Nothing, is the short answer. I can tell you that BC is a gigantic province and that 1005 kilometres is a very long way. But we did see some cool stuff along the way.
This was our view of Mt Robson as we left our lodge in the morning. Definitely looks like we hiked out on the right day!
Our first stop in McBride, BC for some desperately needed caffeine. A cute little coffee shop is located in the old train station there.
From McBride to Prince George is a road unlike any other I have been on: a long, lovely stretch of highway with almost no one on it and nowhere to stop along the way. Shortly after leaving McBride you see a sign that says "Next service: 202 km". And they aren't kidding. There is absolutely nothing until you get to Prince George. We came across a section of the highway where a sinkhole had made the westbound lane totally impassable. Rather than having digital signs and an entire flag crew to monitor traffic, they had a simple "yield to oncoming traffic" sign and you were expected to stop and then just use your common sense to determine when it was safe to go (i.e., look and see if any cars were coming; if not, proceed). A simple concept, but not one that would work on a highway that carried any reasonable volume of traffic!
Our stop for the night was in Smithers, which is bit farther than halfway and, more importantly, has a brewery. We learned that another reason to stop in Smithers is that they have a fantastic Mexican restaurant, the Trackside Cantina.
We spent a good chunk of the afternoon tasting beers and hanging out with the very nice brewer at Plan B. If you can get your hands on some of their beer (particularly their oatmeal stout or their brown ale), you should definitely try it!
Happy to find delicious Mexican food at the (literally) Trackside Cantina.
The next day, Prince Rupert was a (relatively) short four hour hop through some stunning scenery. We arrived mid-afternoon to take a look at the town and stock up on groceries for Haida Gwaii. McFrothy views differ on what we thought of Prince Rupert. One of us (Chad), thinks it's a scrappy, struggling port town with some surprisingly cute and cozy parts. The other of us thinks it's a sad, dying little port town that is a shadow of its former self.
Fantastic views of mist covered mountains along the Skeena River between Terrace and Rupert.
Despite my misgivings about Prince Rupert, they have a Fire Museum. I guess this place isn't that bad...
Huge buoys in the local park. (Chad: yes, lateral buoys are my bag, baby.)
Our boat to Haida Gwaii would not be this luxurious.
The cruise shop dock, a port of call for ferries headed to Alaska, has some cute little shops.
One of the many harbours.
Cozy Cowpuccinos.
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