To Fraser Lake and Burns Lake

We wake up to pouring rain, which works in our favour as we need an admin morning doing laundry in the local laundromat (where we learn that $1CAD is called a ‘loonie’ after the waterfowl (see earlier posts!) and that the $2CAD is called a ‘toonie’. We also need to do a good food shop, and to try and buy another set of binoculars and our fishing rods.

We find our way into Prince George, a strange sprawling town which, like so many of these other towns on our route, started out as a trading post for fur and gold, and then became dependent on the railroad. Now petrochemicals and lumber are the main industries, Everywhere we go is clean, organised, efficient and the people are helpful and friendly and take the time to chat.

We find a huge Walmart which meets all our needs apart from beer and wine, as they don’t sell alcohol in BC grocery stores, so we have to visit the liquor store where we have a lovely chat with the proprietor and select some local BC wines, both red and white, on his recommendation.

All our chores done, we set off north west again for Fraser Lake, named after Simon Fraser, a trapper from the early 1800s. It’s a lovely small town on the shores of the lake, with the railroad running through the centre. The lake is very picturesque, with a seaplane port on the north shore, and lovely lakeside houses nestled into the woodland all around the edges.

We take the short trail to the top of Mouse Mountain (mountain being a very generous description of the small hill it turns out to be) but it is a delightful sun dappled walk and we’re glad of the fresh lake air and exercise.

There's still a chill in the air as sfull blown pring hasn't yet arrived - it's currently 6C - and there are no wildfowl on the lakes yet, and few animals out and about.

From Fraser Lake we again go north west to Burns Lake where we find a really remote campsite on the lake, a Mecca in the summer for downhill mountain biking, but when we arrive there is almost no-one there and we happily settle into a spot, light the fire, and cook spatchcock chicken and asparagus.