- Grizzly bear walks towards me in the parking lot at Fish Creek
- four black bears sighted in the middle of the village of Hyder and another four along the way
- Refueling and shopping in steward
- Drive back to Meziadin Junction
- Lonely drive north on the Cassiar Highway to Dease Lake
Get up early again in the hope of seeing a bear again at Fish Creek. As I drive off, I notice that my iPhone has incorrectly switched to Alaska time, so it is already 7.30 a.m. instead of 6.30 a.m. The she-bear usually comes by between 7 and 8 a.m., told the ranger. So get there as soon as possible. As I drive past, I can tell from the assembled group of observers that something must be going on here. Pack my rucksack and go, but what comes to me marching about 20 meters in front of me in the parking lot ... the grizzly bear. And I'm just halfway between the car and the viewing platform. I scurry behind the parked truck and from there onto the jetty. Anyway, after meeting the massive she-bear, I'm really awake.
Unfortunately, the she-bear disappears in the next bush and otherwise not much is going on here. Back in town I drive to the landing stage and through the quarters of the ghost town. I spot two black bears (one with two cubs) in the middle of the village, which is also part of the agenda here. I'm going back to Steward via the nonsensical Canadian border post. There I fill the tank and buy some fruit before I drive on. Again a closed cloud cover and regular precipitation, that's what it is here on the rainy Pacific coast. Suddenly there is a black bear on practically every corner. Incredibly within 3 hours of driving I see 8 black bears! Unfortunately, when they see a car, they all disappear pretty quickly.
In Meziadin Junction I turn onto the northern part of the Cassiar Highway. Briefly sunny sections alternate with drizzle and brief thunderstorms. I'll take a rest and have a picnic. There is not too much traffic, far from the hustle and bustle of civilization. Again and again I am amazed at the astonishing number of people who do this route on their bikes. Especially with the constant changes in weather. Around 3 o'clock in the afternoon it suddenly gets dark and a real downpour follows. After another refueling stop in Inskut, I drive on until shortly after the Dease Lake supply shop. Here I find a campground wonderfully located on a lake. The fact that someone in the middle of the wilderness even has a WLAN is a welcome activity. Since the weather has now got a little better, I prepare dinner early. Today we have fajitas with homemade guacamole again. Then I bring order to the pictures of the day and finally do the accounting for the second stage. After that, it's almost time to go to bed. Finally, I take some pictures of the great evening atmosphere over Dease Lake, although it is almost midnight.
