Salmon Glacier doesn't disappoint.

We think we are glaciered-out but other caravaners come back with reports on the Salmon Glacier, above the Tongass National Forest Fish Creek bear viewing area.  Off we go.

The road is a mixture of compacted dirt and gravel with potholes and some washboard; it takes us over an hour to go the 21 miles and climb maybe 3500 feet.  Very soon after Fish Creek a sign welcomes us to British Columbia and to my knowledge we never leave BC until our return; in fact, there is not even a US or Alaska sign on the return trip. 

The drive up involves a few parts that a caravaner says had her literally sobbing with fright because she hadn’t taken her Zanyx.    We encounter a professional photographer that tells us he was up three weeks ago but turned back because the road was in such poor shape; we have to accept that it is now at least recently graded. 

Hard rock gold mining continues in this area and several spots are showing the impact.  The mining companies are likely responsible for some of the landslides.  A sign says that there is a tunnel under the glacier to transport the rough ore to a mill.

We stop at a spot to take photos and Mike and Jane appear.  We go the rest of the way together, linked in conversation by the CB.  The views are truly wonderful, and the bugs – a mixture of mosquitoes and biting flies with maybe some no-see-ums – are horrible.  At the summit we are instructed by signs not to proceed because of avalanche danger, a good excuse to turn back.

At camp we decide to explore Hyder and the “trestle” area, as well as the mouth of the Salmon River.  Tracing some smoke we find the dump, where three cubs and a mother bear are hard at work cleaning up the mess left by humans.

As someone in our group pointed out, we have seen more bears in wrong places (town) than in right places (Fish Creek Viewing Area).

Don and Inabelle from North Carolina, he a retired Methodist minister and she a retired teacher, left the caravan today to visit children and grandchildren in the Oregon area.  We are now down to 36 rigs from a starting strength of 38.  There are still people that I can’t quite identify by name, although Marcia seems to have everybody down pat.