a large homemade roll. One of the locals was very excited that we made it back.

A coyote ran across the road and then stood and watched us go by. Rob was convinced it was a wolf. He just likes to make a better story.

We might have left a little rubber behind. A flagger had the stop sign out at the bottom of a hill. Another vehicle was already waiting. Rob had to use the emergency brake to get us stopped in time.

A black bear is along side the road just ahead of us. By the time we got to the spot it had disappeared into the brush. They are all born camera shy.

Things got a little exciting when a big bumble bee got in the car. It most likely came in through the “air conditioner”. For those that don’t know the air conditioner on this car is the windshield open an inch or so. The side curtains are now tight enough that its doubtful a bumble bee could get in. It flew around our laps and on the seats. We think Rob finally killed it or knocked it unconscious. Whichever we didn’t see it again.

We arrived in Teslin and got into our room before a big rain storm hit. This is a small hotel with only about 10 rooms. It did have a microwave so we heated some of our supplies for supper.

The car transmission is shifting properly again. Rob gets a little anxious every time he shifts out of third gear.

Day 20 July 21, 2025 Tombstone Campground Yukon to Pelly Crossing Yukon 173 miles

Today is cloudy and some rain began to fall. It stopped for a few minutes but started up again. Rob has decided to try driving all the way home in second gear. That means going about 30 mph maximum. If we can get 180 miles a day it will only take us 12 days to get home by using the freeway from Pendleton Oregon on.

Since the gas tank is nearly empty and we have about 45 miles to the next fuel point, Rob added the Jerry can which should give us enough to get to the fuel point.

While we were eating our breakfast of granola bars we saw another fox headed into the campground. They are so pretty and their tails are huge.

We managed to get to the “Corner” which is the start of the Dempster Highway. We would not have driven more than 30 mph anyway. Mostly flat for this part but lots of washboards. We really bounce on those. Since this is a good fuel point we filled up. It was nearly noon so we pulled into an empty space and ate lunch.

We are a big draw. A car stopped and asked if they could take a picture. The driver was an actor. The passenger seemed to be his father. He wanted a picture in the car. He was dressed in red one piece pajamas and a black cowboy hat. He stood on the running board and waved. He was very excited. He told us that he makes an annual calendar for family and friends. We don’t know what month we will represent. They had seen us at the campground but we left before they got to us.

The Swiss couple we talked with in Tuktoyaktuk stopped as well. They gave us a card and said to come visit them the next time we were in Switzerland. They live 30 km from the Bernina factory.

We are now back on asphalt so at least the dust shouldn’t be as bad. We saw a motorcycle with a sidecar. We wondered why we had not seen one before now. We certainly saw lots of motorcycles. We also saw lots of pickups with campers on top.

Some of the drive looked smokey. We understand Alaska has lot of forest fires.

We came to one of the big construction areas. They run multiple pilot cars all the time. The construction goes for several miles. The part we drive on is about as rough as the Dempster. The new road should be much wider based on the amount of mountain they are removing. We were glad the pilot car was going slowly. We were able to stay with him. For several miles after that the road was not paved but appeared to be ready to do so.

We got to Pelly Crossing about quitting time. We thought they might have lodging. Either they were full. We were welcome to try the campground across the road.

We went over there. This is a free campground. We had stayed there last year. More gravel has been put down. We found a spot we could park off the road but not a pull through.

The outhouses here could use an upgrade. They needed new paint on the inside and a broom to get out the dirt and leaves on the floor. The toilet seat was sticky and the rest of the seat could use a new coat of paint a hook on the door would be nice too.

The driver’s side rear tire is low. Rob got out the tire pump and filled the tire. If it is down again in the morning he will change it. Several men came over and talked about the car.

A couple that had parked at the same turnout as we did were also at this campground. Amazing how many of the same people you see at other places on the trip. Everyone we have met have been very friendly and helpful.