North through British Columbia - Alaska and Points North: Tips and Tales from the Road - page 43

the woods to a beaver pond. There are actually two campgrounds, one with sites grouped
around the lake and another up the hill called the “Touring Campground.”
Originally, provincial campgrounds were designed for rustic camping in the woods. Sites
are wilderness-oriented, widely spaced from each other with tent pads and short driveways
suitable for small campers. Newer campgrounds are now including sites that can handle the
really big rigs. Thus, the touring campground with its gravel sites and pull-through lanes.
Hitting the road in the morning we are struck by the quantities of wildflowers crowding the
road, spilling into the meadows beyond - blue lupines, red Indian paintbrush, burnt orange
dandelions, Queen Anne's lace and yellow-centered daisies. Great masses of the intense
purple-blue lupines paint embankments as far north as Homer, Alaska. Lupines are equally
beloved by big burly bears and delicate butterflies. Bears relish the roots while butterflies
feast on the flowers while entrusting their eggs to the leaves.
Located at the confluence of the Fraser and Nechako Rivers, Prince George is located in
the geographical center of the province. It's an industrial center, servicing the mining and
lumber industries - pulp mills, chemical plants and sawmills.
PG is home to all the big box stores and outdoor suppliers, so it is the best place to make
any final refits to the van and stock up on groceries. We've been warned that bugs will be
a major challenge as we head north so the one thing we are keen to find is a bug screen for
the front grill. It will keep insects from plugging up and overheating the radiator. This it did
admirably, as well as providing an all-you-can-eat buffet for dozens of little birds who'd
alight to feast whenever we stopped.
Good thing we were prepared because at Whisker's Point Provincial Park that night, the
mosquitoes found us. The little bug hut I'd brought had its debut. From a flat circular disk
about 3 feet across it pops out into a screened hut perfectly sized for two chairs and a small
folding table. Throughout the trip the mosquitoes and horse flies battered the walls of that
hut, but it met the challenge, earning a permanent place in the van.
As does the new Weber. Over the coming months I experimented with this heavy, cast iron
barbeque. Not only did it do a superlative job of the usual BBQ meats but I discovered that
if I lowered the heat and timed it perfectly I could bake everything from pizza to muffins to
fishsticks. Virtually anything youcandoinaconventional oven.Timing isthetrick though
because you cannot lift the lid and you cannot see what is happening under it so there were
a few cremations before I got the muffins perfect.