Road trip Day 2: Clinton to Smithers, BC
On Saturday morning, I got off to a later start than is usual on my road trips but felt great. This was the view from the deck outside my room, #16, at 07:25. I wouldn’t hesitate to stay at the Round-Up Motel again.
I had asked the motel owner last night about a good place for breakfast, and he recommended the Cordial Cafe a block away. Man oh man, when they lay out a breakfast, they don’t mess around, even for $10! No, I couldn’t quite finish it, but I put up a good fight, and was certainly ready to put some miles on when I finished 🙂
Clinton has some interesting antique shops that luckily were all closed. Luckily because I really like old stuff but don’t need any more!
The planned destination for the day was Smithers, 768 km (477 miles) to the northwest. There’s nothing spectacular along the route, but most of it is very pleasant country, and for someone with an interest in history, there are lots of spots worthy of note. It started to snow as I was having breakfast, and it got heavier as I headed north, though never heavy enough to be a problem.
One of the things that I always notice is the many old gas stations and lodges that are either closed or look like they’re about at the end of their useful lives. I’ve got photos of some, but would like to get many more some day when I have lots of time. 70 Mile House is one of the places I’d like to stop…
At 9:20 I reached 100 Mile House, which had been my planned destination for last night. 100 Mile is a rather prosperous looking community, thanks at least partly to a good-sized lumber mill.
I made a slight detour to the little 100 Mile House airport, which is located right downtown, and added a couple of planes to my collection, including this 1967 Beech A23A Musketeer, CF-VAF.
Highway 97 roughly follows the Fraser River to Prince George. At this point, 52 km (32 mi) north of Williams Lake, the heritage sign seen at the far left says: “Paddlewheels North. Down-river lay the perilous and unnavigable canyon. Up-river the Fraser was swift and strong, but sternwheelers could travel 400 miles from Soda Creek. Men and supplies embarked here in the 1860’s for the fabulous Cariboo goldfields. Later, as the G.T.P. Railway was forged across the Province, nine paddlewheelers formed a life-line to the north.”
Another 14 km (9 mi) north, I stopped to get some photos of the Fort Alexandria cairn and the old Fort Alexandria Cafe beside it. The cairn reads: “In 1821 the North West Company built a post here as the northern terminus of their Pacific brigade trail. Goods which had been brought up the Columbia to Fort Okanagan were sent overland by pack train to this point, then distributed by water to the posts of New Caledonia. The post was named for Sir Alexander Mackenzie who had explored the upper Fraser in 1793. After the union of the companies in 1821, Fort Alexandria was retained by the Hudson’s Bay Company and played a key role in the logistics of the trade until road transportation supplanted the brigade in the 1860s.” The Milepost notes that the actual site of the fort was on the opposite side of the Fraser River.
By 1:20 I was well west of Prince George on Highway 16, the Yellowhead.
At 2:20 I reached Vanderhoof, a community that I really like for no reason that I can put my finger on. I overnight here fairly often, at the Coach Light Motel seen ahead on the right the last few times (nothing fancy, just clean and good value).
I had hoped to have a late lunch at the cafe at the Vanderhoof Museum, but it wasn’t open. The gift shop was, but I didn’t go in because as with the antique shops in Clinton, there’s nothing I need 🙂
After literally decades of telling myself that I need to get at least one picture of this place (a 1930s cafe is my guess) before it disappears, I finally did.
The last time I was by the former Upland Motel near Topley (on March 12th), it was still standing – it smelled like this fire was very recent. It’s been abandoned for many years, and I never did understand what caused it to be built where it was – it was a large place, perhaps 30 rooms in 3 blocks. There are still hotel-reservation Web sites out there that list it despite it being closed for almost 20 years.
I stopped in Houston for a few photos, including some of the Largest Fly Rod in the World. Erected in 1990, it is 60 feet (1829.8 cm) long and weighs about 800 pounds. The reel has a diameter of 36 inches, and the fluorescent orange “Skykomish Sunrise” fly is 21 inches long.
Steelhead Park, where the fly rod and several other pieces of art are located, was a really nice place to stretch my legs.
I reached Smithers just after 6:00 pm, and after quickly checking into the Sunshine Inn, went to the Trackside Cantina. I’d been to both places on my last visit, and was very pleased with both.
Ah… a good start towards an Ultimate Burrito, finished with a totally unnecessary and totally delicious Adobe Pie dessert 🙂
After dinner, I went for a bit of a wander for photos. This is the old Smithers court house, built in 1925.
And this is Alpine Man (Alpenman), originally the center piece for the Edelweiss Motel in Rock Creek, BC, which was destroyed by fire in 1973. Alpine Man was put in a temporary home, and the Smithers Lions Club brought him north from there. After some renovations, Alpine Man took his place on Main Street, as a focal point of the town’s Alpine theme.
Sunday would be an easy day, to Stewart for a leisurely look around.
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