The South Riding RV Travels

586

8th June 2010 - Liard Hot Springs BC to Watson Lake YT Yukon

There are two hot springs. This is the lower spring which is the most visited. It is $10 per car to get in but free if you have paid to camp. The water is about 50ºC.
This pool is quite shallow with a sandy bottom. There is another pool below and walkways, toilets and changing rooms.  There is an upper pool about half a km away. It is hotter, too deep to stand in, and less visited. We had it to ourselves. The bottom feels pretty horrible (says Jan).
The waters in the area are all pretty warm and they contain hundreds of tiny fish and many unusual plants because of the minerals present.
The camp sites are very pleasant but there are no services. Even so it fills up pretty quickly given that it is 100 miles from anywhere else.
Back to the mountains as we carry on travelling mainly in a north west direction.
Sometimes it is difficult to distinguish between the lakes and the rivers, the rivers are so large. The maps are not that detailed and many are not named.
We are basically following the Liard River which is one of the biggest.
The weather can be very changeable particularly when you climb out of the valleys. Headlights at all times are mandatory.
We saw signs which warned of buffalo for the next 73km.
The next 73km had bison instead!
And always the backdrop of mountains and trees.
Usually the buffalo are solitary young males but we did spot this couple - and yes it was about to rain.
In fact it came over quite dark and menacing as we pulled into Watson Lake.
This is a two horse town whose main claim to fame is its signpost forest. There are now about 67000 which people leave. If you wondered what happened to your missing town sign, it is probably here.
Nice try - but I think it is Sheffield Alabama, one we haven't visited yet.
If we ever come again, we will have to bring a couple with us. They are mostly American and Canadian but with a surprising number of German and Swiss signs.
The campsite is next door with First Wye Lake on the other side. Second Wye Lake is just up the road. Why?