We were back on Highway 20 at about 8:45. What a long hunk of seemingly everlasting tar, until one runs out of it at Anaheim Lake! So thankfully, when I had to change a tire, it was the most convenient of places. Only one dump truck passed during the 40 minutes it took to locate the jack, which had never been used. (Interestingly, when I was filling the tires last week in preparation for the trip, I thought to duck under the rear end of the truck and check to see if there was still a spare.) I had bought four, new tires back in 2008 and saved the best tire of the original lot as the spare. That is what got us through our day and, fingers crossed, will get us all the way back to the Lower Mainland.
We only knew there was something wrong when we started bucking on the road. I wasn't sure if it was the road or me at first. Jay got out and I backed up a quarter mile and drove past him and he noted that the passenger-side, rear tire was not round. There was a hissing sound and a bulge that made the tire elliptical. I think convincing myself it was a safe and easy place to change it with a 19 year old spare is just me trying to make myself feel better.
The area we'd been going through looked a lot like Alaska with scrubby trees and imposing mountains on the horizon. Onward to Bella Coola! We ran out of tar after buying gas in Anaheim Lake. I put in $50 and asked where Grandma was at Grandma's Corner Service. The full service guy must've been closer to 100 than 80 years old and said that grandma was no longer with us.
I think from reading before we left, there's about 40 kilometers of dirt. Today, I saw it's the last 10 that were the most fun. The exciting part was when we started descending "The Hill". It is a huge part of the lore of Bella Coola and it didn't disappoint. It's not something that anyone who has four-wheeled would break a sweat over, but I bet some urban drivers would be frightened on the 18% grades as there is no guard rails. Any passenger car can easily make it. Jay spotted the plaque where the two bulldozers met, one from each direction.
"The Hill" is actually in Tweedmuir South. It is a driving pleasure when back on asphalt. We checked the first of two provincial parks and as it was empty at 1:00 pm, we thought we'd keep going to Bella Coola.
The town isn't big to look at and not much either. We drove out to the pier where the BC Ferries arrive and depart. Then we drove back into town to look around. It was 2:15 so we headed to the restaurant at the CO-OP. It was traditional greasy diner fare. We never get to eat at places like that often. I had a "Mountain Burger" and Jay a "Chicken Supreme Burger". It was all made by hand with mushroom soup and fries. It is pretty close to my birthday, so that's the excuse.
Basically, we travelled 640 miles to have lunch in Bella Coola.
We turned around and drove back an hour and have set up camp in the Atnarko Campground. The tent was up at 5:15 at campsite #1 and now we are eating bowls of noodles with water heated on the Coleman propane stove.
Tomorrow, we head back up over "The Hill" onward back to Williams Lake and perhaps to a point halfway home at the Lac La Hache campground. It'll be a longer driving day than we've been doing, at 300 miles. That will mean we can get home on Friday though.
