Smithers, BC to River Crossing Campground (between towns) 6-16-10

This morning, I woke up in the tent around 3:45am, and either it was still light, or it had been dark and had become light. It is now 11:00pm, and once again, the sun has yet to set.

We left the campground in Smithers at 9:30am and set out west on 16. Eventually we got on the Cassiar Highway. It's been a beautiful drive today, but I'm getting rather tired of being on the road. We stopped in a couple places for gas and snacks, but other than that it was mainly just driving.

Tonight we're in a place called River Crossing campground. It's absolutely beautiful. I pitched the tent right next to a lake. It looks like a picture from a Marmot ad in a magazine.

As soon as I got out of the car, a guy happened to be walking through my campsite and he started talking to me. He had a German accent. He invited me to come over to hang out with his group near his mounstrous bus-like camper. After setting up the tent and eating peanut butter and jelly, I joined them for quite some time. They live in BC, and apparently I drove right through their property on my way here. Their names are Godfried and Heidi, both from Germany originally. They are traveling with her sister and brother-in-law, who only speak German. They are all very nice. We drank some yummy wine and chatted for a few hours.

On the way back from the bathroom I met another couple from Holland. They were very nice too. All these people are actually on the way back from Alaska.

Tomorrow we'll be driving a little longer, and may end up in a hotel. It's about time for a shower and a really good night's sleep. I'm a little worried about bears tonight. They were saying I should get bear spray in my tent just in case. They also told me they call Highway 16 the "Highway of Tears" because so many girls traveling alone have disappeared from it. That made me feel much better...

I haven't had cell service or internet all day, which also makes me feel rather alone, but at the same time it's kind of nice to be away from my troubles. I really am rather paranoid about bears, so I hope it's not dark tonight. It feels safer when I can see better. There's no food in the tent, so hopefully they won't be interested. The lake is so beautiful.